Essay About Fast Food Restaurants and Their Impact on Health

Over the course, fast food restaurants have rapidly increased, according to Supersize Me “McDonald’s alone operates more than 30,000 joints in over 100 countries on six continents and feed more than 46 million people worldwide every day” (Carmichael). It’s estimated that the number of McDonald’s outlets increased by 20 percents in the past decade because of this experts worry about the impact of increased fast food consumption on health (Living). Do to the increases of the fast food industry, research has shown that eating highly processed foods like those served in fast food restaurants has been linked to a number of negative health issues, including obesity, heart disease and early death (Welch). According to time.com fast food accounted for about 11 percents of daily intake in the United States between 2007 and 2010, and about 37 percents of U.S. adults consume fast food on a given day (Law). With the increased percentage of adults eating fast food increased from early 1990 to the mid-1990s also the number of obese people increased (Fryar). In the film "Supersize Me", nearly 100 million Americans are today either overweight or obese that’s more than 60 percents of all United State adults (Carmichael). Another issue of fast food is the nutrition, both Border and Mandal said fast foods are typically high in calories, high in fat, high in sugar, high in refined carbohydrates, and high in sodium (salt). Because it is nutritionally unhealthy, has been linked to heart disease, and cause obesity and death, people should stop eating fast food.

One reason people should stop eating fast food because they are nutritionally unhealthy. According to HelpGuide.org and the personal interview with Border, fast food is typically high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories. And it also tends to be low in nutrients and lacking in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. The food is calorically dense and served in large portions, typically the meat has highly refined carbohydrates and has a poor dietary fatty acid (Odegaard). In addition, studies have shown that greater portion size leads to greater intake and extra calories (SQ online). For example, researchers found that, on average, the calorie content of entrees went up by thirty calories a decade, while the calories content of desserts went up by sixty-two calories a decade.

The study said the menu items also have a major increase in sodium content about a 4.6 percents daily value increase per decade of entrees (Law). Another example, a Big Mac which is high in sodium, high in calories, and has low nutritional value (SQ online). According to Fryar, studies have reported that “more frequent fast-food consumption is associated with higher energy and fat intake and lower intake of healthful nutrients.” The energy density of the entire menu at fast food outlets is typical “B1100 KJ/100g,” more than twice the energy density of recommended healthy diets “B525KJ/100g” (Stender). Finally, “report indicates that for 2007-2010, on average, adults consumed just over one-tenth of their percentage of calories from fast food, which a decrease from 2003-2006 when approximately 13% of calories were consumed from fast food” (Fryar). Even though the percentage decrease it is still a high percentage of adults consumed from fast food. This is why people should stop eating fast food because of it unhealthy.

In addition to nutritionally unhealthy also fast food has been linked to heart disease. In the film Supersize Me, the experiment was that he has to eat everything on the menu at least once the next 30 days and have to have three squares a day breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the end of the experiment the person state, “I nearly doubled risk of coronary heart disease making myself twice as likely to have heart failure (Carmichael). This shows by eating too much fast food can lead to a health problem. In ScienceDaily and Odegaard, both state research found that people who consume fast food even once a week increase their risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20 percent in comparison to people who avoid fast food.

For people eating fast food two-three times each week, increase their risk by 50 percent, and 80 percent risk for people who consume fast food items four or more times each week. Also, the research found that “individuals living within roughly a half-mile from a fast food restaurant were significantly more likely to develop heart disease than those living further away” (Living). This is because most people who live near fast-food restaurants are likely to consumed fast food on a regular basis. Both Border and Stender state “daily intake of 5 grams trans fast, corresponding to 2 energy percent, is associated with an approximately 30 percent increase the risk of coronary heart disease.” The trans fat in fast food is unhealthy fast. According to time.com, “A 2015 study from Tufts University looked at 5 countries around the world and found that consumption of sugary drinks may have led to approximately 45,000 death from heart disease (Welch). Also, a study the intake of Western-style fast food items in Singapore the resulting was “1397 death from coronary heart disease” (Odegaard). This shows the danger of consumed fast food is linked to heart disease and many death because of this people should stop eating fast food.

Final reasons to stop consuming fast food cause obesity and death because it is unhealthy. As Bahadoran state “Frequent consumption of fast foods is one of the main reasons for rising trends of overweight and obesity.” Also, Al-Saad, agree that one of the serious diseases of fast food is obesity. Obesity is now the second only to smoking as major cause preventable death in America with more than “400,000 death per year associated illness” (Carmichael). For example, “obesity indicates the increase in a body’s weight over the recommended once by 30 percent due to the high rate of fats and sugar in the body” (Al-saad). This shows fast food is nutritionally unhealthy which linked to obesity. In the film Supersize Me, an experiment was done to seen fast food is the cause of obesity in America. In result “only 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald’s he gained 24 and a half pounds. He body fat percentage went from 11 to 18 percent” (Carmichael).

This shows consuming fast food regularly is unhealthy and fast food does cause obesity, so people should stop eating fast food. Eating large portions of energy-dense foods also play a factor in the obesity epidemic (SQ online). According to Obesity Crisis, many Americans are obese because of fast food consumed “with 64.5 percent of American adults overweight or obese, 30.5 percent actually obese and 127 million American adults were overweight in 1999-2000, 60 million obese and 9 million severely obese.” Due to a large number of population of Americans are obese, consumer of fast food should stop eating them. Studies have shown that this rise of obesity among the world population could be attributed to an increase in calorie intake (Mandal). With the cause of obesity, fast food also leads to many deaths “it estimates that 300,000 deaths annually are overweight and obesity-related. The risk of death from all causes is 50 to 60 percent greater for those who are obese compared to those with a healthy weight” ( Obesity Crisis). The consuming of fast food is highly an issue in today society, causing obesity which can lead to many deaths, people should stop eating fast food.

Some may argue, there are many healthy foods options to choices from when eating at a fast food restaurant such as “apple slice, sandwich, Oatmeal, and some low-fat yogurt” (Border). According to Ayres, “some salads that are offered by Wendy’s are under 400 calories.” Ayres argue “modern fast food isn’t just about burgers and fries. There are some healthy fast food meals that can be found in the various chains throughout the world.” However, it takes someone who is knowledgeable to choices healthy foods options at a fast food restaurant, state Border. When asking Border, does everyone who eats at fast food restaurants know about their nutrition menus? Border said no, researchers have found that even they see the numbers in the menus they did not know what it means to them and they don’t understand that 200 calories for a sandwich is a lot of calories.

Also consuming foods at fast food restaurants reduces the amount of eating healthy food options (SQ online). Because many fast food salads are a diet minefield, smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings (HelpGuide). Some time healthy stuff at fast food is worse than the items that seem like they’d the most damage. Example, “McDonald’s fruit and Maple Oatmeal, another dish with a massive health halo, packs a whopping 32 grams of sugar and there are chemicals that help keep lettuce leaves crisp (Dana-Leigh-Smith). This Shows consuming fast food is not really a healthy option because most people have no idea how much calories they eat and health foods are not regularly promoted to the same extent a burger is promoted (Ayres) because of this people should stop eating fast food.

In conclusion, because it is nutritionally unhealthy, has been linked to heart disease, and cause obesity and death, people should stop eating fast food. There are many negative health risks related to the consumption of unhealthy fast food. Also, higher availability of fast food services is associated with higher mortality rates for coronary heart disease as well as a higher risk of overweight and obesity. In short, people should stop eating them because of it unhealthy and linked to many negative health effects.