Alex Warren
6th-Logsdon
Would you like to super size your combo today? That was the typical question asked by drive-thru attendants, before super sizing was discontinued. And the typical answer by the customer was yes. Fast food is a great buy because it is quick, cheap, and tastes good, but it is really just an economic advantage. Fast food is absolutely terrible for your body, so you should rarely eat it or just avoid it completely.
In 2009 Morgan Spurlock released, Super Size Me, a documentary about the harmful effects of eating fast food. His challenge was to eat three square meals a day from McDonalds in thirty days. He had to eat at least every item on the menu once in the time period, exercise as much as the average American, and he had to super size his order when he was asked. Once he finished he had gained twenty five pounds and had experienced multiple health problems.
Two problems that Spurlock dealt with were high Cholesterol and depression. In the average “Big Mac” from McDonalds there is 142 mg of cholesterol, which is 47% of the recommended daily intake. Thats one food item, that takes up half of the amount of cholesterol you are supposed to have in a day! Now that isn’t very healthy. Many people suffer from depression, so they look for an out to make them feel better. One of the most common choices is food, and not just any food, but food that tastes good (a.k.a. fast food). See this solution is a problem because eating fast food leads to weight gain, which in turn to lead to depression, and then vicious the cycle just continues. Spurlock didn’t experience major health problems because, he was healthy before his experiment and continued to be after. Major health problems he didn’t experience are Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes. The American Heart Association stated that, “people who consume 4 or more fast food items a week are 80% more likely to die from coronary heart disease compared to those who avoid fast food.” They also stated that it, “increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 27%.” Diabetes is a serious condition! Imagine having to prick your finger to check your blood sugar, and injecting yourself with insulin multiple times a day, just because you chose the Big Mac over a salad.
People will also argue that fast food chains offer healthy options too, like a salad instead of a burger, but those aren’t as nutritious as the average salad. For example the Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken has 450 calories, 50 mg of cholesterol, and 850 mg of sodium. The average home-made salad has tremendously less than calories, cholesterol, and sodium.
Others will argue that McDonalds and other fast food chains have done away with the whole “super-size” option, once they realized that serving 1000 calorie burger, with half a pound of salt caked french fries, and a half gallon soda was a bad idea. Yes they now have smaller serving, but that doesn’t mean it is still good for you, the average Big Mac meal today has 1350 calories, 54 G of fat, 1410 mg of sodium, and 194g of carbs! That is way more than you should be getting in one meal.
As you can see fast food may taste good, but it is a terrible diet choice. It should be eaten very rarely, or avoided completely. Going home and cooking your own food sounds a lot better than being hampered with diseases and being in bad physical condition for the rest of your life. Remember you can’t make a good thing quickly, it takes time, so slow down your food, sit down at home and enjoy a meal and most importantly eat healthy.
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.
Spurlock, Morgan, dir. Super Size Me. Samuel Goldwyn
Films, 2009. Film. 25 Jun 2013.
<http://www.hulu.com/watch/
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