Fast Food Causes and Effects

Introduction

Food is an important part of any culture and society around the globe. Until the last century, most people used to eat fresh, home-cooked food. Eating was a process that required certain preparations. But now, we see that they prefer to eat fast food such as pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken.

These fast-food restaurants have become common in our streets, and they are visited by people of all ages. The popularity of these restaurants has increased internationally. There are many reasons why fast food becomes popular, and fast food also has some serious effects on humans and society.

Causes

The basic question is, what made fast food so popular this last century? One answer would be that the change of lifestyle in comparison to before is a cause for this. It pushes workers or people to eat fast food than cook food themselves.

For instance, two working parents are a good example of this. Due to their jobs, they do not have time to cook for their children or even themselves. As a consequence, they find it easier to order from these fast food restaurants rather than cooking. This is why they favor fast food over their own cooked food.

Another cause for fast food usage can be a long time working hours may also lead people to eat outside the home. There are many fast-food businesses in our cities. Some of them are McDonald’s, burger king, pizza hut, etc. We can make a long list with hundreds of names from these restaurants.

During the last couple of years, we saw a lot of advertisements and promotions for those restaurants. But there still remains a question on why do they spend to promote ineffective food, what are the reasons for these? The answer is that fast food is easy to cook. It does not take a long time to cook, and it is easily available in your hands. The shareholders of these businesses have their own goals, that of the profits they get from these restaurants.

Effects

Above, we have seen the causes that may have led to the flourishing of the fast-food industry. But what is more important is the effects it has on society and human beings. The major effect that fast food has on human beings is that it can get your health in danger status. First, we must say that fast food can cause vitamin deficiencies that may, in turn, help to cause diseases.

Obesity is one of the consequences of fast food on the human body. Obesity comes because fast food is the factor that enriches the body with fats. So people will become less healthy, less effective, and less productive, and this is the conclusion of obesity (Adams, 2007, pp. 155).

Another serious effect of the popularity of fast food presences is the loss of the family tradition of eating together. The family used to eat together, and thus they had the opportunity to talk with each other for daily problems.

Fast food also has an effect on the income of the family. The conclusion is that fast food is more expensive than the food you cook for yourself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that fast food has been born out of the modern way of living in our societies. Unfortunately, the effects it has on the human body and health are not positive. It also has other negative effects on the income of a family. It would be best if people avoid as much as they can do use fast foods.

Reference list

Adams, C., 2007. Reframing the obesity debate: McDonald’s role may surprise you. Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, no. 35: pp. 154-157.