Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fast Food Culture in America




Allison Mueller

Section 5



WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING??

Well maybe Fast Food Kills is a little dramatic…in moderation like everything else fast food can be “ok”.


FAST FOOD IS FAST AND EASY!


The American culture is built around speed and efficiency. Hectic schedules allow for poor diets and plenty of fast food.


When you’re in a hurry and need to get something to eat most people choose the drive-thru but if you think first you can make a healthier option.

Next time you are in a rush think about the risks of fast food and use this information to make a healthier choice!

UN-NUTRITIOUS FOOD REIGNS


At many fast-food restaurants, a single meal gives a disproportionate share—sometimes more than 100 percent—of the recommended daily intake of fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar


Not just adults are being affected by the un-nutritious foods being served at fast food restaurants, their children and children all over America are becoming obese at a very young age.


IT’S CHEAP!

Taco Bell Value Menu

Cheesy Roll Up- 200 Calories &10 grams of fat

Triple Layer Nachos- 340 Calories & 18 grams of fat

Cheesy Double Beef Burrito- 460 calories & 20 grams of fat


High Sugar and High Fat foods are cheap, usually cheaper than healthy foods.


Have you ever noticed at McDonalds you can get a burger, fries, and coke for about $3.00 but the salads are $6.00? This doesn’t make sense.

However, the biggest hidden cost of Fast Food is the high pri

ce of bad health.


PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS DECLINED


A decrease in physical activity plus the added fast food children are consuming is contributing

greatly to the obesity crisis in the United States.


Adult obesity has increased from 15 to 33 percent in past tw

enty-five years according to the CDC.


But much more disturbing is the rate childhood obesity is growing. Children ages 2-5 have jumped from 5 to 14 percent, children 6-11 have jumped from 6.5 to 19 percent, and children 12 to 19 have jumped 5 to 17 percent.


SERVING SIZES ARE HUGE!

Increased portion sizes not only in food but in plates, cups, and bowls call for increased calories and encourage us to eat more.

It also distorts appropriate food quantities. Along with a sedentary lifestyle this has contributed greatly to America’s increased size of our people.


Pizza Slice- was 500 calories now is 850 calories


Cup of Coffee- was 45 calories now is 330 calories

Movie Popcorn- was 270 calories now is 630 calories


HERE’S A QUICK GUIDE TO HELP YOU MEASURE PORTIONS


Baseball- measures one portion of fruit or vegetables


Deck of Cards- serving of meat, fish, or poultry


Golf Ball- quarter of a cup of dried fruits or nuts

Tennis Ball- about ½ cup of ice cream

Compact Disc- one small pancake or waffle


Six Dice- serving of cheese


WHAT CAN WE DO?


Build more walking and biking paths

Regulate TV food ads aimed at children


Mandate Pro-Nutrition messages


Ban fast foods and soft drinks from schools


Restructure school lunch programs and include healthier foods


Subsidize healthy foods


Drive down prices of fruit and vegetables


Add a “fat tax” to discourage consumption of poor foods


Healthy Fast Food Choice Ideas







http://www.apa.org/

http://www.mcspotlight.org/

http://www.catalogs.com/info/bestof/top-10-facts-about-fast-food-and-culture

http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/

http://www.worldwatch.org/

http://www.mcdonalds.com/

http://www.tacobell.com/

http://www.fastfood.com/

15 comments:

  1. Families need think of way to eat balance meals at home. And look at this way, they would be sitting at the table, communicating with each other whereas drive thru, eat in the car, and home (they all are doing their own thing-no family time).

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  2. I liked that you added the everyday things for the chart on how much of something to eat. It is very interesting to be reminded on how much we depend on going out to eat. I know that I am to lazy to cook I grab a bite to eat. Sometimes I can go out to eat twice a day. It is amazing when you stop and think about what we are doing to ourselves.

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  3. Allison, I am sorry that I didn't get all of your graphics up. I like the part where you talked about how much bigger our portions are now compared to when they opened McDonalds. It is also important to see that their are some chains that can offer a healthier alternative.

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  4. Obesity is not something new. I think that this trend has happened long enough and something needs to be done about it! I really like the serving size part. It is really cool to have something to compare the food sizes to that is an everyday object. You did a great job on your report!!

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  5. Great presentation! Definitely the best presentation I've ever seen. I think Obesity is a huge problem! *drum hit*

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  6. I made this comment on the fast food report under section 4 also, but: I know that fast food is bad, but I am thankful for fast food. I worked at McDonalds when I was 16. I was also on my own at that age. My income from McDonalds was a source of survival. My oldest son now works at Sonic, and that helps with things he likes to do. It seems like now that fast food is the only place that a teenager can get a job.

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  7. It is reports like these that enlighten the citizens of America on the dangers of fast food and how the popularity of them is growing so rapidly. I will admit, yes convience is a luxury in todays time, but its the effects that this industry has on us in the long run that concerns me.

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  8. I have been to Italy and there are only a handful of fast food places in the whole country!! Fast food is delicious though, i do though wonder about its quality, especially of meat. Fast food places are trying to start healthier options but it seems you get more food for less price of the unhealthy stuff.

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  9. A very important point is the cheap prices of fast food. It is a lot less on the bank account when you can eat a whole meal for five dollars. You cannot buy that much when you are buying from the grocery store especially when it is fresh or organic food!!

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  10. I try to limit my intake of fast food, since I know it's not good for you. I like that you included a "proper portion" guide on your powerpoint. Many of us just don't know what a proper portion size (of anything) is, which is why we tend to overeat.

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  11. I'm so glad that you link fast food and physical activity. I really think that the fat content and chemicals in fast food make us more lethargic. We also burn through fast food quicker, so it does not fuel us for much activity. A lot of people commented about the convenient price; but, if we burn though this food quickly, that means we have to eat again sooner than if we eat healthier options that take longer to digest. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have convenient slow foods at a reasonable price???

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  12. I hate how people always think that fast food is going to be cheaper. Yes, there are less expensive things, but how often to people choose the $3 meal? Don't many people see that your can make your fries and drink larger for $0.30 and jump at this? The prices of fast food have gone up like everything else. As college students, most of us are on a limited budget, so cheap meals are a must. My boyfriend and I only occasionally eat fast food and save money. For example, several servings of frozen broccoli florets are only $0.96 cents and a large pot of vegetable and bean soup can be very inexpensive as well as very nutritious. I also agree that all the additives in fast food as well as highly processed frozen entree's probably can be linked to decreased physical activity. Pumping your body with grease and chemicals can make you feel so tired and yucky that physical activity may seem impossible.

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  13. I really liked this article because it goes in-depth on figuring out why fast food is such a dangerous area in America. The fact that serving size, meals surpassing the daily intake for fat sugar, salt and other things dictates that in moderation these things may be better, but in our bigger and faster is better society moderation doesn’t have a place. As well as The fact that kids are being effected because they are not getting much exercise to work off the fattening food they are eating.

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  14. I think eating fast food is a huge problem for Americans and is the cause of incresing obesity over time. It is true that Americans have very hectic lives and fast food is quick and easy to come by. I thought it was very interesting information about the increse in portion size. I think if we payed more attention to the portions we ate and if fast foods decreased the portion sizes they sold then the problem might become better. Very informative report!

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  15. I didn't realize how much higher the percentage of obesity in adults had gotten. I knew it had risen but I didn't know it had more than doubled!!! I also knew that the obesity rates in children had grown tremendously. I make the comment everytime I eat fast food that the portions are getting smaller and smaller. unlike most people, I still only get one thing because im too cheap to buy more,therefore I tend too be hungrier but Im also not gaining tons and tons of wight. I am also glad to see that more places are starting to offer healthier choices.

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