Effects Of Fast Food On Obesity

Fast Foods Effects on Obesity

In America today, there is a growing problem with obesity. Obesity affects thousands of people in the United States and there is a growing concern with the amount of children that are obese. The number of obese children has tripled since 1970. Today, 1 in 5 children are overweight. With the high number of fast food chains around, it is almost impossible to avoid. Catchy ads like the Taco Bell illuminati commercial are very deceiving and continue to lure people. Of course, fast food chains want to get the customer to buy their food, but what they do not share is the unhealthy ingredients that make up the food that they are selling. Every day, one in three children in the United States from the ages 4 through 19

While some people think their lifestyle does not play a part in their choice, it, in fact, does. Lifestyle is defined by the way in which a person lives. This includes what a person likes to eat, how often he or she eats out, where he or she gets groceries and many other things. Fast food is a common part of Americans lives. Fast food is cheap and convenient. A person can easily grab a burger, fries and a shake after practice, school, or work instead of going home to make a meal. It is often common for people to have fast food delivered to their house. Not only does getting this food make a person unhealthy, it also makes them more lazy. According to a study on CBS.news, researchers at the University of California Los Angeles did a study on rats with different diets. They placed half of the rats on a healthy, unprocessed diet and the other half on a highly processed diet that is high in sugar. After three months, they analyzed the results. The rats on the unhealthy diet were significantly fatter, which is what they expected. The surprising result that they found was that when in a situation where the rats had to press a lever to get water the rats on the unhealthy diet took twice as long to complete. They stopped and took breaks and averaged about 10 minutes to get the rewards. The rats on the healthy diet averaged five minutes each (Firger). This is what happens when a person

A person’s Socioeconomic status refers to their income, education and occupation. A person buys fast food because it is cheap. According to The State of Obesity.org, individuals with a low income have a higher rate of becoming obese sometime in their life. A study was conducted and concluded that over 33% of adults who made a yearly income of less than $15,000 were obese. When comparing this to the adults who made over $50,000, only 24. 6% of adults were obese (“Socioeconomics and Obesity.”) The facts are startling: why do people who make less have more of a chance of being obese than others who make more? The answer is the money. Money buys food. When an individual has budgeted $75 for food a week versus $300 a week for food, the person with $300 has more options and can opt for more healthy alternatives than fast foods. Often times restaurants that cost more than fast food, are generally healthier. They prepare their food in a more healthy way and use nutritious options for ingredients. Similar to the amount of income earned, children who have parents who do not have at least 12 years of education have a 30.4% higher chance of being obese. This is compared to children's parents with degrees who only have a 9.5% chance of becoming obese (“Socioeconomics and Obesity.”) There could be many reasons for this. One of the reason this is a common trend is that the adults with education know more