Before starting this class, I had rarely heard the word “sustainability.” I wasn’t sure what it meant. However, I figured it’s meaning had something to do with keeping our economy in good shape. After being in this class for over a month, I’ve come to understand that it means so much more.
The issue I want to talk about is fast food. Fast food is consumed in America for many reasons: it tastes good, it’s cheap, and it’s ready to eat within minutes after you order. With these three characteristics, what could be wrong? The answer is simple: it is extremely unhealthy for you.
An Article by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation tells us that 1 in 4 Americans consumer fast food every day, and that nearly $100 billion is spent on fast food every year at one of the 50,000 chains across the country.
There are many negative effects to fast food. Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are just a few of these effects that eating fast food can have. However, for low-income families in the United States, and at a current time like this where our economy is not very good, fast food seems to be the only answer for these families to eat while on a tight budged.
Many steps can be taken to help sustain the public’s health with food. First, fast food restaurants need to cut back on portion size. When fast food companies show that you can upgrade to “supersize” or “Extra-large” for only pennies more, it entices people to do so, as they feel they are getting more bang for their buck. In reality, all people are getting is more low quality, unhealthy food that goes right to their stomach.
Another step could be getting people to prepare their own food from scratch. Going to a grocery store and buying your own food to cook is the healthiest way to eat, as you know exactly what is going into the meal you are abut to consume. The problem is that going to the supermarket isn’t cheap. Healthy foods are very expensive. I learned that the reason for this is because of economics. According to an article on straighthealth.com, the demand for healthy foods is getting higher, but the supply is low and the cost is high to make these foods. Thus, the consumer must pay a higher price. If the government were to step in and figure out a way to make the cost of producing healthy food lower for farmers, then the American population could buy the healthy food for a similar price to what they are paying now for fast food. If done, this could lead to great health benefits and better sustainability. Until then, our country’s health sustainability is at risk.
10 Nasty Reasons not to Eat McDonalds
Works Cited:
Ransohoff, Julia. "Fast Food." Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/nutrition/fastfood.html>.
"Why Are Healthy Foods so Expensive?" Straighthealth.com. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://straighthealth.com/pages/qna/healthyfoodexpensive.html>.
Max~
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to hear what the class thinks of urban homesteading and urban agriculture as responses to our fast food nation.
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ReplyDeleteI can see so many ways this post relates to class in not so obvious ways. I completely agree with Jordan that Homesteading could be a great alternative to expensive groceries and fast food. As we learned in class today out on the Quad, Illinois imports 95% of the food we eat!! And, as we learned from our guest lecture, it is very possible to grow and produce our own food. And it is true that not everyone will have the time to do this, or want to do this. But, there are members in the community who feel passionate about buying and eating locally grown products. The government should encourage this. Not only is the food better for us that gross fast food, but we can also see we are running out of oil!! It takes tons of oil to transport food, so locally growing food in our communities would not only help American's wallets and health, but possibly our oil consumption as well.
ReplyDeleteI like this blog for the simple fact that I do not like McDonalds anymore. They have things on the menu that I still consider enjoyable but overall I do not encourage the consumption of McDonalds. Food today is becoming more and more unhealthy. Everything is processed and preserved, therefore we get none of the vital nutrition our bodies need. However, we break our pockets paying for what we may think is inexpensive because it is advertised as a $5 meal, but really it is too much for so little. The fast food we consume is not only killing our pockets but it is killing us. As we can see it has caused an abundance of obesity and a lack of self-preservation. People do not value their health as much as they need to due to the convenience of a fast food joint on every corner. We've become too lazy and over expectant. As far as homesteading, I think it's time we all started that process and fast.
ReplyDelete"Homesteading" in my eyes will possibly save our future.