Disadvantages Of Fast Foods English Language Essay

Fast food, the type of food changed our lives. According to Bender and Bender, fast food is a general term used for a limited menu of foods that lend themselves to production line techniques and that are typically hamburgers, pizzas, chicken or sandwiches (Davies & Smith, 2004).) There is 59% of adult population that eats at take-away restaurants at least once a week (ACNielsen, 2005). This is due to convenience concept of fast food restaurant match the busy lifestyles and ease of access to a wide variety of fast food restaurants in the markets.

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Nowadays, many people, mostly young people, prefer to eat fast food such as hamburgers, fried chicken, shawarma, or pizza. ). It’s fast, easy to prepare, easy to eat, and cheap. It’s for everyone. It’s for the poor and the non-poor. It’s for students, managers, actors, for factory workers, for criminals, for priests and others. Today it seems like fast food was always around and it is not possible to imagine a world without fast food. Even countries like Japan, which has a traditional diet of rice, fish, vegetables and soy products, accepted fast food into their worlds. Malaysians were first introduced to fast foods when A&W established its first restaurant in 1963. Since then, consumers’ acceptance of fast foods has been on the upward trend. This is manifested by the proliferation of fast food outlets in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Grandy’s, Pizza Hut and Shakey’s Pizza.

Restaurants are nothing new, but the idea of “fast food” is a newer concept. In ancient Rome and Greece taverns usually served food and drink to their guests. These places served food out of necessity not because the guests though it would be “fun”. For a long time, people liked to eat at home more than they liked to eat at a restaurant. In the 17th century people like to drink coffee and beer in taverns, but “eating out” didn’t start to become popular until the late 18th century. White Castle was one of the first fast-food chains in the United States. White Castle sold burgers and fries and helped to popularized hamburgers across the nation. In the 1930s drive-through fast food restaurants began to appear. Of course McDonald’s followed suit in 1948. McDonald’s was so popular that other fast food chains started to pop up all over the United States.

Time is money. This is the new buzzword in today’s world. People are now spending more time by running after money then spending time on their daily activities. No wonder fast food is on the rise. May people do not realize that fast food is a slow death. There are a host of disadvantages associated with eating fast food such as effect to health, economy and loss of the family tradition.

The greatest disadvantage of fast food is the adverse effect that it has on one’s health. It is a fact that fast food is more unhealthy than home-cooked meals, as they contain higher amounts of unwanted nutrients like salt, fat and various types of additives (artificial chemicals). It may contain harmful bacteria too. Frying destroys most of the essential nutrients from the food. Very small amounts of vegetables and fruits are normally present in fast food. Moreover, ‘serving larger portions’ when most people don’t need extra portions has led to several health problems. We require a small amount of salt to maintain the health of the cells and tissues. Fast food being rich in salt, adversely affects the heart health and the overall health of an individual. When customers consumed too much fast food they might become obese and develop diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, and heart related symptoms due to high cholesterol from excessive fat (Bose D, and N.D,2001). Obesity is on the rise, and a direct link is being cited between fast food and obesity in children.With obesity come other problems like high blood pressure and diseases of the joints. Beside that, because of the standardized menu and consistent quality, only minimal time need to be spent obtaining product information (Jekanowsky, Binkley, & Eales, 2001) then consumer did not know what ingredients contain inside fast food.

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  Even though, fast food is the fastest way to feed our hunger, it is not healthy at all. It is full of saturated and unsaturated fat. Moreover, it is a major source of calories and most of these calories are from fat. Unsaturated fats are good fat. Which means someone can burn this fat overtime through exercise. On the other side, saturated fats are bad fat which cannot be burned and stay in our body. French fries, deep fried chicken and other deep fried foods are the major source of trans fats. Furthermore, it is one of the reasons behind people getting over weight these days. Fast food is full of sodium. If we look at the nutrients facts on one of our favorite fast food, we will see the highest percentage of sodium in it. Moreover, sugar is one of the major ingredients of fast food as we can see in desserts like apple pie and apple with caramel at MacDonald’s.

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A further effect is on the economy for ourself or country.Although fast food is not very expensive, it is more expensive than cooking properly for yourself. The greater the number of people at a meal in a fast food restaurant, the larger is the bill. Eating at fast food outlets is economical only for a single person. Going out to a fast food eating joint with family once in a while won’t matter much. However, frequent visits to such restaurants with one’s family can become quite an expensive affair, besides being unhealthy. Beside that, many of the fast food companies are franchisees of foreign corporations, so profits leave the country.

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Another effect of fast food is the loss of the family tradition of eating together. Eating fast food encourages people to eat on the go. Diners are encouraged to eat quickly and then leave the premises or eat while doing something else.

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Fast food joints are being seen as a factor that is making a number of families spend less and less time together. Family meal time is something that is considered as an opportunity for all the members to come together and share their experiences. However, the fast food centers are quickly eating into this quality time. This is especially true about youngsters for whom a fast food center is a good place to hangout with friends and peers where the day’s experiences are shared with other members of the family. Additionally, many children from present time prefer eating in fast food branches with friends of their age rather than with their parents, this could also decrease the amount of time where the whole family actually gather (Brown J, 2009). Beside that, people who eat quickly tend to consume calories mindlessly. This can easily lead to overeating.

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Fast food is certainly an occasional fun treat, and there are healthy menu choices.  Sadly, too many people visit too often, with unwholesome results and bad habits setting the stage for health disasters for our young people.Everyone should think twice before deciding to eat fast food. The health risks aren’t worth your life, and animals that live in slaughter houses aren’t treated properly or hygienically before their death, which can cause many food-borne illnesses to inhabit food. Although it is easy to buy and cheap, risking a life for something that isn’t good for any person in the first place could cost thousands of dollars in hospital bills. It is important to eat healthy and make good choices when deciding what to put in your body. Don’t be lazy and pick up fast food on your way home from work. Make the right choice and eat some vegetables.

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In conclusion, fast food although it is convenient and a tasty addition to a diet, can have serious health, increase economy and social effects.People should learn to choose fast food carefully and remember the pleasure of eating good food in good company. It is not necessary to boycott all fast food restaurants, but it’s important to limit how often we eat at them.

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