Fast food consumption is worse then you think
This part about the consequence of fast food consumption in terms of body weight and general healthy is originally a large part of my research paper. To strengthen the main argument of the paper and improve the flow of the essay, this less related part is taken out and made into a blog post instead. It is a summary of interesting discoveries that I have made during the research,.
Few people will be surprised when told that fast food is not healthy. Fast food restaurants serve deep fried contents such as French Fries and chicken nuggets, also high-fat and high-energy contents such as hamburger and ice cream sundae, in addition to carbonated soft drinks that is high in added sugar content.
Scientists and parents alike have found fast food to be high-energy, high-fat, and highly palatable contents that are potentially harmful to children consumers. However, to the surprise of many people, while fast food has been strongly associated with obesity among American children, it is yet to be deemed the cause of obesity. In order to build stronger arguments against fast food consumption, scientists have sought to prove that fast food is not only bad in itself, it can also lead to an unhealthy dietary pattern.
Two studies, one by Bowman et al and another by Paeratakul et all, have used the same data set (Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals taken in between 1994-1998, and Supplemental Children's Survey in 1998) and have derived the same conclusion: consumption of high-energy, high-fat and palatable food, fast food in particular, is strongly associated with less intake of healthy food options such as fiber-rich vegetables, nutritious fruits as well as calcium-rich dairy products.
In other words, consumption of fast food is not just bad in itself, it can also have negative effect on the overall dietary pattern of both adults and children. While a few parents restrict their children from eating fast food, the majority tries to strike a balance between healthy and unhealthy diet. I am not writing to advocate that children should be forbidden to consume fast food, which is a part of growing up in the United States. I am saying that parents need to be aware that the balance can be easily broken and consumption of healthier options can disappear completely from a child's diet. One also has to keep in mind what is the effect on the child's future lifestyle, when he/she becomes an adult, is this consumption pattern going to persist and even worsen?
Comments
I think that people should stop their kids from eating fast food. My sister never introduced it to her children and taught them about healthy feeds. She takes the time to prepare meals and shows her kids how to help out. Her kids never ask for fast food and when their friends have McDonald parties, etc. they go along but eat prior and after. They don't sweat it when the odd kids asks why they aren't eating. The parents have more attitude about it. It's great what my sister does but ti bothers me that other people don't see it as a good thing. She doesn't suggest "good eating habits" to anyone but her children, why people suggest it's wrong what she does irks me.
Love the article :)
Posted by: Tonya | September 10, 2008 09:02 PM
I agree
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Posted by: Dave Lee | September 12, 2008 06:57 AM
I think parents shouldn't make decisions for their chilren but i do believe we should encourage them to eat healthily and warn them of the effects too much fast food can do. I also think if a child wants to eat fast food and enjoys so we should encourage them to do more excercise to counteract the effects of too much fatty foods. This way the child can understand both sides of the argument make his/her own decision and realise if they eat too much fast food they will need to make up for it or be unhealthy.
Posted by: restaurants in Wakefield | May 15, 2009 07:09 AM