Why Fast Food is Unhealthy free essay sample

In today’s age of convenience, fast food needs no introduction. Everyone from a two year old to a sixty year old seems to be enjoying it. Why not? It’s delicious, it’s filling, it’s affordable, and available just any time of the day. What more can you ask for when you are living life in the fast lane? Well fast food all good tastes, except that it is not nutritionally balanced and, therefore, unhealthy in the long run if consumed on a regular basis. Even though some people say that eating fast food is healthy because they get certain types of fast food like salads or chicken, it not the real stuff. They make it seem like it is but its not. They also choose fast foods because it is inexpensive than most other food choices. Fast foods contain lots of calories, sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats substances that increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Fast Food is Unhealthy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Increased health risks are directly associated with increased consumption of fast foods. Yet, as prices for fast foods increase the consumption and health risks decrease. Eating healthier foods may reduce your health risks and your costs. (Roizman) On the McDonalds website if you get 1 Big Mac, 1 Double Cheeseburger, 1 Large Fries, and 1 Large Coke you would get 1,770 Calories, 77 grams of fat, 1,430 milligrams of sodium, and 219 grams of Carbs for all about $9 which is not healthy if consumed on the daily basis. (McDonalds) In the short reading by Eric Schlosser Why the Fries Taste Good Fast food increases your weight. Body Mass Index(BMI) is an indicator of body fat that is measured according to your weight and height. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk of obesity and chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, gallstones and cancer. Research by the Department of Economics and Institute for Health Research and Policy in 2009 found the price of fast food is statistically associated with BMI of teenagers, particularly among families in low to middle socioeconomic status. The low cost of fast food influenced weight gain, the report showed. Consuming fast food may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. Scientists estimate the popularity of type 2 diabetes will increase 300 percent in the United States in the next 40 years, from 10 percent to 33 percent of the population. Research by scientists at the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2010 discovered that increasing the price of fast food items by $1, reduced the amount of calorie intake from these foods, decreased weight gain and lowered insulin resistance, risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes. The research suggests the US government should consider policies aimed at altering the price of fast foods to steer Americans toward eating healthier foods and reducing the risks of chronic diseases. The total annual health care cost to treat diabetes is estimated at $174 billion. Fast food restaurants use processed foods with high amounts of sodium to flavor your meals. Sodium is a risk factor for high blood pressure and stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists at the University of Michigan predict that the treatment of strokes will cost the United States $2. 2 trillion by 2050 unless Americans change their eating habits and maintain normal blood pressure. Fast food restaurants predominantly serve meals in big portion sizes with higher amounts of calories than you need and contain additive ingredients such as preservatives, flavorings, sweeteners, sodium and colors. Many restaurants are increasing the costs for fast foods with prices as high as $10 per person and over $30 or $40 for a family of four in some locations. Purchasing healthy food ingredients and preparing meals at home can save you money.