Spring Break
Conveniently becoming fat
Lauren Collins
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Opinion
With a busy schedule and a pinched pocket, fast food has never been so appealing. It seems that fast food restaurants are popping up everywhere. It is affordable, convenient and quick, and unfortunately, I am guilty of eating a greasy burger from time to time. The critical value placed on time in our society, is creating this fast food frenzy; further developing a fat, lazy America. This fact is very depressing.
When eating fast food, there is no hassle in buying the necessary ingredients, preparing and cleaning up a meal. You do not even have to get out of the car to finish a meal, and once the meal is complete, you simply toss the bag; yet, what happened to caring about the health of your body?
Now served in restaurants, airports, schools and sports venues, fast food is now a booming industry in America. Fast food restaurants not only have larger portion sizes and value menus, but they stay open late. McDonald's is located worldwide and is conveniently open 24 hours. Although it is hard to pass up that greasy burger, we really should start making more of an effort to stop giving in to our cravings.
Some fast food restaurants now list the calories, fat grams and sodium on the wrappers and provide Web sites to access nutritional information. After visiting one of the Web sites, the overwhelming amount of junk in each item repulsed me and discouraged my fast food eating for months. Inevitably, even having access to nutritional information, people still line up in drive-thru's for their quick and easy meal, but I suppose that knowing a double quarter-pounder with cheese has 42 grams of fat is not that intimidating to everyone.
According to an article in Rolling Stone, "Americans now spend more money on fast food than they do on higher education, personal computers, software or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music, combined." It is a shame that people would rather invest money in stomachaches and greasy fingers than enjoy a good book or newly released CD.
When eating fast food, there is no hassle in buying the necessary ingredients, preparing and cleaning up a meal. You do not even have to get out of the car to finish a meal, and once the meal is complete, you simply toss the bag; yet, what happened to caring about the health of your body?
Now served in restaurants, airports, schools and sports venues, fast food is now a booming industry in America. Fast food restaurants not only have larger portion sizes and value menus, but they stay open late. McDonald's is located worldwide and is conveniently open 24 hours. Although it is hard to pass up that greasy burger, we really should start making more of an effort to stop giving in to our cravings.
Some fast food restaurants now list the calories, fat grams and sodium on the wrappers and provide Web sites to access nutritional information. After visiting one of the Web sites, the overwhelming amount of junk in each item repulsed me and discouraged my fast food eating for months. Inevitably, even having access to nutritional information, people still line up in drive-thru's for their quick and easy meal, but I suppose that knowing a double quarter-pounder with cheese has 42 grams of fat is not that intimidating to everyone.
According to an article in Rolling Stone, "Americans now spend more money on fast food than they do on higher education, personal computers, software or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music, combined." It is a shame that people would rather invest money in stomachaches and greasy fingers than enjoy a good book or newly released CD.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
AEM
posted 10/30/08 @ 8:56 AM EST
http://www.anamericanembarrassed.blogspot.com/
what my blog is all about. :)
Kalli
posted 11/02/08 @ 2:44 PM EST
This is why I think cooking classes should be mandatory at universities and community colleges.
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