fast food negative effects essay

The Negative Effects of Fast Food: Essay Example

Negative effects of fast food: essay introduction, negative effects of fast food: essay body, negative effects of fast food: essay conclusion, works cited.

Consumption of fast food is believed to have negative impact on physical and psychological health. Fast food is rich in glycemic load and energy densities. When consumed in excessive portions it contributes to the escalation of obesity, digestive problems, and depression. Obesity and depression have become an epidemic in countries like the US and UK due to increased consumption of fast food.

Fast food is defined as food purchased from outlets that are self-service or take-out restaurants. A few well-known leaders in the fast food industry are MacDonald, KFC, Pepsi, etc. In the US, fast food outlets increased from 30,000 in 1970 to more than 233000 locations in 2004 (Rosenheck 535). I believe fast food negatively affects physical and emotional health of consumers.

A typical portion of fast food meal is usually very large and exceeds the average calories intake of home made food for an adult. Fast food contains more fats than can be burnt during our daily activities. Hence, regular consumption of fast food increases the chances of gaining excessive weight.

Further, fast food restaurants sell pre-specified portions which are higher than the average calorie intake of an adult. For instance, sandwiches in fast food outlets have two specific sizes – 12 and 6 inches. Research has shown that women consume 31% and men 56% more energy when they eat a 6-inch or 12-inch sandwich respectively (Ledikwe, Ello-Martin and Rolls 906).

Research on fast food snacks served to men and women has shown that women consumed 18% and men 37% more calorie than their usual energy intake (Ledikwe, Ello-Martin and Rolls 907). Fast food has high energy density as the fat content in it is very high. One can definitely state that portion size has a positive influence on the energy density of fast food, thus, increasing the calorie intake of consumers.

Fast food has high fat content. Fat, when consumed from natural sources, plays a vital role in digestion, absorption, and transportation of vitamins and fat-soluble essentials. However, fats contained in fast food are mostly saturated fats and trans fats. An adult male should not consume more than 30g and woman 20g of saturated fats, and less than 5g of trans fat in order to remain healthy (Rosenheck 536).

However, every bite of a burger consumed at a restaurant contains almost 10g of saturated fats. This is higher than what an adult male should consume. The high content of fat, salt, and sugar in fast food increases harmful bacteria content that causes indigestion. Fast foods like french fries, fried chicken, and bread use hydrogenated oil that is not good for digestion.

Depression has become an epidemic problem. Researchers believe that food which is rich in certain substances like vitamin B, omega 3 fatty acids, and olive oil, help reduce depression (Robson par. 1), consequently, researches have connected dietary habit and nutrition to occurrence of depression. Trans fats and saturated fats in fast food increase the risk of depression among consumers.

To sum up it all, excessive intake of fast food may increase the risk of deterioration of physical and mental well-being. Health issues related to obesity or indigestion are common problems faced by consumers of fast food. Due to the lack of certain ingredients that prevent depression, fast food adversely affects mental health. Thus, over-consumption of fast food leads to physical and emotional problems.

Ledikwe, Jenny H., Julia A. Ello-Martin and Barbara J. Rolls. “Portion Sizes and the Obesity Epidemic.” The Journal of Nutrition 135.4 (2005): 905-909. Print.

Robson, David. “ Is fast food making us depressed ?” 14 August 2014.

Rosenheck, R. “Fast food consumption and increased caloric intake: a systematic review of a trajectory towards weight gain and obesity risk.” Obesity Reviews 9.6 (2008): 535-547. Print.

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Home Essay Samples Food Fast Food

Cause and Effect of Fast Food: the Impact on Health and Society

Table of contents, causes of fast food consumption, effects on physical well-being, cultural and societal impact, economic considerations, promoting healthier lifestyles, conclusion: balancing convenience and health.

• Ludwig, D. S., Peterson, K. E., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2001). Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. The Lancet, 357(9255), 505-508.
• Malik, V. S., Pan, A., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(4), 1084-1102.
• Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., Robinson-O'Brien, R., & Glanz, K. (2008). Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 253-272.
• Stuckler, D., McKee, M., Ebrahim, S., & Basu, S. (2012). Manufacturing epidemics: the role of global producers in increased consumption of unhealthy commodities including processed foods, alcohol, and tobacco. PLOS Medicine, 9(6), e1001235.
• World Health Organization. (2016). Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. WHO Press.

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The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food *

The fundamental concern as we look to reform health in America is the known reality that most chronic diseases that afflict Americans are predominantly lifestyle induced; and the belief is that the vast majority of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if people were willing to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. In addition, healthy lifestyles would impact a significant number of cancers which are also believed to be related to lifestyle exposures, especially to obesity, cigarettes, and other toxins.

Over the past 50 years, the health of Americans has gotten worse, and now 71% of Americans are overweight or obese—not 66%, which was reported 5 years ago. 1 That means a staggering 100 million people in America are obese. Today, eating processed foods and fast foods may kill more people prematurely than cigarette smoking. 2

Authorities determined the 71% figure by classifying people with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m 2 as overweight or obese. Yet in long-lived societies such as in the “Blue Zones” (Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica; and Loma, Linda California) and wherever we find groups of centenarians, we observe a healthy BMI below 23 kg/m 2 , not 25 kg/m 2 . If we use above 23 kg/m 2 as the demarcation for overweight or obesity, then we find that 88% of Americans are overweight. And out of the approximately 10% that are of normal weight, the majority of those so-called “normal weight individuals” are either cigarette smokers, or suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction or dependency, autoimmune disease, occult cancers, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune conditions, digestive disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and other illnesses that lower their body weight. Therefore, perhaps that only about 5% of the American population is at a normal weight as a result of eating healthy and living a healthy life. A recent study documented that only 2.7% of Americans adopt a relatively healthy lifestyle by combining exercise with healthy eating. 3 The Standard American Diet (SAD) is clearly not a healthy diet.

I use the term “Fast Food Genocide” because most don’t understand the depth and breadth of the harm as a large segment of our society eats a diet worse than the dangerous SAD. Many people recognize that junk food, fast food, processed food, white flour, sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, and all the junk people are eating contribute to in obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, dementia and cancer, but many don’t realize the strong causative role an unhealthy diet may have in mental illness. Currently, 1 in 5 Americans suffers from a psychiatric disorder. And many people don’t realize the harm that processed foods have on Americans living in urban areas where they don’t have easy access to whole, fresh foods.

These unfortunate folks live in what we call “food deserts,” with reduced availability to fresh fruits and vegetables. Because of the limited access to supermarkets, they eat more unhealthy fast and processed foods and end up having 7 times the risk of early-life stroke (before age 45), putting people in nursing homes in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. 4 - 7

The vulnerable poor in these areas also have double the risk of heart attack, double the risk of diabetes, and 4 times the risk of renal failure 8 - 10 ; Unfortunately, the decrease in life span due to food inequality is shocking but rarely discussed. A substantial proportion of people in these urban environments are overweight, prediabetic, or fully diabetic. Researchers determined that compared with other areas in America with easy access to supermarket food, that the YPLL (Years of Potential Life Lost) for an overweight diabetic living in a zone classified as a food desert was a shocking 45 years! 11 , 12

A link may even exist between fast food, processed food, commercial baked goods, and sweets and destruction of brain cell and a lowering of intelligence. Candy and sweetened baked goods may even stimulate the brain in an addictive fashion, which can lead to more serious illnesses.

The nutritional fundamentals accepted by the World Health Organization and most nutritional authorities today include vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruit as healthy foods; and salt, saturated fat, and excess sugar as disease causing. Excessive amounts of animal products may lead to premature aging, increased risk of chronic disease and higher all-cause mortality. Multiple studies have been published on hundreds of thousands of people, followed for decades showing that the objective endpoint of death is increased with higher amounts of animal product consumption. 13 - 17 Furthermore, refined carbohydrates may not just lead to being overweight and diabetic but also contribute to dementia, mental illness, and cancer. 18 - 21 There is considerable evidence today that heart disease is not only promoted by saturated fat and increased animal products but also by refined carbohydrates, including white rice, white bread, sugar, honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar. 22 - 25

Research has shown that excess calories shorten lifespan, whereas moderate caloric restriction slows the aging process and protects the body and brain. Americans consume more calories than any other population; and they consume foods, many of which have minimal or no nutritional value (soda and alcohol as examples). So let’s consider the individual who is consuming 50 excess calories per day. What will be the short- and long-term result? Fifty excess calories per day, over and above your basic metabolic needs, over a 10-year period, adds about 50 pounds of extra body weight. The excess weight increases the risk of multiple chronic illnesses, cancers, and also takes many years of life away from the individual simply as a result of consuming only 50 calories a day too many.

Conversely, if an individual consumed 50 calories a day less that their metabolic requirements what would happen then? Would he or she become too thin, anorexic, and unhealthy? Would their bones fall apart? Obviously not! When you moderately caloric-restrict, even a small amount such as 50 to 100 calories a day, weight remains about the same, the person is slim, not too thin, and healthy. He or she will have a lower body fat percentage, and the skeletal mass, bones, and muscle mass are strong. In this scenario, the metabolic rate would slow down accordingly. The respiratory quotient, (the number of calories lost through respiration) would decrease, the body temperature would lower, and thyroid function would decrease slightly, all lowering the metabolic rate, which overall may result in a slowing of the aging process. The secret to a long life and freedom from chronic disease may be simply to moderately reduce calories in order to slow down our metabolic rate. The only behavior proven scientifically to dramatically increase life span in every species of animals, including primates, is to lower caloric intake while maintaining an environment of micronutrient adequacy, assuring that we have exposure to every micronutrient humans need. The American diet is also deficient in antioxidants and phytochemicals that are needed for normal immune function, for maximizing brain health, protecting against dementia, chronic illness, cancer, and premature aging.

A nutritarian diet is designed to establish excellent micronutrient intake without excess calories . A nutritarian diet is designed to help prolong human life span, decrease the risk of cancer, and keep the brain functioning well for many years. This principle is represented by the equation I use: H = N /C, which means your healthy life expectancy (H) is proportional to the micronutrient (N) per calorie intake (C) over your life span. This means that we are encouraged to seek out foods that are rich in nutrients. We should try to limit or exclude empty-calorie foods and drinks. We should also limit or avoid calorically dense foods, and not eat for recreation or when we are not hungry.

A nutritarian diet is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. It is a vegetable-based, utilizing a wide assortment of colorful vegetables, root vegetables, green vegetables, peas, beans, mushrooms, onions, nuts, seeds, and some intact whole grains. While the standard American diet and most traditional diets are grain-based and lack sufficient exposure to the broad spectrum of antioxidants and phytochemicals (with their anticancer effects), it is important to note that not all plant-based diets are equally cancer-protective. As an example, a rice-heavy, macrobiotic diet limits phytochemical diversity, and brown rice produced in this country is contaminated with arsenic, extensively documented by Consumer Reports and white rice is refined, high glycemic food, and therefore not a healthy starch.

In comparison, the SAD is almost the opposite of a nutritarian diet. Over 55% of the SAD’s calories are processed foods, and about 33% of calories come from animal products. If we are looking at the amount of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) consumed in America, the food consumption data reports about 10%; but in actuality, it is less than 5%, because they include French fries and ketchup in the definition of “produce!” The point here is that processed foods such as bread, pasta, salad oil, mayonnaise, doughnuts, cookies, rice cakes, breakfast bars, chips, soda, candy, and popcorn do not contain a significant micronutrient benefit. A piece of chicken is like a bagel, because they are both rich sources of macronutrients (calories), but neither one contains the necessary amounts of micronutrients, especially the antioxidants and phytochemicals only found in plants.

The high glycemic white flour products with added sweetening agents, flood the bloodstream with glucose without fiber, nutrients, or phytochemicals; and these baked goods are also high in acrylamides and advanced glycation end-products, further increasing the glycoproteins in our tissues. The resulting spike in glucose leads to abnormally high amounts of insulin, which will also promote angiogenesis, which fuels the growth of fat cells, increases cellular replication and tumor growth. The liberal amount of animal protein (including chicken which many incorrectly believe is the more healthy meat) consumed by most Americans promotes excessive insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF-1), making a synergistic “sandwich” of insulin and IGF-1, which may accelerate aging of the brain, interfere with cellular detoxification and repair, and promote cancer. 26 The SAD has created a nutritional disaster and a significant health crisis that will not be solved by governmental “health care reform.”

Now when we think about “fast food” we’re not just referring to the food in fast food restaurants. Fast foods include chips, soda, cookies, candy, breakfast cereals, bars, French fries, burgers, pizza, white flour baked goods, and all other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that people often eat multiple times per day. These are processed foods and for many, are the primary source of calories. These fast foods have certain characteristics: They can be accessed easily and quickly; they don’t need to be prepared; they come out of a bag or box ready to go right into your mouth. You can eat them rapidly and they’re absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream. These fast foods typically contain multiple chemicals and synthetic ingredients. They are calorically dense, highly flavored, and nutritionally barren. Fast foods typically contain extra corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, coloring agents, and other potentially disease promoting chemicals.

When calories flood the bloodstream rapidly they have dramatic biological effects. Let’s compare 200 calories of white bread to 200 calories of beans. The white bread would be metabolized into simple sugars (glucose) which enters the bloodstream in 5 to 10 minutes. This requires a rapid increase in insulin; and the rapid insulin response will remain for hours. On the other hand, the carbohydrates from beans will take much more time to be digested and, as a result these calories enter the bloodstream slowly. Essentially, the calories will trickle in over hours. When eating beans, a small amount of glucose enters the blood each minute and therefore you won’t need much of an insulin response to deal with this amount of sugar. As mentioned above, the buildup of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accelerates aging and chronic disease. 27 , 28 When a diabetic suffers from kidney failure, blindness, or a leg amputation, a major causative factor is the buildup of AGEs in the tissues. Interestingly, these same glycated end-products and glycoproteins build up in the tissues of people who are not diabetic but who continually expose themselves to excess sugar and white flour products.

Next, it is important to understand that oils are also processed foods. When consumed, oil enters the bloodstream rapidly similar to high glycemic carbohydrates. Anything cooked in oil should be considered a fast food. Beans, nuts, and seeds are whole foods whose calories are absorbed gradually over hours. In contrast, the calories from oil are absorbed rapidly, and are largely empty calories (with insignificant micronutrients and no fiber)—a combination that leads to obesity, disease, and premature aging.

If I set up a buffet dinner and I asked all the guests to form 2 lines and then gave everyone on the right side a tablespoon of olive oil, and each of those on the left side an apple to consume while they were waiting in line, those who ate the 65-calorie apple will generally eat 65 less calories from the buffet. But those who had the 120-calorie tablespoon of oil will not usually consume 120 calories less. The oil contains neither fiber, nor micronutrients and contains nothing to decrease the appestat. A matter of fact, if you put oil on food, it may actually increase one’s appetite. Not only will these individuals not eat fewer calories—they will eat even more than the 120 calories from the oil. 29 When added or mixed into food, oil drives overeating behavior.

Nutrients and fiber are needed to control the appestat, so you consume a healthy amount of calories. My experience has demonstrated with thousands of patients, the more nutrient and fiber dense your diet becomes the lower your drive to overeat. 30 This is extremely important, because even a moderate amount of extra fat on the body induces more rapid aging and increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A mild degree of caloric restriction becomes comfortable and achievable when the diet is high in micronutrients and fiber. When you have enough micronutrients and fiber in your diet, you don’t feel driven to overeat. But when you don’t have enough micronutrients and fiber in your diet, you become a food-craving, overeating machine.

Even worse is what happens when you eat food fried in oil because fried food may create carcinogenic and mutagenic aldehydes. 31 Food that is fried such as in a fast food restaurant is usually cooked in oil that has been heated and used multiple times. One serving of French fries or fried chicken that is cooked in a fast food restaurant has 100 times the level of aldehydes designated as safe by the World Health Organization. Even the fumes are so toxic they increase the risk of cancer. People working in restaurants that fry the food, or those working in a movie theater making popcorn, have a heighted risk of lung and other cancers, even if they don’t eat any of the fried foods. 32

The explosion of fast food restaurants has significantly increased the intake of fried foods, and people are now eating 1000 times the amount of soybean oil compared with the early 1900s. 33 Humans never ate 400 calories of oil a day the way people do in America, especially in the Southern states—which are known for the highest stroke and heart attack rates in the world. 34 When you use nuts and seeds as your source of fat as opposed to oil, we see the opposite effect.

The Physician’s Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Adventist Health Study—any study with large numbers of people followed for decades—demonstrates the relationship between nut and seed consumption and longer life span. We always have to give more credence to clinical research studies that involve large numbers of people followed over decades using objective endpoints such as mortality. When you do that, you find that people who consume nuts and seeds regularly have lower cancer rates, lower cardiovascular death rates, lower sudden cardiac death, less irregular heartbeats, and an increase in life span.

A 2015 meta-analysis that included over 44 000 deaths demonstrated an almost 40% decrease in cardiovascular mortality for people eating nuts and seeds regularly (one serving a day). The European PreviMed study, which randomized 7216 individuals to nuts or olive oil as part of a Mediterranean diet showed a 39% decrease in all-cause mortality in the nut eaters. 35

When we look at the health implications of animal protein we should compare this type of nutrition with plant-based proteins, especially when an individual has cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, or even cancer. When your protein comes from beans, nuts, seeds, and greens, the body more gradually assimilates a complete array of amino acids to make functional proteins and hormones, keeping IGF-1 production much lower. Adequate amounts of plant protein keep IGF-1 in that moderate range, between 100 and 175, which is where it should be. The average American’s IGF-1 level is around 225, which is a level which has been linked to cancer promotion. When we eat a variety of plants, we get a full balance of amino acids, which slowly enter the blood—and we also digest some of the bacteria in the digestive track and some of the cells that slough off of the villi endothelium, enabling the utilization of partially incomplete plant proteins, now made complete. Conversely, when you eat large portions of meat, eggs, or cheese, the amino acid mix enters the bloodstream faster and because it is already biologically complete, it stimulates excessive amounts of IGF-1, again increasing the risk of cancer. 36 - 43

The average American consumes 10 to 20 ounces a day of animal products, whereas the safe level of consumption is likely less than 10 ounces per week . My estimate of 10% of calories as an upper limit of safe consumption is for a person with favorable genetics and is still likely more animal products than ideal for the nonelderly adults. It may be the case that under 5% of calories from animal products would be more ideal for life span and for facilitating disease reversal. Of course, any diet designed to optimize health should include a broad array of colorful plants with phytochemicals and antioxidants, which have been shown to increase life span and prevent cancer.

The animal products served at fast food restaurants are making the health of the population much worse, creating dangerous carcinogens from the food being grilled, barbecued, and fried at high temperatures. The World Health Organization has classified processed meats (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and lunch meats) a class 1 carcinogen. AGEs are also highest in barbecued and fried animal products which also contain cancer-causing chemicals such as heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and lipid peroxidases, which are mutagenic.

There are 2 phases of the digestive cycle: the anabolic phase, when you are eating and digesting, and the catabolic phase, when digestion has ceased. When you are eating and digesting food, the body turns those calories into stored glycogen, increasing fat storage and the storage of waste. During this phase of the digestive cycle, growth hormones and fat storage hormones are activated.

When your body is finished digesting, you enter the catabolic phase, where the stored glycogen and fat are utilized for energy. This is the phase when your body can most effectively detoxify and enhance cellular repair. It is the time when the liver and kidneys work together to remove aldehydes, AGEs, and other toxic metabolites. Repair and healing is enhanced during the catabolic phase when you are not eating food.

Most Americans have made their bodies so toxic, that when they enter the catabolic phase of the digestive cycle, they feel uncomfortable. That means they feel fatigue, headache, stomach cramping or fluttering, anxiety, or other uncomfortable symptoms when they stop digesting food and the body starts to mobilize waste and repair the damage. They typically interpret these symptoms as hunger or low blood sugar, because they feel better if they eat again—even though there is no biological need for calories at this time; and so they just get fatter and sicker. Every addiction has a “high” during the caloric rush and a “low” during withdrawal and repair from the disease-causing diet and resultant metabolic wastes and toxins that accrue from it. The American diet results in withdrawal symptoms and discomfort which promotes overeating and too-frequent eating. The lower the quality of the food consumed, the more discomfort felt when not eating and digesting, which makes it very difficult to maintain a healthy body weight.

If you’re healthy and eating nutritious food, you feel nothing when you enter the catabolic phase, with no desire to eat again until glycogen stores are nearly exhausted. True hunger is a mild sensation felt in the throat and base of the neck. True hunger heightens taste sensitivity too, making eating more pleasurable. True hunger directs when you should eat and therefore it’s more difficult to become overweight if you pay attention to the signs your body sends to your brain. Being overweight requires eating outside of the demands of true hunger, either recreationally or because of withdrawal symptoms from improper eating, stimulating the overconsumption of calories.

Enhanced detoxification—reduction of metabolic waste, aldehydes, and AGEs—occurs most effectively in the catabolic phase. That means the longer you live in the catabolic phase of the digestive cycle, the longer you live. If you finish dinner earlier or have a lighter dinner, and you have a 13-hour window between the end of dinner and the start of breakfast, you are going to live longer. A recent study had women with breast cancer followed for 10 years and found that those who finished dinner earlier and had a 13-hour window before the start of breakfast had a 26% reduction in the risk of death or recurrence from breast cancer. 44 , 45 The increased nighttime window was also linked to improved glycemic control and a lower HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin). They had no better diet, no different number of calories, no better food; they just finished dinner earlier.

The goal for excellent health is to eat as infrequently as possible. Many people believe just the opposite and eat frequent small meals that increase endothelial dysfunction leading to an increased risk for arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In addition, all the fad diets encourage people to make the wrong choices about what and when to eat. Many suggest the use of frequent high-protein meals so as not to feel the effects of normal detoxification. When the digestive track is continually busy, it results in accelerated aging.

Processed and fast foods are also high in salt. The fast and processed food manufacturers don’t just put salt on the French fries and on the meat, they also put salt in the French fry batter and inside the chopped meat. They also include high fructose corn syrup in most foods. The added fat, sugar, and salt create a taste that makes people crave these foods, a sensation that many describe as an addiction. Both sugar and salt intake increase stroke risk, especially when consumed daily for years. Additionally, what is generally not appreciated is that the regular consumption of artificially sweetened soda creates more of a stroke risk. 46 High salt does not merely raise blood pressure; it also causes microvascular hemorrhaging, which damages the interior walls of the blood vessels in the brain and increases permeability and the propensity for hemorrhagic stroke. 47 , 48

Over the past 30 years, we’ve also seen an explosion of diabetes in Japan, Korea, and China, occurring at a lower body weight than we typically see in America, likely because the cumulative effects of eating more fast food, more oil and sugar, along with all of the white rice (a refined, high glycemic food), which they already had in their diet.

We know that people have the power to change when significant effort and attention is directed to the problems at hand. With good information, emotional support, increased food availability and food preparation instruction, we have found people enthused and willing to work together for change. They don’t have to be convinced of the tragic dangers of fast food; they see the obesity, diabetes, leg amputations, strokes, and blindness all around them. But if people don’t have good information, then they don’t have a choice. If they don’t have access to healthy, affordable food, and they don’t know how to make it taste good, then they are not given a chance to change.

The goal for physicians and other health care professionals is to work to transform America’s inner cities into zones of nutritional excellence. Our nation’s pride and heritage are based on the equal opportunity to achieve the American dream of prosperity and happiness. This critical information needs to be spread and put into action by community activists, teachers, educators, celebrities, health professionals, athletes, and politicians. The more people who know the critical importance of eating healthfully, and the more they take a stand, the greater the effect will be on transforming the health of all in America. By working together, we can save millions of lives.

Acknowledgments

This work was presented at Lifestyle Medicine 2017, October 22-25; Tucson, AZ.

Authors’ Note: The opinions presented in this article are those of the author and may not represent those of the Guest Editor, Editor, or the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Approval: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.

Informed Consent: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.

Trial Registration: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anyclinical trials.

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Is fast food bad for you? All you need to know about its nutrition and impacts

Fast food is often nutritionally poor and high in calories. Evidence demonstrates that overeating commercial fast food products can negatively impact health in both the short- and long-term.

Many fast food establishments now list the number of calories each item contains. However, this is only part of the consideration of whether it is healthy or not.

Fast food is typically poor in terms of nutrition . According to a 2015 review , fast food tends to contain various substances that are generally unhealthy. It is high in sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats, and many processed preservatives and ingredients. It also lacks some beneficial nutrients.

However, not all fast food has negative impacts, and a person can make an informed choice by researching the nutritional content of particular fast food items. People can find this information on the websites of most major restaurants.

That said, even the more healthy fast food items are generally high in sugar, salt, saturated fats, and trans fats. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion notes that the typical person in the United States consumes too much of these food components.

Short-term impacts

Fast food is typically high in sugar, salt, and saturated or trans fats. The body’s reaction to these nutrients results in a range of short-term impacts when a person eats fast food.

Spike in blood sugar

Fast food breaks down quickly, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar because of the refined carbohydrates and added sugar. In turn, this causes an abnormally large insulin surge, resulting in a drop in blood sugar. This can cause people to feel tired. Insulin promotes further hunger within a short time after the meal.

Blood pressure

A small 2016 study found that consuming high levels of salt could immediately impact the proper functioning of a person’s blood vessels. Excess sodium intake also has links to fluid retention .

Increased inflammation

A single serving of fast food could increase inflammation throughout the body. A 2015 study found that one fast food meal high in saturated fat increased airway inflammation in individuals with asthma. This inflammation acts as a trigger for asthma attacks.

Affects nutrient intake

Fast food does not typically contain fresh fruit and vegetables. If an individual eats fast food frequently, they may find it challenging to reach their recommended daily intake of at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables. They may also have difficulties reaching their ideal fiber intake, which according to the Food and Drug Administration is 28 grams per day.

Binge eating

Fast food is highly palatable, meaning the body breaks it down quickly in the mouth, and it does not need much chewing. Therefore, it activates the reward centers in the brain rapidly.

This combination trains the palate to prefer these highly processed, highly stimulating foods and reduces someone’s desire for whole, fresh foods.

Research from 2018 and other previous studies have suggested a link between fast food consumption and the incidence of food addiction for these low-nutrient items.

A small 2017 study of 15 adults found that a single day of high-fat overeating damaged insulin sensitivity. This can then trigger a cycle of binge eating or binge eating disorders .

Long-term impacts

There is plenty of well-researched evidence showing that regularly eating fast food can harm a person’s health.

A 2015 study identified the sometimes irreparable effects of eating fast food. Such risks include obesity , insulin resistance , type 2 diabetes , and various cardiovascular conditions .

This is because most fast food is high in sugar, salt, saturated fat, trans fats, processed ingredients, and calories. It is also generally low in antioxidants , fiber , and many other nutrients.

Digestive system

Many fast food meals are extremely low in fiber. Doctors associate low-fiber diets with a higher risk of digestive conditions such as constipation and diverticular disease, as well as reductions in healthy gut bacteria.

Immunity and inflammation

A 2019 review examined the effects of a Western diet on a person’s immune system. This diet consists of high amounts of sugar, salt, and saturated fat from only a few sources.

The authors noted that a Western diet could lead to higher inflammation, lower control of infection, higher cancer rates, and a higher risk of allergic and autoinflammatory disease.

Memory and learning

A 2020 paper suggests a link between unbalanced diets high in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates , typical of fast food, and a lower capacity for memory and learning. This sort of diet may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease .

In a 2018 review , the authors established a link between fast food consumption and an increase in asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema .

Heart disease

The FDA suggests that a diet high in salt often increases a person’s blood pressure , making a person more prone to heart attacks , stroke , kidney disease, or heart disease .

The FDA also notes that a diet high in trans fats raises the amount of low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol and lowers the amount of high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol. This means that a person is more likely to develop heart disease.

The United States Department of Agriculture points out that typical fast food contains a very high number of calories. If a person eats more calories than they burn each day, they gain weight, which may lead to obesity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , obesity increases a person’s risk of developing a range of serious health conditions.

Another consequence of younger people regularly eating fast food is their unintentional lack of understanding of basic meal preparation, cooking, and healthy eating.

Over time, this perpetuates dependence on fast food, and people may not learn how to prepare healthy, balanced food in the home. Consuming healthy meals can support a person’s long-term health throughout their lifespan.

Mental health impact

Eating lots of fast food could also impact an individual’s mental health and make them more prone to depression and anxiety .

A 2021 study compared data from 322 males and 322 females age 30 or older. They found an association between healthy food such as leafy greens, nuts, and fish and positive mood, while the opposite was true of fast food. In addition, women reported significantly more negative associations with fast food than men.

Fast food tends to be high in salt, sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, calories, and processed preservatives and ingredients. A wealth of well-conducted research has proven the negative health effects of consuming too much of these food components.

In the short term, fast food impacts blood sugar and blood pressure, increases inflammation, and may mean an individual does not eat enough necessary nutrients. In the long term, a diet rich in fast food could lead to issues with digestion, immunity, inflammation, heart health, obesity, and more.

Not all fast food is bad, however. Certain menu items might be lower in these substances than others, while some fast food outlets might focus on providing more healthy options.

To preserve health, a person should try to identify fast food items that contain less salt, fat, sugar, and total carbohydrates, and generally try to limit the amount of fast food they consume.

Last medically reviewed on December 17, 2021

• Uncategorized
• Cardiovascular / Cardiology
• Nutrition / Diet
• Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness

How we reviewed this article:

• Anderson, A. S., et al. (2015). Early skeletal muscle adaptations to short-term high-fat diet in humans before changes in insulin sensitivity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25820254/
• Bahadoran, Z., et al. (2015). Fast food pattern and cardiometabolic disorders: A review of current studies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772793/
• Begdache, L., et al. (2019). Assessment of dietary factors, dietary practices and exercise on mental distress in young adults versus matured adults: A cross-sectional study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29224485/
• Begdache, L., et al. (2021). Customization of diet may promote exercise and improve mental wellbeing in mature adults: The role of exercise as a mediator.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161359/
• Cavka, A., et al. (2016). Short-term high salt intake reduces brachial artery and microvascular function in the absence of changes in blood pressure. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6711169/
• Christ, A., et al. (2019). Western diet and the immune system: An inflammatory connection. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761319304169
• Dietary guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. (2015). https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf
• Fast food-Is it the enemy? (2012). https://www.obesityaction.org/resources/fast-food-is-it-the-enemy/
• Fuhrman J. (2018). The hidden dangers of fast and processed food.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/
• How to understand and use the nutrition facts label. (2020). https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label
• Lemeshow, A. R., et al. (2017). Food and beverage consumption and food addiction among women in the Nurses' Health Studies.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5952620/
• López-Taboada, I., et al. (2020). Western diet: Implications for brain function and behavior.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7719696/
• Parry, S. A., et al . (2017). A single day of excessive dietary fat intake reduces whole-body insulin sensitivity: The metabolic consequence of binge eating.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579612/
• Quagliani, D., et al . (2016). Closing America's fiber intake gap: Communication strategies from a food and fiber summit.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124841/
• Restrepo, B. J., et al. (2018). New national menu labeling provides information consumers can use to help manage their calorie intake. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2018/october/new-national-menu-labeling-provides-information-consumers-can-use-to-help-manage-their-calorie-intake/
• Sodium in your diet. (2021). https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet
• Swanson, S. M., et al . (2018). In the clinic: Acute colonic diverticulitis.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6430566/
• The health effects of overweight and obesity. (2020). https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html
• Trans fat. (2018). https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/trans-fat
• Wang, C. S., et al. (2018). Is the consumption of fast foods associated with asthma or other allergic diseases? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29974559/

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An opinion essay about fast food.

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Is fast food popular in your country? Do you think it causes health problems or any other kinds of problems?

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Harmful Effects of Junk Food Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on harmful effects of junk food.

Junk Food is very harmful that is slowly eating away the health of the present generation. The term itself denotes how dangerous it is for our bodies. Most importantly, it tastes so good that people consume it on a daily basis. However, not much awareness is spread about the harmful effects of junk food.

The problem is more serious than you think. Various studies show that junk food impacts our health negatively. They contain higher levels of calories, fats, and sugar. On the contrary, they have very low amounts of healthy nutrients and lack dietary fibers. Parents must discourage their children from consuming junk food because of the ill effects it has on one’s health.

Impact of Junk Food

Junk food is the easiest way to gain unhealthy weight. The amount of fats and sugar in the food makes you gain weight rapidly. However, this is not a healthy weight. It is more of fats and cholesterol which will have a harmful impact on your health. Junk food is also one of the main reasons for the increase in obesity nowadays.

This food only looks and tastes good, other than that, it has no positive points. The amount of calorie your body requires to stay fit is not fulfilled by this food. For instance, foods like French fries, burgers, candy, and cookies, all have high amounts of sugar and fats. Therefore, this can result in long-term illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure . This may also result in kidney failure .

Above all, you can get various nutritional deficiencies when you don’t consume the essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and more. You become prone to cardiovascular diseases due to the consumption of bad cholesterol and fat plus sodium. In other words, all this interferes with the functioning of your heart.

Furthermore, junk food contains a higher level of carbohydrates. It will instantly spike your blood sugar levels. This will result in lethargy, inactiveness, and sleepiness. A person reflex becomes dull overtime and they lead an inactive life. To make things worse, junk food also clogs your arteries and increases the risk of a heart attack. Therefore, it must be avoided at the first instance to save your life from becoming ruined.

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Ways to Avoid Junk Food

The main problem with junk food is that people don’t realize its ill effects now. When the time comes, it is too late. Most importantly, the issue is that it does not impact you instantly. It works on your overtime; you will face the consequences sooner or later. Thus, it is better to stop now.

You can avoid junk food by encouraging your children from an early age to eat green vegetables. Their taste buds must be developed as such that they find healthy food tasty. Moreover, try to mix things up. Do not serve the same green vegetable daily in the same style. Incorporate different types of healthy food in their diet following different recipes. This will help them to try foods at home rather than being attracted to junk food.

In short, do not deprive them completely of it as that will not help. Children will find one way or the other to have it. Make sure you give them junk food in limited quantities and at healthy periods of time.

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Essay on Effects of Fast Food on Health

Students are often asked to write an essay on Effects of Fast Food on Health in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Effects of Fast Food on Health

Introduction.

Fast food is popular because it’s convenient and tasty. But, it’s often unhealthy.

Nutritional Content

Obesity risk.

Eating too much fast food can lead to weight gain. This increases the risk of obesity, a serious health problem.

Heart Problems

Fast food’s high fat and salt content can contribute to heart problems, like high blood pressure and heart disease.

250 Words Essay on Effects of Fast Food on Health

Fast food, a staple in today’s hurried society, is often blamed for a variety of health issues. Its impact on health is multifaceted, affecting not only physical well-being but also mental health.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Fast foods are typically high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and sodium while being low in essential nutrients. These nutritional imbalances can lead to deficiencies, which manifest as fatigue, poor concentration, and weakened immune system.

Obesity and Related Diseases

The high calorie content of fast food contributes to obesity, a global health crisis. Obesity, in turn, increases the risk of serious diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Mental Health Implications

Recent research suggests a link between fast food consumption and mental health issues. High sugar and fat content may contribute to depression, while the lack of essential nutrients can exacerbate anxiety and mood disorders.

While fast food offers convenience, its health effects are far-reaching. As consumers, we must make informed choices about our dietary habits, balancing convenience with health. As a society, we must advocate for healthier fast food options and improved nutritional education.

500 Words Essay on Effects of Fast Food on Health

The nutritional profile of fast food.

Fast food is notorious for its high caloric content, saturated and trans fats, sodium, and sugar, while being low in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This skewed nutritional profile contributes to the onset of various health issues.

Obesity and Fast Food

One of the most visible effects of fast food consumption is the rise in obesity rates. The high energy density of fast food, combined with its palatability, promotes overeating. This chronic energy surplus leads to weight gain and obesity. Obesity, in turn, is a risk factor for numerous health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Fast Food and Cardiovascular Health

Fast food’s high sodium and saturated fat content contribute to elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are precursors to heart disease. Furthermore, trans fats found in fast food have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, as they raise bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol levels.

Impact on Digestive and Metabolic Health

Effects on mental health.

Emerging research suggests that fast food may also affect mental health. Diets high in fat and sugar can cause alterations in brain chemistry that lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Additionally, the blood sugar spikes and crashes associated with high-sugar fast foods can cause mood swings and impair cognitive function.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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Negative effects of fast foods

The popularity of fast foods is growing at an alarming rate in most parts of the world. Due to the fact that the current generation is always busy, most individuals consider fast food as a convenient food source. According to Elizabeth et al. (1024), fast foods can be prepared in a matter of minutes and are therefore very convenient for people who do not want to cook or those who tend to be busy. However, what people literally view as a fast way of getting food is killing more people than you think. Therefore, despite its many advantages, everyone should think twice before deciding to eat fast foods. Americans should stop consuming fast foods regularly because a fast food diet affects the health of an individual, affects the society through the spread of diseases and litters the environment.

Although a majority of people argue that fast foods save time, Dana (23) posits that fast food is bad and not good for our general health. According to Agnieszka et al. (317), a majority of junk foods such as instant noodles, hamburgers and confectionery are of very low nutritional value. Such foods are very high in sugar and in fact and are a major contributor to obesity. Obesity on the other hand greatly increases an individual’s susceptibility to other health problems such as heart disease and hypertension. Poti et al. (168) contend that this problem becomes even worse when they do not engage in physical activities. Powell, Lisa and Nguyen . (17) report that about 61% of Americans suffer from obesity and in most cases, this leads to problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

Furthermore, Ryu, Lee and Gon Kim (217) report that too much intake of soft drinks causes a decline in dental health. Therefore, such a diet of unhealthy fast foods should be prohibited and avoided at all costs. It is also vital to note that the cooking method of most fast foods involves frying. According to Dunford (1025), frying destroys most of the vital minerals needed for the human health. This, in turn, will lead to the development of nutrient deficiency diseases such as marasmus. The more we continue prioritizing fat foods, the more we risk suffering from nutrient deficiency diseases.

In addition, fast foods have been proven to trigger behavioural problems among children in school. With the increased popularity of fast foods, most school canteens readily sell such food to students. However, most of these foods such as soft drinks and instant noodles contain a lot of chemical additives to lengthen the shelf life. These additives have been found to be associated with behavioural complications such as poor concentration and hyperactivity among school children (Dunford, 1023).  It has been reported by Gunders (18) that when such foods are readily available in schools, students are unable to develop healthy because they lack vital nutrients and as such, there is a reduction in their learning potential. The results of a study by Jaworowska (310) on school children pointed out that students became calmer after lunch when fast foods were removed from the school canteen. Therefore, despite the fact that we try to come up with different ways of processing the foods we plant such as using potatoes to make chips, we should also look at effects of such fast foods on the society, on our children.

Besides that, the packaging used in fat foods are a major contributor to the litter problem. Fast foods tend to utilise a lot of packaging and the overuse of plastic ware, bags, straws and wrappers is the largest source of urban litter in the United States. Gunders (2) argues that fast foods make up to 50% of street litter. Litter is both a health and safety hazard, a lot of costs is used to clean the streets and this also portrays a bad image of the society (Jaworowska, 315). A majority of fast food vendors just sell take-away foods and do not provide feeding spaces. As such, individuals are forced to eat in the fields, vehicles or in classrooms. When they are done, they throw the packets at such places and this leads to building up of litter.

Additionally, the production of fast food poses harm to the environment. As per Powell, Lisa and Nguyen (19), the chemicals contained in fast foods greatly affect the environment.  A majority of fast foods involve meat products and most of these products are produced in factory farms which contribute to global warming. When the packages used in fast foods are disposed of in streets, they are easily carried by the wind into water bodies. As mentioned earlier, fast foods contain fertilizers, hormones and drugs which affect water quality. Ryu, Lee and Gon Kim (200) contend that these chemical additives contained in fast foods seep into the surrounding water killing sea animals and resulting in outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

The outbreak of water diseases that is brought about by fast foods greatly affects the society. This is because a lot of money is used to treat waterborne diseases such as cholera. Additionally, waterborne diseases contribute to a significant percentage of deaths in the United States (Powell, Lisa and Nguyen, 16). As if that is not enough, the accumulation of litter from packages of fast foods exposes the society to health related problems. The smell alone from the rotting rubbish pollutes the air and the presence of the rubbish exposes the society to diseases such as typhoid, amoeba and cholera (Ryu, Lee and Gon Kim, 204). According to Powell, Lisa and Nguyen (14), a large percentage of waste that goes into the municipal landfills is basically food. When such food decomposes in landfills it releases greenhouse gases which are very threatening to the environment.

Fast foods also lead to foodborne diseases. Dunford (1026) contends that what people don’t know is the conditions that the slaughtered animals were living in before they were killed. A study by Gunders (5) discovered that most fast foods such as chicken, beef and pork are prepared in very dirty environments. Chickens are being stuffed up together, the slaughter room for cows or pigs is full of bacteria which easily mixes with the meat and the resultant of this is foodborne diseases (Gunders, 23). In relation to this, a recent study pointed out that about 50% of soda fountains at fast food joints are made up of coliform bacteria, a bacteria that thrives in feces and 12% contained E.coli bacteria (Gunders, 25). The thought that even our soft drinks are infected by foodborne bacteria related to meat is really sickening. So, is it justified to buy fast foods because they are easily available and save cooking time? Of course not, because they are very detrimental to our health.

Having discussed the dangers that fast foods pose to the society, individuals and the planet, it is imperative to also look at the solutions to these problems. The environmental impact of fast foods can be solved by diverting the food wastes disposed of in landfills so as to reduce the resources involved in the production of food (Jaworowska, 316). Energy, fertilizers, water and pesticides are examples of such resources. It is everyone’s right to consume food, but if we waste any type of food, we are indirectly wasting the resources involved in its production. Greenhouse gases are also produced during growth, manufacturing, transportation and disposing of food. Therefore, reducing food wastage can help to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Jaworowska (311) also views that the logical solution to this will be to encourage the switch to compostable packaging by the fast food restaurants. Gunders (2) also proposes installation of Bio bins behind restaurants.

The health issues associated with fast foods can be controlled by generally encouraging the consumption of healthy foods (Poti et al., 167). It is not bad to consume fast foods once in a while but overconsumption can lead to significant health problems. Therefore, educating individuals on the vitality of eating healthy food is crucial to help them understand the harm they are doing to their body when consuming fast foods. The society, on the other hand, can help by appropriately disposing of wrappings of fast foods. This will enable the municipal officials to easily collect and recycle such wastes (Poti et al., 169).

In conclusion, food is good but we should consider the type of food that we eat and its effects to the environment that we live in. Fast foods affect individuals through the development of health complications. The society, on the other hand, is affected when there is a spread of foodborne and waterborne diseases. Fast foods also affect the environment through the poor disposal of wastes, accumulation of non-decomposable materials in landfills and release of harmful chemicals into the soil and water system. These problems can be solved through proper water disposal, reduction in the frequency of fast food consumption and educating the society and individuals on the consequences of fast foods.

• Dunford, Elizabeth, et al. “The variability of reported salt levels in fast foods across six countries: opportunities for salt reduction.”  Canadian Medical Association Journal  184.9 (2012): 1023-1028.
• Gunders, Dana. “Wasted: How America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill.”  Natural Resources Defense Council  (2012): 1-26.
• Jaworowska, Agnieszka, et al. “Nutritional challenges and health implications of takeaway and fast food.”  Nutrition reviews  71.5 (2013): 310-318.
• Poti, Jennifer M., Kiyah J. Duffey, and Barry M. Popkin. “The association of fast food consumption with poor dietary outcomes and obesity among children: is it the fast food or the remainder of the diet?.”  The American journal of clinical nutrition  99.1 (2014): 162-171.
• Powell, Lisa M., and Binh T. Nguyen. “Fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption among children and adolescents: effect on energy, beverage, and nutrient intake.”  JAMA pediatrics  167.1 (2013): 14-20.
• Ryu, Kisang, Hye-Rin Lee, and Woo Gon Kim. “The influence of the quality of the physical environment, food, and service on restaurant image, customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management  24.2 (2012): 200-223.

IELTS essay sample | Fast foods are bad. Do you agree?

Essay topic.

The fast food industry has negative effects on our health, the environment and family eating habits. Do you agree or disagree?

Sample essay

Most people who consume packaged food products are actually aware of their health consequences; still they can’t resist the temptation to eat them. There are several reasons to this. First, fast foods taste better. They use several ingredients that make us addicted to them. Second, fast foods are readily available. It takes hours to cook a meal. Today, most of us lead busy lives that leave us with little time to cook or clean. As a result, we are often compelled to buy fast foods even though we are aware of their health consequences.

Fast foods have a negative impact on the environment as well. The junk food industry uses plastic for packaging. The environmental consequences of plastic are well-known. Each year tons of plastic end up in landfills. It spoils the soil and clogs the drains.

To conclude, fast foods have a negative impact on almost all aspects of our life and the environment. In my opinion, it is high time we expelled them from our lives.

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Fast Foods Popularity: Causes and Effects Essay

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According to Schlosser, the expansion of the fast-food industry is influenced by major adjustments in American culture. This resulted from the lowering of the hourly wage of most US workers from 1970. This made many mothers seek other jobs where most of them work outside their homes. This led to a trend where many of them rely on fast foods for their daily meal instead of preparing their own meals at home. In addition, most mothers tend to buy and stock these fast foods in their homes for their family’s daily consumption creating more demand for these foods at home.

The dependency of most mothers on fast foods rendered their families no other option other than following the same trend. In terms of businesses, the fast-food industries seem to replace small businesses as more American civilians tend to prefer these fast foods other than a home-prepared meal. According to Schlosser, companies like McDonald’s corporation seem to dominate the food industry as their target children and their parents. They deal with beef, pork, chicken, and potatoes that in most cases tend to add the amount of cholesterol to the body. Cholesterol is vital to patients suffering from diabetes or even obesity. However, many Americans do not seem to be alarmed rather they seem to opt and appreciate the fast-food culture.

In addition, he observed that technology changes have made many people be workaholics leaving little time for preparing meals at home as well as paying very little attention to the kind of food they eat i.e. whether it is balanced or not. Further, he argues that the growth of the fast-food industry over the years was triggered by their exclusive advertisements that seem to convince many Americans that fast foods are the best. They appeal to the civilians by convincing them that it is the American culture and it’s unique, hence many Americans have come to appreciate and respect it blindly.

More so, most of the fast foods target schools for their businesses by offering sponsorships that tend to be conditional i.e. if they donate books they tend to promote their products in these schools, contrary to adhering to these terms and conditions they stand to lose the sponsorship. Others have opted for the high schools to sell fast foods to students in their cafeterias; this contributed to the expansion of these corporations’ profits at the expense of young Americans. The extensive opening of kiosks in high schools that sell exclusively fast foods has led to the expansion of the fast-food industry as many students have been accustomed to the daily consumption of these foods.

Further, Schlosser observed that the meat industry has been exploiting workers who happen to be immigrants in their efforts to make big profits. They normally do not mind the health of these workers yet they understand the dangers prone to these workers. The appraisal of fast foods has made the health of many Americans deteriorate from good to worse, just in the name of making money. The extensive use of very sharp equipment to slaughter makes the workers prone to cumulative trauma disorders (CTO).

These chronic injuries such as tendonitis and tenosynovitis destroy the soft cells, nervous system, and tissues that may cause crippling and organ mutilation or dysfunction. Most of the researches carried out reveals that many of these factory workers suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. These are mainly caused by the vibrating knives and other equipment applied for meat extraction and processing.

According to pollan, the farm bill has been in the forefront to promote the consumption of fast foods with most of them being processed hence not appropriate for consumption in large amounts in a society where diabetes and obesity seem to be prevalent. The bill tends to promote the usage of hydrogenated oils and corn syrup that contain a large amount of fructose by subsidizing the farmers of the corns yet the government understands the hazards associated with these foods. In addition, the bill endorses factory farming by grants and subsidies despite these companies polluting the environment with their wastes. Further, the bill seems to favor the consumption of soft drinks like coca-cola instead of water where these soft drinks enjoy the tax cut by the government compared to water industries.

On the international front, the effects of the bill have prevalent in other countries that produce these crops that include cotton, corn, wheat, and Soya beans, which tend to be favored by the bill where many of these countries tend to be encouraged by being offered grants and subsidies to produce more of this products. The production of more wheat tends to make fast foods easier to produce compared to other more nutritious and healthier foods that are never favored by the bill in terms of their production costs, distribution, and marketing.

However, the reformation would greatly change the fast-food culture adopted as the bill exclusively seems to promote the consumption of processed foods and soft drinks, rather than naturally produced foods without chemicals. The subsidies offered tend to lower the prices of these foods in the market making them affordable by many Americans at the expense of their health. On the other hand, the prices of agricultural foods tend to soar high rendering them unaffordable. Therefore, reforming the farm bill would greatly influence the preference of fast foods, as it would make naturally produced foods affordable.

The excessive consumption of fast foods is injuries and hazardous to human health due to the fact that many of these foods contain high levels of cholesterol and fats that tend to various kinds of diseases such as heart diseases and dysfunctional of other body organs as they t5end to block the veins and arteries. The major causes of these food’s consumption are their easy accessibility, change in culture, and the policy changes that tend to favor the production and consumption of fast foods at the expense of other agriculturally produced foods. These agricultural foods tend to be nutritious, less hazardous but they have been rendered expensive as the farm bill does not support their production at all rather promotes the production and consumption of fast foods. In addition, they have been attributed to the increase in diabetes and obesity cases in America and other developed countries due to their high levels of fats and cholesterol.

References:

Schlosser, E. Fast food nation, Houghton Mifflin publishers, New York 2001.

Bonnie RJ, Fulco CE& Liver man CT (1999) Reducing the burden of injury: advancing prevention and treatment. National Academy Press, Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine.

• Analysis of a Look at the Fast-Food Industry by Eric Schlosser
• “The Most Dangerous Job” by Schlosser
• Behind the Counter: Falling Behind the Trend
• Fast Food Restaurants and Buyers' Responsibility
• Fast Food, Fat Profits: Obesity in America
• Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages
• Fast-Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity in the USA
• Fast Food History and Global Presence
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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The Negative Effects of Fast Food - Essay Example

In this assignment, I argue against the consumption of fast foods. The consumption of fast food should be visualized against their negative impacts on consumers. However, fast food restaurant operators are only interested in reaping profits from consumers although in-depth research has indicated negative health risks associated with fast foods. Nonetheless, finding from the various literature on dangers of excessive consumption of fast food have not prevented restaurant owners from operating a fast food business. Moreover, consumers have increased the frequency of visiting fast food outlets since there is a surge in number of fast food consumers nationwide across all ages.

Consumers and fast food operation owners disagree. They hold opinions that fast food has been in the limelight for decades and do not have grievous impacts on human health. Consequently, they argue fast foods have saved on time to ever increasing busy society and have solved the problems of fixing lunch or supper for the busy majority. Additionally, fast foods providers have ensured that there is readily available food on demand.

Critics believe that fast food consumption should be weighed against their negative impacts on human, animals, and environment. Their argument is based on the premise that frequent consumption of fast food is coupled with grievous negative health risks to human, animal cruelty, workers exploitation and cultural degradation claims resulting from people shifting their eating pattern away from the traditional foods. Moreover, concerns of millennial consumers having an ambivalent relationship with fast food have sired slow food and local food movements seeking to promote consumption of local cuisines. The proponents of the movements have launched education policy on the consideration of the environment, nutrition and benefits of local foods. Health havoc associated with fast food include cholesterol, uric acid, obesity, cardiovascular complications among others. CITATION Hou12 \l 1033 (Harcourt). Obesity accounts for 300,000 deaths in U.S. research into junks food restaurants have indicated a close relationship between some fast food restaurants located within the local area and obesity rates. According to the survey, by the food technology survey, 75% of Americans eating their foods at home. Nearly half of the meals being fast foods obtained from the restaurants, these foods have little enzyme producing vitamins and mineral but contains a high level of calories and cholesterol and contain food additives which result in obesity and cardiac complications CITATION Ash121 \l 1033 (Ashakiran & Deepthi R).

Supporters reject the idea. They claim that their main intervention is not necessary to enhance healthier foods but to address the consumers choice. For instance, the McDonald and Dunkin initiated inclusion of fruits although the studies reveal that there is no evidence supporting the calorie labeling. Consumers, however, regards full-service restaurants to be providing healthier, higher quality food which contains much more calories than the traditionally prepared foods. Moreover, the government is encouraging the business by providing support to the fast food businesses so that they can boost their operation and supply. They, however, argue that fast food industry is the largest employer of the minimum wage workers in the country the convenience of fast food to consumers who do not necessarily want to prepare meals at home. Consequently, restaurants are licenses to have calories counts where consumers can access the calories count save the family-owned restaurants. Finally, various fast food restaurants offer convenient choices fit for the customers with the low cost of fast food meals helping consumer stay within their budgets.

References BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033

Al-Saad, Eman. "Causes and Effects of Fast Food." International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research Volume 5, (April 26, 2016): 1-6.

Ashakiran & Deepthi R. "Fast Food and their Impact on Health." Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University, Vol.1, No. 2, (July-Dec 2012): 8-9.

Ashakiran & Deepthi R. "Fast Foods and their Impacts on health: Department of Biochemistry, Department of Community Medicine, Sri Devaraj Urs Medicine. Kolar-563101 (Karnataka) India ." Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical sciences university, Vol 1 No.2 (July 2, 2012): 7-9.

Harcourt, Houghton Mifflin. Ast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dU13X_AM_N8C&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=fast+food&ots=DnPkOK3oKl&sig=_XtoQIQbakFGInAVJF1I7CYuYYk#v=onepage&q=fast%20food&f=false (2012.): 1-48.

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Seed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?

Often found in ultra-processed foods, these oils can cause inflammation and diseases

Collectively, the people of the internet are always looking for the next big food trend, the next magic bullet, whether it’s something to add to or remove from our diets to make all of our health problems disappear.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Nowhere is that tendency more intense than on TikTok, where food-related topics go viral in an instant (and oftentimes, disappear just as quickly). But one of them seems to have some staying power: Warnings of the risks of seed oils.

TikTok health gurus claim that seed oils are toxic, causing everything from acne and weight gain to cancer and infertility. But what’s the truth? As is so often the case, the reality is a lot more nuanced than TikTok typically reveals.

Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD , explains what seed oils are, what they can do to your body and whether you need to cut them out forever or just focus on a healthy, balanced diet (hint: It’s the latter).

What are seed oils?

Seed oils are plant-based cooking oils made from — you guessed it — the seeds of various plants. These seeds (we’ll share the whole list in a moment) are turned into oil that can be used for cooking and baking.

“They’re made through a chemical process where they’re bleached, refined and heated in order to be usable,” Zumpano explains.

You might use seed oils at home, like putting a few tablespoons in a healthy muffin recipe or using one of them to pan-fry some potato pancakes . And these oils are frequently used in restaurants, where canola oil, in particular, is the oil of choice for deep-frying.

What seed oils are included?

Seed oils first emerged in the late 1900s as an alternative to partially hydrogenated oils . Here are the eight seed oils most commonly used and discussed:

• Canola oil (aka rapeseed oil).
• Cottonseed.
• Grapeseed oil.
• Soybean oil.
• Sunflower oil.
• Safflower oil.
• Rice bran oil
• Peanut oil.

You might even hear this group of seed oils referred to as the “hateful eight,” a reference to some people’s belief that they’re toxic and should be completely removed from your diet. But is the problem with seed oils themselves or the way they’re used?

“Most seed oils are being utilized in the form of processed packaged foods, fast foods and eating out,” Zumpano says. “That’s where most of the danger lies.”

Let’s dig into that…

Are seed oils unhealthy?

Yes and no (but mostly yes). Because of the way they’re made, seed oils are typically very processed. Even worse than that, though, is they’re usually used to make ultra-processed foods — think fast food burgers and fries and anything you’d eat at a state fair or get in a package in the grocery store.

“Seed oils themselves have high levels of omega-6 fats, which can lead to inflammation.” Zumpano says, “and they’re mostly used to make ultra-processed foods, which causes inflammation in the body.”

Keep in mind that they’re also sometimes added to foods marketed as “healthy,” including whole-grain crackers or bread products, protein bars or shakes, dressings, sauces, some frozen foods and even chocolate.

To better understand what all of that means for your health, Zumpano helps us break down the issues with seed oils and how they’re used.

They’re often very processed

Some of these oils would be high in vitamin E and phenols , if not for the refining process itself. Alas…

“Most seed oils go through the refining process, which includes bleaching and deodorizing,” Zumpano explains. “This helps with the taste, color and shelf life, but it also removes the oils’ antioxidants .”

The end result is oils with no real health benefits and more than a few health risks.

They’re usually used in unhealthy foods

Seed oils aren’t necessarily good for you. But the real reason they’re considered so bad for you is how they’re most often used.

“Most seed oils are being utilized in the form of processed packaged foods, fast foods and eating out, and even foods that are considered minimally processed but are still packaged,” Zumpano reiterates. And that’s where the danger is.

Outside of your own home, you’re most likely to consume seed oils when you’re eating something that’s already pretty bad for your health — something that’s also full of fat, sugar and sodium. It’s not a bad idea to look in your cupboard, too, as these oils are so abundant that it’s smart to avoid or seriously limit them wherever you can.

They contribute to inflammation in your body

Seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that isn’t necessarily bad for you. In fact, your body needs a little bit of them! In small amounts, they’re good for your cholesterol and help protect you from heart disease.

But American diets typically already include too many omega-6s. This throws off your body’s ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids , leading to inflammation in the body.

While a little bit of inflammation is actually a good thing (it’s your body’s way of healing cell damage), chronic inflammation is definitely not . It’s linked to conditions like:

• Arthritis .
• Heart disease .
• Metabolic syndrome .
• Type 2 diabetes .

“If a certain food is high in oils that contain a lot of omega-6s, you really want to try to avoid them or eat them only in moderation,” Zumpano advises.

Should you avoid all seed oils?

If you want to stop consuming seed oils, there are no downsides. But Zumpano says you’d be just as wise to commit to avoiding processed foods instead. It’s a move that will inherently result in scaling back on seed oils, while also allowing you the leeway to use them in small amounts.

“When you cut seed oils from your diet, what you’re really doing is cutting out many processed foods,” she adds. “I think that’s why we’re hearing about them as being so bad for your health. But it’s less about the seed oils themselves and more about the fact that they’re so often found in ultra-processed foods.”

But what about using seed oils at home? Should you throw away that bottle of sunflower oil on your shelf? Experts tend to have varied opinions on this one, but Zumpano believes they should be limited in home cooking.

“They’re not necessarily the greatest choice in oil,” she notes. “But when used in moderation in home cooking, they’re not nearly as bad for you as when you’re getting them in ultra-processed foods, fast foods and fried foods.”

Still, she recommends mostly cooking with alternative oils that provide more omega-3s, like avocado oil or olive oil (more on that in a minute).

And keep in mind, too, that you want to try to increase your omega-3 intake and limit your omega-6s.

“Omega-3s are so important for overall heath that we really need to make the effort to get them into our diets,” Zumpano says. “Omega-6s, on the other hand, are in abundance in Western diets.”

The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be ideally 2:1 or 1:1, but for most Americans, the ratio is actually a whopping 10:1 or even 20:1.

If you do want to cook with seed oils at home, use them infrequently and in small amounts. Importantly, you should also buy versions that are pure and unrefined, which aren’t as processed and retain some of their nutrients.

Good substitutes for seed oils

Occasionally frying your breakfast potatoes in a little bit of organic, unrefined sunflower oil isn’t going to throw your body into disarray. But Zumpano says there are healthier oils to choose from, so you’re probably better off just using one of those.

She recommends using extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for low-heat cooking and avocado oil for high-heat cooking. They’re both high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids instead of additional omega-6s.

“Both of these oils are clinically shown to have higher monounsaturated fats ,” Zumpano shares. “They’re not seed-based, and they don’t go through the same type of processing, so they’re very unrefined and even have a lot of nutritional benefits.”

Limit your oil use

In general, it’s best to take it easy on oils , both seed and otherwise. And this is especially true when you go out to eat, as most restaurants use cheap cooking oils — which is to say, refined cooking oils.

But instead of focusing specifically on banishing seed oils from your diet, Zumpano reiterates that your first step should be trying to eliminate ultra-processed foods from your diet as much as you possibly can.

“Try to cook at home as often as possible and purchase foods that have simple ingredients,” she says. “That’s always my No. 1 recommendation.”

Doing so will naturally lessen your seed oil intake while not restricting you from, say, going out to dinner with a friend or having a few potato chips at a party. And eating well at home will help offset the times when you eat out and don’t have a handle on every, single ingredient you consume.

“Eating whole, unprocessed foods at home gives you a little bit of a buffer when you go out to eat,” Zumpano says. “If you’re able to maintain and manage what you eat most of the time, then the other times won’t have as big of an impact on your health.”

Learn more about our editorial process .

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Causes and Effects of Climate Change

Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

As greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth, they trap the sun’s heat. This leads to global warming and climate change. The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history. Warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth.

Causes of Climate Change

Generating power

Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas, which produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. Globally, a bit more than a quarter of electricity comes from wind, solar and other renewable sources which, as opposed to fossil fuels, emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

Manufacturing goods

Manufacturing and industry produce emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels to produce energy for making things like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics, clothes, and other goods. Mining and other industrial processes also release gases, as does the construction industry. Machines used in the manufacturing process often run on coal, oil, or gas; and some materials, like plastics, are made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels. The manufacturing industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Cutting down forests

Cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for other reasons, causes emissions, since trees, when they are cut, release the carbon they have been storing. Each year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed. Since forests absorb carbon dioxide, destroying them also limits nature’s ability to keep emissions out of the atmosphere. Deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Using transportation

Most cars, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels. That makes transportation a major contributor of greenhouse gases, especially carbon-dioxide emissions. Road vehicles account for the largest part, due to the combustion of petroleum-based products, like gasoline, in internal combustion engines. But emissions from ships and planes continue to grow. Transport accounts for nearly one quarter of global energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions. And trends point to a significant increase in energy use for transport over the coming years.

Producing food

Producing food causes emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in various ways, including through deforestation and clearing of land for agriculture and grazing, digestion by cows and sheep, the production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing crops, and the use of energy to run farm equipment or fishing boats, usually with fossil fuels. All this makes food production a major contributor to climate change. And greenhouse gas emissions also come from packaging and distributing food.

Powering buildings

Globally, residential and commercial buildings consume over half of all electricity. As they continue to draw on coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling, they emit significant quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing energy demand for heating and cooling, with rising air-conditioner ownership, as well as increased electricity consumption for lighting, appliances, and connected devices, has contributed to a rise in energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions from buildings in recent years.

Consuming too much

Your home and use of power, how you move around, what you eat and how much you throw away all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. So does the consumption of goods such as clothing, electronics, and plastics. A large chunk of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to private households. Our lifestyles have a profound impact on our planet. The wealthiest bear the greatest responsibility: the richest 1 per cent of the global population combined account for more greenhouse gas emissions than the poorest 50 per cent.

Based on various UN sources

Effects of Climate Change

Hotter temperatures

As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the global surface temperature. The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Nearly all land areas are seeing more hot days and heat waves. Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult. Wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter. Temperatures in the Arctic have warmed at least twice as fast as the global average.

More severe storms

Destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in many regions. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, which exacerbates extreme rainfall and flooding, causing more destructive storms. The frequency and extent of tropical storms is also affected by the warming ocean. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons feed on warm waters at the ocean surface. Such storms often destroy homes and communities, causing deaths and huge economic losses.

Increased drought

Climate change is changing water availability, making it scarcer in more regions. Global warming exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed regions and is leading to an increased risk of agricultural droughts affecting crops, and ecological droughts increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems. Droughts can also stir destructive sand and dust storms that can move billions of tons of sand across continents. Deserts are expanding, reducing land for growing food. Many people now face the threat of not having enough water on a regular basis.

A warming, rising ocean

The ocean soaks up most of the heat from global warming. The rate at which the ocean is warming strongly increased over the past two decades, across all depths of the ocean. As the ocean warms, its volume increases since water expands as it gets warmer. Melting ice sheets also cause sea levels to rise, threatening coastal and island communities. In addition, the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, keeping it from the atmosphere. But more carbon dioxide makes the ocean more acidic, which endangers marine life and coral reefs.

Loss of species

Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean. These risks increase as temperatures climb. Exacerbated by climate change, the world is losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history. One million species are at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades. Forest fires, extreme weather, and invasive pests and diseases are among many threats related to climate change. Some species will be able to relocate and survive, but others will not.

Not enough food

Changes in the climate and increases in extreme weather events are among the reasons behind a global rise in hunger and poor nutrition. Fisheries, crops, and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. With the ocean becoming more acidic, marine resources that feed billions of people are at risk. Changes in snow and ice cover in many Arctic regions have disrupted food supplies from herding, hunting, and fishing. Heat stress can diminish water and grasslands for grazing, causing declining crop yields and affecting livestock.

More health risks

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Climate impacts are already harming health, through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, and increased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or find sufficient food. Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people. Changing weather patterns are expanding diseases, and extreme weather events increase deaths and make it difficult for health care systems to keep up.

Poverty and displacement

Climate change increases the factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweep away urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods. Heat can make it difficult to work in outdoor jobs. Water scarcity may affect crops. Over the past decade (2010–2019), weather-related events displaced an estimated 23.1 million people on average each year, leaving many more vulnerable to poverty. Most refugees come from countries that are most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

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Liberals in la-la land: High wages, 32-hour workweeks sound great, but there's a steep price

As minneapolis' democratic mayor jacob frey said, 'getting a raise doesn't do a whole lot of good if you lose your job.'.

I recently had a layover at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport on my way to visit my parents in Oregon, so I stopped at McDonald’s for a quick bite. Rather than being greeted by a human cashier, I was met with a hall of self-serve kiosks, where I placed my order and paid for it. 

Expect to see a lot more machines and far fewer human workers in states and cities that are artificially driving up the cost of employees through higher minimum wages. 

“The government seems stuck on this way of fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed,” Brian Wesbury, chief economist at First Trust Advisors, told me. “It messes up the marketplace, and businesses attempt to find a way around it because these are not market-based wages – and today with robotics and computers they can. So it ends up hurting people.” 

While efficient, automation like those ordering screens at the Minneapolis airport is emblematic of what happens when the government distorts the marketplace with a heavy-handed regulatory approach. 

Minneapolis has mandated a $15.57 hourly minimum wage – more than twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25 – for large employers, but that wage will apply to all businesses starting this summer. While the airport isn’t technically part of any city, its employers are no doubt forced to offer comparable wages to attract workers. 

High wages are having other effects, too. Minneapolis residents will soon be out of luck if they want to call an Uber or a Lyft. Both companies are leaving town in May after the ultra-liberal city council (several of the 13 are declared socialists ) applied the minimum wage to drivers, overriding the mayor’s veto. The companies said the mandate makes operations in the city unsustainable. 

So in the effort to increase pay for drivers, the city council effectively will strip thousands of jobs and leave many people without transportation. 

As Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey said in an interview, “Getting a raise doesn’t do a whole lot of good if you lose your job .”

Nice work, Minneapolis.

California hikes minimum wage, employers lay people off

Then there’s California. In what should have been an April Fools’ joke, a law requiring fast-food workers at large chains to earn $20 a hour took effect April 1 . 

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the law last year. Obviously, businesses aren’t happy because it's bad for their bottom lines . 

Biden's new rule may take your job: Biden claims to stand for women, but his new regulation will kill jobs that women want

Newsom admitted as much when he tried to give his buddy Greg Flynn, who runs Panera Bread franchises in California, a loophole from the law. Flynn is a big Newsom donor , and Newsom had demanded a curious exemption to the law for restaurants “making in-house bread.” 

After the justified uproar that Flynn was getting special favors, he has said he’ll abide by the higher wage .

It’s no surprise that even before the new minimum wage became reality, restaurants started planning layoffs . For instance, Pizza Hut has said it will cut more than 1,000 delivery jobs. Many more are following suit.

As any economist could have predicted, these businesses are having to downsize their workforce, reduce hours and raise prices. That’s what happens when the government meddles in the private market. 

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store .

It’s hard to see how this benefits anyone in the long run. Minimum wage jobs have traditionally existed to give people an entry point into the work world, but government-driven inflated wages will take those opportunities away from inexperienced workers. 

And this government intervention ignores that workers have more choices than ever. 

“It’s such a competitive marketplace and unemployment is so low that if you’re disappointed in the job in either the culture or the wage or the working conditions, you can move,” Wesbury said.

Less work for same pay? Welcome to Bernie’s world. 

You can always count on Congress’ resident socialist, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, to come up with truly wild (and costly) ideas. He’s a constant pusher of “free” college, student debt forgiveness and high minimum wages .

Employers must speak up: Biden's overtime pay proposal is the last thing our economy needs

Sanders also says Americans deserve a 32-hour work week . Employers would be forced to continue paying workers the same pay and benefits as they get for working 40 hours. And he’s not just thinking about it – he’s introduced a bill . 

Sounds pretty darn good, I have to say. 

Unfortunately, in the real world, companies would have to make adjustments to afford this cushy new employee benefit. Employers would either have to hire more workers or lose out on productivity, and consumers would face higher prices as a result. Other unintended consequences would surely follow.

Bottom line: The private sector works best when the government gets out of the way. It’s a lesson liberals never seem to learn. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @ Ingrid_Jacques

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page , on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter .

Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Fast Food — Negative Effects of Fast Foods

Negative Effects of Fast Foods

• Categories: Fast Food Junk Food

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Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

According to scientists at the FDA, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health.

Do you drink just one cup of coffee or tea first thing in the morning, hoping the caffeine in it will jump-start your day? Do you follow it up with a caffeinated beverage or two and then drink several more cups of coffee throughout the day?

Does it matter?

According to scientists at the FDA, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health. Depending on factors such as body weight, medications you may take, and individual sensitivity, “too much” can vary from person to person.

Learn more about caffeine in the following questions and answers.

Is it okay for kids to consume energy drinks that contain caffeine?

Energy drinks can have more than twice the caffeine in an equal amount of coffee. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that “there is heightened awareness of the risks of caffeine use, abuse, and even toxicity in children and adolescents.”* Consult your health care provider for advice regarding your child’s caffeine consumption.

* Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? American Academy of Pediatrics June 2011

1. Which kinds of foods and beverages contain caffeine?

Caffeine can be found naturally in the plants we use to make coffee, tea and chocolate. It’s also found in some plants used as flavorings, such as guarana, or alternative teas popular in South American, such as yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and Ilex guayusa.

Caffeine may also be added as an ingredient to foods and beverages.

2. How do you know how much caffeine a food or beverage contains?

Many packaged foods, including beverages and dietary supplements containing caffeine, voluntarily provide information on the label as to how much caffeine they contain. Consumers should take care when consuming for the first time a new packaged food containing added caffeine if the amount of caffeine in the food is not declared on the label.

There are several online databases that provide estimates of caffeine content of certain foods and beverages such as coffee and tea. However, the amount in these brewed beverages can vary depending on such factors as how and where the coffee beans and tea leaves were grown and processed and how the beverage product is prepared.

For reference, a 12 ounce can of a caffeinated soft drink typically contains 30 to 40 milligrams of caffeine, an 8-ounce cup of green or black tea 30-50 milligrams, and an 8-ounce cup of coffee closer to 80 to 100 milligrams. Caffeine in energy drinks can range from 40-250 mg per 8 fluid ounces.

3. If a coffee or tea says “decaffeinated,” does that mean it contains no caffeine?

No. Decaf coffees and teas have less caffeine than their regular counterparts, but they still contain some caffeine. For example, decaf coffee typically has 2-15 milligrams in an 8-ounce cup. If you react strongly to caffeine in a negative way, you may want to avoid these beverages altogether.

4. How much caffeine is too much?

For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects. However, there is wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it (break it down).

Certain conditions tend to make people more sensitive to caffeine’s effects, as can some medications. In addition, if you’re pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, or are concerned about another condition or medication, we recommend talking to your health care provider about whether you need to limit caffeine consumption.

The FDA has not set a level for children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the consumption of caffeine and other stimulants by children and adolescents.

5. How do you know if you’ve consumed more caffeine than you can tolerate?

Over-consuming caffeine can cause:

• anxiousness
• fast heart rate
• upset stomach
• a feeling of unhappiness (dysphoria)

6. Does caffeine pose a danger to your health?

The FDA estimates toxic effects, like seizures, can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams of caffeine, or 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine.

Pure and highly concentrated caffeine products present a significant public health threat and have contributed to at least two deaths in the United States. The FDA has taken action to protect consumers from these products.

These products, often labeled as dietary supplements, consist of pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms and are often marketed in bulk packaging with up to thousands of servings per container, requiring the consumer to measure out a safe serving from what can be a toxic or even lethal amount of bulk product.

The risk of caffeine overdose increases as the concentration of caffeine in the product increases, meaning even small dosages of a highly concentrated product could lead to dangerous effects. Just one teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine can contain the same amount of caffeine as 28 cups of coffee, and a half cup of a liquid highly concentrated caffeine product contains the equivalent of more than 20 cups of coffee. These are toxic amounts that can have serious health consequences, including death.

7.  Is drinking a lot of caffeine a substitute for sleep?

No. Caffeine is a stimulant, which may cause you to be more alert and awake, but it is not a substitute for sleep. Typically, it can take 4 to 6 hours for your body to metabolize half of what you consumed. So, a cup of coffee at dinner may keep you awake at bedtime.

8. How can I cut back on caffeine without causing unpleasant side effects?

If you’re used to drinking caffeine-containing beverages every day, and want to cut back, it’s best to do so gradually. Stopping abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, and nervousness. Unlike opioid or alcohol withdrawal, caffeine withdrawal is not considered dangerous, but it can be unpleasant. You may want to talk to your health care provider about how to cut back.

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COVID-19: Long-term effects

Some people continue to experience health problems long after having COVID-19. Understand the possible symptoms and risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Most people who get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover within a few weeks. But some people — even those who had mild versions of the disease — might have symptoms that last a long time afterward. These ongoing health problems are sometimes called post- COVID-19 syndrome, post- COVID conditions, long COVID-19 , long-haul COVID-19 , and post acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 infection (PASC).

What is post-COVID-19 syndrome and how common is it?

Post- COVID-19 syndrome involves a variety of new, returning or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after getting COVID-19 . In some people, post- COVID-19 syndrome lasts months or years or causes disability.

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19 , 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19 . Among people age 65 and older, 1 in 4 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19 .

What are the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome?

The most commonly reported symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome include:

• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort
• Lung (respiratory) symptoms, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough

Other possible symptoms include:

• Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions, including difficulty thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand, pins-and-needles feeling, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety
• Joint or muscle pain
• Heart symptoms or conditions, including chest pain and fast or pounding heartbeat
• Digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach pain
• Blood clots and blood vessel (vascular) issues, including a blood clot that travels to the lungs from deep veins in the legs and blocks blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• Other symptoms, such as a rash and changes in the menstrual cycle

Keep in mind that it can be hard to tell if you are having symptoms due to COVID-19 or another cause, such as a preexisting medical condition.

It's also not clear if post- COVID-19 syndrome is new and unique to COVID-19 . Some symptoms are similar to those caused by chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections. Chronic fatigue syndrome involves extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest.

Why does COVID-19 cause ongoing health problems?

Organ damage could play a role. People who had severe illness with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. It isn't clear how long these effects might last. The effects also could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes or a heart or nervous system condition.

The experience of having severe COVID-19 might be another factor. People with severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need to be treated in a hospital intensive care unit. This can result in extreme weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event.

What are the risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome?

You might be more likely to have post- COVID-19 syndrome if:

• You had severe illness with COVID-19 , especially if you were hospitalized or needed intensive care.
• You had certain medical conditions before getting the COVID-19 virus.
• You had a condition affecting your organs and tissues (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) while sick with COVID-19 or afterward.

Post- COVID-19 syndrome also appears to be more common in adults than in children and teens. However, anyone who gets COVID-19 can have long-term effects, including people with no symptoms or mild illness with COVID-19 .

What should you do if you have post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms?

If you're having symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome, talk to your health care provider. To prepare for your appointment, write down:

• When your symptoms started
• What makes your symptoms worse
• How often you experience symptoms
• How your symptoms affect your activities

Your health care provider might do lab tests, such as a complete blood count or liver function test. You might have other tests or procedures, such as chest X-rays, based on your symptoms. The information you provide and any test results will help your health care provider come up with a treatment plan.

In addition, you might benefit from connecting with others in a support group and sharing resources.

• Long COVID or post-COVID conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Post-COVID conditions: Overview for healthcare providers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/post-covid-conditions.html. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Mikkelsen ME, et al. COVID-19: Evaluation and management of adults following acute viral illness. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Saeed S, et al. Coronavirus disease 2019 and cardiovascular complications: Focused clinical review. Journal of Hypertension. 2021; doi:10.1097/HJH.0000000000002819.
• AskMayoExpert. Post-COVID-19 syndrome. Mayo Clinic; 2022.
• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mis/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2022.
• Patient tips: Healthcare provider appointments for post-COVID conditions. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/post-covid-appointment/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2022.
• Bull-Otterson L, et al. Post-COVID conditions among adult COVID-19 survivors aged 18-64 and ≥ 65 years — United States, March 2020 — November 2021. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2022; doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7121e1.

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