How eating fast food affects health
The fast-food industry has become a major source of dependency for many Americans. A question to consider is “exactly how much of the food we eat and how it is produced is known to the people who consume it?” Many people do not consider this because they are able to order, pay, and get food three minutes later after ordering. This process is quick and inexpensive. Fast food has become common in the United States due to its availability. However, it has had a negative impact on American communities because of the health problems it brings. America’s fast-food industry has become popular because everyone seems so busy. Some days, just thinking about coming home to cook food isn’t fun for most people who work constantly or have children with late school activities. Almost everyone seems to be doing something and has no time to make food. This then contributes to money being spent on fast food but also your health having to pay the cost. While fast food is much more convenient and cheaper, it can contribute to health complications such as obesity and/or heart failure, potentially cause an imbalance in growth and development, and take a toll on mental and emotional health.
The question of “how would you say your health is based on a scale of 1 through 5, 1 being poor to 5 being excellent?, is a question most of us have answered at a doctor’s office for a checkup, a clinic or sometimes in an emergency room. The different levels of how one’s health is being shown can factor from their daily habits, diet, genetics, height/weight and how they’re built. When it comes to diet, if someone’s diet consists of highly processed foods, junk food, etc. This would possibly lead to future heart failure and/or obesity. For Example, the author states that “As the ultra-processed food consumption increased, the dietary content of carbohydrates, free sugars, total fats, saturated fats, and sodium increased significantly while the content of protein, fiber, and potassium decreased. The poor nutritional quality of ultra-processed foods coupled with their high availability, low cost, and aggressive marketing, which result in excessive consumption, can lead to obesity and other chronic diet- related NCDs.” (Rauber, da Costa Louzada, M. L., Steele, E. M., Millett, C., Monteiro, C. A., & Levy, R. B. Ultra‐processed food consumption and chronic non‐communicable diseases‐related dietary nutrient profile in the UK. Nutrients, 10(5), 587–. (2008–2014). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10050587) This quote states how ultra-processed that are consumed over time can cause an unhealthy increase in some nutritional contents such as saturated fats, sugars, and sodium. With this increase, it can cause an imbalance of what the body needs to have sustainable health. When there is more of something unfavorable within the body, rather than what it needs, it interferes with certain functions of some vital health systems: For Example, the digestive system which breaks down food into nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins and the circulatory system which carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells, and removes waste products, like carbon dioxide. Both of which interact with one another to distribute certain nutrients throughout the body and if both systems aren’t working adequately, it can cause future health problems.
To further interpret how fast food affects health is how it raises blood pressure. The author states that “Many fast-food items are packed with sodium, which acts as a preservative and enhances taste. Everything that’s processed, packaged or boxed is going to have sodium,” Geib says. The problem is high-sodium diets are known to increase blood pressure, which puts stress on your cardiovascular system. Over time, high blood pressure can stiffen or narrow your blood vessels, becoming a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and heart failure.” (Geib Nancy RD, LDN, Here’s how fast food can affect your body, 2021, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/). This quote states how certain ingredients used in the process of processed or fast foods being made puts a risk towards what keeps your body functioning. In this case extra sodium in the body affects the blood, which then can cause heart issues. As far as weight complications, the author states again, “If you go to the drive-thru and grab a value meal for dinner, chances are you’ll end up eating a bigger portion (and higher-calorie foods) than you would if you were cooking at home. If that becomes a regular thing, all those extra calories can add up to extra pounds. And when those calories are mostly from highly processed carbohydrates, you might end up feeling hungry again within a few hours, which can lead to — you guessed it — even more extra calories. Then there’s the sugar factor. Sugar is a major culprit in the obesity epidemic, that is mainly hidden in many foods, drinks and even sauces” (Geib Nancy RD, LDN, Here’s how fast food can affect your body, 2021, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/). This quote states how fast or processed foods have more density within calories but no actual nutritional value which can make you want more. For Example, certain fruits and vegetables contain fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate that helps the digestion process run smoothly and is also a key component that keeps you full longer. So, when one may eat more foods, without that certain component the body won’t know when its full and will continuously send hunger signals to the brain.
The experimental or scientific approach to how consuming fast food has taught most of us a lot about why it’s such a big topic. I know for me what we see on the internet, or through TV, most of it is educational and is sharing a certain message with us as the audience. During my freshman year in high school, during my health class, my teacher played a documentary based off a guy named Morgan Spurlock who ate McDonald’s for 30 days and documented what happened to his health during that time period. The result of Morgans health after those 30 days was described as, “But after a month, he says he gained. 24.5 pounds. My cholesterol shot up 65 points. My liver basically turned to fat. It was so filled with fat the doctors said it was like pate; it was reaching a toxic level, putting me in risk of having non-alcoholics type of hepatitis, hardening of the liver, cirrhosis of the liver. It got really frightening for a while.” (Morales, Tatiana, From 2004: “super-size me”, CBS News, 2004, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/from-2004-super-size-me/) This quote explains how that real people have taken into consideration how something as popular as fast food, can also be life threatening if consumed for a certain amount of time and they proved this by documenting and experimenting on someone just like us. The average person knowing what fast food is and understanding why it’s a big deal around the world. While fast food is much more convenient and cheaper, the reasonings and evidence listed has proven to how,it can contribute to health complications such as obesity and/or heart failure.
As a child, you grow to understand what interests you and/or what makes you excited. Either a favorite character or a certain activity. When it comes to a certain character, we tend to learn that from mostly watching TV. Whether it’s an action figure, a certain animal or if it has your favorite color on it. Overtime, fast food restaurants have advertised their food/services on TV from coupons, deals, new items or if they’re hiring. The concept of selling toys with food is to mainly catch the eye of children. It gives the business more customers and more profit, due to children continuously begging their parents to get their favorite character as a toy, which also includes the purchasing of fast food at the same time. As we learned before about fast food, is that its more convenient and cheaper, especially for most parents. Most parents have their own struggles with managing their job, their house, attending to their children and/or any responsibilities they have. When children consume foods that the body has trouble breaking down, it can cause some concerns. An article states, “Children and adolescents who ate fast food on a typical day, compared with those who did not, consumed more total and saturated fat, more total carbohydrate and added sugars, less dietary fiber, and more energy per gram of solid food (Ie, higher non-beverage energy density). This profile reflects the composition of typical fast-food fare (cheeseburgers, french-fried potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, etc.) popular among youth. Moreover, inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables has been associated with obesity-related morbidities such as cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.” (Bowman, Gortmaker, S. L., Ebbeling, C. B., Pereira, M. A., & Ludwig, D, S Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey. Pediatrics (Evanston), 113(1), 112-118.(2004)https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.113.1.112) This quote states how at a young age the overconsumption of complex nutrients had an impact on children’s health, when it was tested. As for anyone who consumes fast food, overtime there will be some health concerns. But in this case, children are more at risk because their bodies are more biologically sensitive to certain materials cause they’re still growing and are also adapting to everything around them.
A change in someone’s lifestyle can affect what they do day to day, their routine, what they eat and how they get things done. An Example of a lifestyle change is an educational one. Switching from high school to college is a huge step for a lot of people and can be a bit stressful to manage. With a more complex schedule, with classes, homework and studying, it can be confusing when you have some time to even eat, rest or have fun. As a college student you also tend to save your money. Between textbooks, paying for public transportation, and any necessities if you’re dorming, helps you understand how to buy what’s important versus what’s an impulse buy. What I’ve noticed within being a college student myself is that most of us worry about making it to class on time and turning in all assignments. Depedning on our scdeules, that also depends on when you can have time to eat or catch a break from walking around campus all day and learning. Stuednts who dorm, students who have a busier schedule, or work and go to college tend to spend their money on fast food cause it’s much more convenient with timing and cheaper cause as young adults in college we learn how to manage whats important: academically, money wise or time wise. A quote based off these states, “”An adequate diet protects against many chronic no communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer (WHO report, 2020) and is also considered as an important element for building physical fitness and mental health of an individual. “But there have been small decline in the purchase of less healthy food products. Recent studies conducted by different academicians and researchers consider that among all the stages of a person’s life, the stage of adolescence is considered as the stage of rapid growth of malnutrition. The effects of the changing lifestyles of individuals have altered their food habits. People, specifically adolescents, love to eat fried and roasted food. It has been observed from many studies that people prefer fast food for convenience (Hesamedin Askari Majabadi, et al, 2016), taste (B. Narayan & M. Prabhu, 2015) and also for social interaction (M. S. Anitharaj, 2018) and also to attain pleasure.” (Dowarah, Bhowmick, D. R., & Chakraborty, S. (2020). Fast Food Consumption Behaviour among College Students- A Case Study in Tinsukia. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 371–379. (2015,2016 and 2018,2020) https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.8.2.02) This quote explains how fast food in relations to college students, has increased overtime due to its convenience. While fast food may be convenient, it lacks the nutritional value the body needs, and if the body doesn’t have the proper nutrition can lead to slower brain function, fatigue and/or lower energy levels. While fast food is an easier and faster way to eat something, its components potentially cause an imbalance in growth and development.
Over time, certain studies have suggested foods high in sugar and fat are less likely to benefit mental health. Alternatively, whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, fish, eggs, nuts/seeds, and fermented foods like yogurt may be more fitting. A lot of people may not know this but there is a significant connection between diet and mental health. A healthy diet promotes a healthy gut/digestive system, which also communicates with the brain. Microbes in the gut(stomach) produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which balance our mood. The gut microbiome has been connected to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorders. People who eat a lot of nutrient-dense foods report less depression and higher levels of happiness. This idea is further explained in this next quote, “When you eat a diet that’s high in saturated fat, sodium, sugar and refined carbs, you’re missing out on a lot of other important nutrients. Fruits and vegetables are rich with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that nourish your body and improve your mood.” (Geib Nancy RD, LDN, Here’s how fast food can affect your body, 2021, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/). This piece of evidence explains how most ingredients found in fast food, throughout its process of digestion can prohibit the body from its natural function. For example, if someone consumes food high in sugar and saturated fats, the body will have a longer time breaking it down, while also altering the process of neurotransmitters, and causing the structure of the brain due to an overload of toxins and complex chemicals. While fast food is much more convenient based on what goes on in your life currently, its effects do take a toll on mental and emotional health.
In conclusion, processed/fast foods play a huge role in how you feel. There are different opinions people may have about this topic, but by the end of the day, it is important to have balance within your ways of eating. Balance creates trust and control within yourself to know what your body needs rather than what it wants. The body knows when it feels out of order or unwell and being mindful of its cues can help so sickness isn’t long term or life threatening in the future. There are easier ways to do things, but it isn’t always the best option based off what the result looks like. Overall, make sure to listen to your body, and make sure it’s getting the necessary nutrients it needs so you feel your best.
Works Cited
Bowman, Gortmaker, S. L., Ebbeling, C. B., Pereira, M. A., & Ludwig, D. S. (2004). Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey. Pediatrics (Evanston), 113(1), 112–118. (2004) https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.113.1.112
Dowarah, Bhowmick, D. R., & Chakraborty, S. Fast Food Consumption Behaviour among College Students- A Case Study in Tinsukia. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 371–379. (2020) https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.8.2.02
Geib Nancy, RD, LDN, Here’s how fast food can affect your body, 2021, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/
Rauber, da Costa Louzada, M. L., Steele, E. M., Millett, C., Monteiro, C. A., & Levy, R. B. (2018). Ultra‐processed food consumption and chronic non‐communicable diseases‐related dietary nutrient profile in the UK (2008–2014). Nutrients, 10(5), 587–. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10050587
Morales Tatiana, From 2004: “super-size me”, CBS News, 2004, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/from-2004-super-size-me/
