Fast Food or Fast Frail

Over fifty million children, teens, and adults consume fast food every day, with no regards to how it will affect children’s and teen’s body. Fast food restaurant is represented worldwide in various nations. Fast food restaurants are one of the high commands of purchases. Fast food restaurants negativity affects children’s and teen’s health by causing diseases such as obesity and provides inadequate nutritional intakes for a balanced diet.

Obesity along with other health issues lead to long-term diseases that negativity affect children’s and teens are severe and aren’t always the easiest to overcome. The weight or body fat of a person can be defined as obese.
Body mass index, also known as BMI, is another way to indicate the height and weight of a person. The normal weight on the BMI scale ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. The overweight on the BMI scale is 25 or more. Fast food is a major cause of unruly weight gain as it increases the portion size without providing the vitamins and energy that healthy food should contain. Obesity can be caused by consuming a lot of calories, and without daily exercise, it can build up over time. For children and teens, the “highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States are found among the lower-income groups.” (Drewnowski and Darmon, paragraph 1) Due to their socioeconomic status, these children and teens have no choice but to reach for the first cheap menu item that they see. Fast food restaurants allow meals that are fulling yet, inexpensive which is perfect for low socioeconomic status. However, obesity begins when you aren’t restricting yourself from fatty food as well as not calculating your calories.

The buildup of calories is just the start to obesity, but it can lead to other health issues. Over time, the fats get more difficult to get rid of. Poor eating habits become an impetus for health issues such as “diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer” (APA, paragraph 5). As children and teens gradually obtain growing bodies, being exposed to unhealthy junk food becomes increasingly harmful. Unlike obesity, which has a prompt solution, these other health issues can become long-term if they are not immediately caught. Children and teens, nonetheless, are usually unaware of the damage that is being done to their bodies by eating unhealthy and greasy food. Through the process of eating fast food restaurants, it replaces nutrition with junk food and increasing the weight of children and teens. Children and teens should be acknowledging the unhealthiness of what they are eating rather than focusing on the taste as that will lead to critical health issues. The more children and teens are exposed to junk food, the more they will consume. Aside from the general unhealthiness of junk food, it also lacks proper nutrition that should be entering children and teens bodies.

The nutrition that children and teens require is being replaced with greasy and unhealthy food options. Children and teens need a stable diet; even though they are indulging lots of fast food, there is nutritional value in what they are consuming. “Most adolescents consume diets that are higher in fat and lower in fruit and vegetables than recommended. It is therefore important to identify factors associated with high-fat diets, particularly among adolescents” (French, Story, Sztainer, Fulkerson, and Hannan, paragraph 3). Even after realizing how fast food affects their diets, children and teens still reach out to fast food, disregarding the fruits and vegetables that are actually needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, children and teens should substitute the fatty, unhealthy junk food for food that is full of nutrients. As a result, fast food restaurants should not be the solution for children and teens’ hunger. While it might fulfill children and teens appetites and satisfy cravings for good taste and convenience, fast food is not beneficial in the long-term goal. Unless children and teens reach for the healthier options in fast food restaurants as Subway, Taco Bell or even Chick-fil-A, they should not be eating at those places. Indulging in fast food restaurants is a difficult habit to overcome over time. Once the body is used to all the grease and unhealthy food, the body will begin to reject all healthy alternatives that children and teens consume. It will be so used to all the junk food and will continue to crave junk food, not allowing anything else to enter the body, which puts children and teens at risk.

Fast food restaurants may be known as restaurants that contain fatty, greasy and unhealthy, but not all restaurants are broadcasted like that. Fast food restaurants are an easy alternative to fill an empty stomach in the eyes of children and teens. They are a direct target throughout the food industry. Children and teens are unaware of all the negative aspects and see fast food as a positive alternative; after all, “they are inexpensive, good tasting and convenient. In contrast, the more nutrient-dense lean meat, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits generally cost more.” (Drewnowki and Damon, paragraph 1) Unlike high-end restaurants, fast food restaurants have a separate menu, known to be the dollar menu. Children and teens often find that section of the menu to be extremely convenient. It fulfills their desires of a meal that they have been waiting on. Fast food restaurants fulfill children and teens hunger with food that is tasty, easy, and most importantly, cheap– all aspects that are important to children and teens. When children and teens are looking for alternatives that are quick and easy, “their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future suit consumers.” (Story and French, paragraph 8) Even though children and teens don’t have an income, when they get hungry, they go for the first fast food restaurants that satisfies the craving children and teens seek when it comes to food because these places provide instant gratification.

Fast food restaurants are not only convenient for children and teens, but also easier for low-income families that do not always have time to make home-cooked meals. This benefits the fast food industry because they take advantage of their convenience to increase their presence in the food market. Children and teens can still get that fulfilling, large portion meal that they crave without containing all the junk and unhealthy food.  However, it may be a bit pricier for children and teens. Yet, children and teens tend to go after things that are more eye-catching and more within their budget. One study examined trends in portion sizes for fast food, restaurant food, and at-home foods and found a much larger increase in portion sizes for fast food than restaurant- prepared identical food item” (Duffey, Larsen, Jacobs, Williams, and Popkins, paragraph 3). Children and teen are unaware of their portion control, and this lack of awareness leading to obesity. They just indulge in the food without realizing the calorie count along with how much is going into their body. When children and teens are introduced to fast food, this increases children and teen craving for junk food and leads them to order even more food.

Fast food restaurants are poor influences on young consumers because of “their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future suit consumers” (Story and French, paragraph 8). The food industry intentionally attracts young consumers, oblivious to how much it is damaging the health of young consumers. Children and teens are the most gullible consumers and would willingly go the extra mile in order to get their hands-on fast food. For children and teens, giving up fast food can be difficult because of how tasty it can be. In order to prevent this, parents should be involved. Parents should help restrict children and teens from consuming junk food and stop them from reaching for fast food restaurants whenever their stomach begins acting up. If parents make the time to make at least one homemade meal a week, not only will it save money, but it can save more than one day out of the week where children and teens don’t feel the urge to reach for fast food. Not only will it satisfy children and teens hunger, but parents will be able to include healthier options in children or teens meal so that their body can be healthier and stronger. Over time, children and teens bodies can slowly adapt to homemade meals, which would be a healthier alternative for getting the necessary nutrition.

Ultimately, fast food restaurants negativity affects children’s and teen’s health by causing diseases such as obesity and provides inadequate nutritional intakes for a balanced diet. However, fast food restaurant is an easy alternative in order to fill an empty stomach. Nowadays, the recent generation of children and teens often do not care about where their money is being spent, let alone what is going into their body. The only thing that children and teens are considered about when it comes to food is whether the food is tasty, cheap and filling. Children and teens consume anything that is cheap and looks appealing. This leads to children and teens damaging their body, without being aware of the junk food that is being consumed. After coming to the realization of what is affecting the bodies of young adolescents, if children and teens become more aware of what they are consuming every day, not only will they stay away from fast food restaurants, but they can also seek for a happier healthier lifestyle that leads to a longer life.