A Fast Food Nation

We indoctrinate children into a fast food culture, so much so that a young child can more easily recognize the McDonald's arches before they can even recognize their own name. Children go through the drive through with their parents and beg for the kid's meal, wanting the latest toy that also comes inside their bag. Do they care about the actual food that is going to make up their meal? Do they care about the health risks associated with such a high calorie meal? No, their eye is on the toy. The brightly colored restaurants and their enticing playgrounds are drawing in the children, not the parent. For any busy parent, they would rather stop for a quick meal amidst the rush of school, work, errands, after school activities than actually taking the time to cook a healthy meal. In our desire to make meals quick an easy, we have accepted the fact that we are forcing numerous health issues on the future generation.

            When parents are rushed, they stop for a quick and convenient meal without thoughts to the repercussions of the cheeseburger and fries. Childhood obesity is a serious and growing concern for this country. There are “approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 that are currently obese”. Since the 80’s, obesity in the youth of our nation has tripled. The fast food industry is growing at an alarming rate in this country. When 1 in 5 employees in the United States have worked in some capacity at a fast food restaurant, you should notice that there is something wrong with the rate at which the industry is expanding. The demand for the places is growing, so there will be no decline in the rate at which they are put up. Until parents can learn that they can in fact make healthy, quick meals, their children are going to be the ones to suffer.  Driving down the highway, you see a new fast food restaurant popping up on what feels like a daily basis. When In-N-Out Burger began to open in the Dallas-Forth Worth Area, lines would stretch around the building. Hundreds of people flocked to the opening of these fast food places. Not high-class restaurants, these were people lining up for greasy burgers. When we, as a society, are willing to line up for hours for greasy food, does that not say something about the value we place on unhealthy food? Does this not point to the fact that we need to look at our priorities?

            Fast food is the quick and easy meal solution, but when these high-calorie meals make up your diet, there are severe health consequences to be had. Childhood obesity has soared in the last twenty years. Childhood obesity does not only mean we have a large population of overweight children, children can develop type two diabetes and other health risks. In the 1970's, it was extremely rare to find a child with type 2 diabetes. It wasn't called “type 2 diabetes” it was only known as adult onset diabetes. The Center for Disease Control has now predicted that one in three children born in 2000 will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. With diabetes come risks of hypertension, kidney failure, heart disease, and severe nerve damage. Diabetes is manageable disease, but is this something we want to force our youth to deal with the rest of their life? Children can also develop issues such as sleep apnea, liver problems, and a higher risk for cancers. Is it that quick meal really worth exposing your child to the serious diseases? As the adult, should we not be able to say “no” to children when they demand high-fat foods?  

            Unhealthy eating is destroying the American culture and ruining the youth of this nation. People have become more worried about their own busy schedules than they are about creating a healthy meal for their children. When our priorities become so skewed, we are blind to the effects of our decisions. Do we really want a nation of overweight children, riddled with heart disease, liver problems, breathing problems and even cancer? Or is it time that we take a step forward and decide that now is the time to make a change?