Fast Food: Our Nation's Decline

Every year about 647,000 Americans die from heart disease. That's 1 in every 4 deaths in the U.S. Why is heart disease so prevalent in the U.S? One reason is because 80% of Americans eat fast food once a month increasing their chances of heart disease or a stroke. It all started in 1921 when White Castle was founded followed by McDonald's in 1948. (Wilson) At first fast food was seen as a low quality meal sold at zoos and carnivals but with the opening of fast food chains came the convenience of meals made fast at a low price.

The image quickly changed and today fast food is seen as a normal part of our everyday life consumed by millions. If you look closely though these convenient meals are not as cheap as they seem. That greasy burger can cost you your life. Without much notice fast food has impacted American society by increasing the separation of families, widening the inequality gap, and encouraging unhealthy eating habits that lead to obesity and heart problems.

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First, fast food has impacted American society by increasing the separation of families. In the 1990s, casual family dining rose, and with that came the growth in fast food consumption. Families were eating more TV dinners and fast food and less homemade dinners at the table (Mealey). This might not seem like a big deal, but family dinners can make a big difference in the well-being of a family. It may seem like a family could always eat fast food together and still have that time of communication but studies show that when families eat fast food together it does not have the same positive effect on the children (Sifferlin).

Also teens who eat more meals with their families show fewer signs of depression and feel supported by their family (Sifferlin). When families are eating fast food more often they are most likely spending less time together and communicating less which leads children to depression, aggression, and emotional distress. It creates a weakened family bond (John P). Fast food comes at the price of the separation of families.

In addition to distancing families fast food has widened the inequality gap. African Americans are more likely to be obese than their white counterparts and they also eat the most fast food compared to other races (Maze). Africans Americans eat so much fast food because fast food is cheap and poverty is more prevalent in communities of color (Holleran). And of course fast food chains use this to their advantage and place more fast food restaurants in these poor neighborhoods. Then what happens is those same people who are eating that fast food are also working at these fast food restaurants for minimum wage and they stay poor eating the same junk working the same job that doesn't offer anything but minimum wage. How did this happen? During Nixon's and Johnson's presidency the government started programs like the Equal Opportunity Loan Program to cure urban unrest and give African Americans a chance at the 'American Dream' (Holleran). This was supposed to help black entrepreneurs and sure a couple of them made profit in the fast food industry but for the rest this was just a way to bring these fast food chains into their neighborhood and give the fast food industry a new demographic. Instead of helping African Americans with better jobs and more stable income it brought fast food to every corner for a cheap meal and a minimum wage job. Fast food has clearly widened the inequality gap.

Lasty, Fast food has impacted American society by encouraging unhealthy eating habits that lead to obesity and heart problems. 35% of Americans have obesity and only 4% of Americans never eat fast food and 80% eat once a month (Fuhrman). People are ten times more likely to have a heart attack when they eat fast food (Fuhrman). How can one meal have such a drastic impact on our health? What is inside these meals that make them so unhealthy? Fast food is full of sodium and sugar that makes these fast foods unhealthy. The American Heart Association recommends consuming 25 grams of sugar in a day while the average large soda in a fast food restaurant contains 200 grams (Fuhrman). The FDA suggests that a diet high in sodium increases high blood pressure and chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or kidney disease (Medical News Today).

The FDA and the American Heart Association make all these recommendations about the amount of sodium and sugar that should be consumed in a day but these fast food chains have increased the amount they add to the food instead of adding less. Portion sizes (13 grams), sodium content (4.6%), and calorie content (30 calories) in fast food meals have all gone up every decade (Time Magazine). Not only do these meals have a lot of sugar and sodium but a lot of fast food contains an ingredient known as high fructose corn syrup which increases your chances of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, blindness, liver disease, kidney disease, premature aging, heart attacks, dementia, strokes, and cancer (Fuhrman). In just scratching the surface of a few ingredients in fast food a long list of health damaging effects can already be listed which shows that fast food can really create dangerous eating habits that can lead to obesity and heart problems.

Fast food has impacted American society by increasing the separation of families, widening the inequality gap, and encouraging unhealthy eating habits that lead to obesity and heart problems. It is important that everyone is informed on the dangers of fast food because although almost everyone knows that fast food is unhealthy they probably don't realize how negative the results of consuming and supporting fast food really is if it is not addressed. Now that you know what fast food is doing to our country and your body, are you still going to eat it?