$18.99

Fast Food and Obesity Essay

Fast Food and Obesity, 485 words essay example

Essay Topic:fast food,obesity

Many American adults consume fast food weekly or even daily, but they don't realize anything is wrong until they become obese and have health problems. Studies show adults who eat fast food two or more times a week can gain on average 10 pounds, which leads to 2/3 of American adults being classified as overweight. (Overweight) The increased portions that you order at fast food restaurants are the main reasons for obesity. Over time, the portion sizes of each meal have increased, resulting in the meals being 3-4 times more than your entire daily intake. A regular coke grew from 6 oz. in 1916 to 21 oz. in 1996. (Hook) Average Americans should only consume 2,200 calories a day with regular exercise to maintain a healthy life. People don't realize how many calories they are actually consuming. Consuming these oversized portions are on the main factors of obesity. For an example, a BigMac meal is 1,680 calories (74 grams of fat), where if you cook a homemade meal such as chicken, it would only be 546 calories. (Sandbox) Homemade meals are clearly healthier for you, but that doesn't mean average adults will spend the time to cook them. Most people eat fast food because it's easy to grab on the go and they feel satisfied/full after eating it. If people continue to eat fast food, the number of obese adults in the United States are expected to rise 42% over the next 20 years. (Healy)
Fast food has a huge impact on your cardiovascular system. Fast foods contain sodium, saturated fats and trans fat that can effect your health. Most Americans eat about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, more than the suggested 2,300 milligrams and fast food is one of the main reasons why. 56% of the meals purchased at fast food restaurants contain more sodium than you should consume for the entire day. (Janiszewski) Too much sodium in your body can contribute to a dangerous buildup of fluid which increases your risk for kidney stones, kidney disease and stomach cancer. Fast food items are loaded with saturated fats and trans fats that directly increase triglyceride and bad cholesterol levels in the blood. (Rupavate) Saturated fats are referred to as the biggest dietary cause of high blood cholesterol and it effects the people who are inactive and eats to much fast food. Saturated fat should have a limit in most diets, but doesn't have the same effect as trans fat. Trans fat is created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it solid which creates the fast food most people eat. Eating trans fat raises the level of cholesterol in the blood and cause problems with your arteries. (atherosclerosis) (FDA) The AHA advises that these unhealthy fats should be limited to less than 2 grams a day. (Know) For an example, one large servings of fries contain 3.5 grams. Limiting trans fat is one component of a healthful diet that also includes limiting saturated fat and cholesterol. (Harris)

Forget about stressful night
With our academic essay writing service