Fast Food v.s Obesity

   Nowadays, fast food became a way of life. Fast food culture is spreading like a fire around the world, with the wide range of fast food include breakfast sandwiches, fries, burgers, nuggets, condiments like ketchup or mayonnaise rich food, salads with rich cream dressings all link to a higher risk of obesity and it can enhance the chances of obesity by 50%. It is not only quickly, low-cost and convenient, it also tastes very good, creating it harder to resist. However, the question of whether or not “Fast food causes obesity” is still a controversial issue.

Fast Food Cause Obesity?

  Most people prefer fast food restaurants for their convenience but they don’t know that how much they have to pay for this convenience in shape of obesity. 

How Does Fast Food Contribute to Obesity?

• High calorie intake: Even a small amount of fast food can increase your calorie intake considerably.Average fast food meals can contribute 1000 kcal or more.

• Large portion sizes: Nowadays, fast foods are available in large portion sizes, which again encourage you to overeat. With just 15% more money spent on a normal sized fast food, you get a large portion size containing 50% more fat.

• Super-size combination: Combo with free cola drinks are actually "Bad Deals" in term of nutrition providing extra ordinary large serving size to one person.

• Toxic food environment: high levels of sodium, refined sugar, oil, and refined flour as well as high fat and high calories foods.

• Fried preparations contribute to indigestion and acidity: Metabolic malfunction arising from the frequent intake of fast foods can result in uncontrolled overeating tendencies.

• Deficient in fiber: Fibers are essential for proper digestion, and help in preventing constipation and irregular bowel movements.

• Replace healthy eating habits: People who consume fast foods are less likely to eat fruits, vegetables, milk, etc. 

• Extra toppings, soft drinks, etc: While consuming fast foods, we may get tempted to have some extras too.

Fast Food “Does Not” causes Obesity?

  Although fast food gets blamed for causing obesity, the fact is that it is not a “cause” of obesity. Fast food is high in calories and typically comes in large portions, but a person could eat fast food on a regular basis and not become obese. In some cases, people can lose weight while eating fast food if they burn more calories than they consume.

• Consuming more calories from food than the body can burn is what causes weight gain. While environmental factors, such as regularly eating fast food, may increase the risk of obesity, they are not a cause of obesity, but a “risk factors”.

• Fast food and consumes more calories from food then one is able to burn are not cause of obesity. They are risk factors that increase a person’s chance for obesity, but do not “guarantee” obesity.

In my opinion, I agree to the argument that fast food “Does Not” causes obesity. Since what really causes weight gain is consuming more calories from food “than the body can burn”. This means that you could eat fast good on a regular basis and not become obese. However, the fast food industry relies heavily on the human trait of taking the easy and quick option. It is far simpler to pick a tasty dish than to read recipe books, buy the ingredients and spend time cooking. Therefore, it is not fast food that causes obesity, but it is your choice to eat unhealthy food and become overweight.

References 

Clinaero, Inc. (2008). Fast Food and Obesity. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from http://weight-loss.emedtv.com/obesity/fast-food-and-obesity.html

Childhood Obesity. (2011). The Relationship Between Fast Food And Obesity. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from http://www.savebabiescanada.org/the-relationship-between-fast-food-and-obesity.htm

Is the diet plan right for you? - choosing the right health information

We are what we eat, thus it is essential to pay close attention to what we take in, how we take in and how it affects our health. Diet plays a major role in any woman’s life, and yet there are so many diet plans out there, but not all of them work. What works for one person may not work for another person.  A healthy diet involves eating right and not just eating less. Many people wrongly believe that a healthy diet menu is to reduce the amount of food intake. Thus, eating healthy does not involve starving but refers to eating the right kind of foods with the proper kind of nutrients that the body needs.

 In today’s modern world, people can easily find hundreds of diet plans on the internet with fast and efficient way without going to see the real diet doctor. However, according to Health Systems Research Institute, “Many health websites provide only general messages regarding health for readers without giving sources or references. They can quickly give information to readers but they can mislead the public too.”

The website Fast Diets That Work is an example of lacks credibility health sources compare to the website eMedTV Health Information with clear and credible health information. When you are searching the health information on the internet, be aware of the follow questions and make sure you are retrieving trustworthy information.

1. Who owns the site? -Can you trust the source to give you reliable, unbiased information about health? The site resource of "About Us" from Fast Diets That Work only shows the name of originator of the site without giving any education background of health. eMedTV Health Information is a reliable source of site that owned by Clinaero, Inc, software and services company focused in clinical trials and health information.

2. Is there advertising on the site? -Be very wary of sites which contain advertising. The content may be biased to please the advertiser. The website Fast Diets That Work has at least 3 fast lost weight advertising, and claims with no exercising required, and extremely fast weight loss.

 

 3. Who is the intended audience? -Ensure that you are obtaining clear, accurate information at a level you can understand. Fast Diets That Work only gives people information about how to "Loss weight fast", "Fast diet" and "Quick diets", but does not clearly states who may be the site directed toward, and for whom will the information works the best.

Natural Detox Diet

4. Is the content accurate? -Any study or survey presented should provide full information about the purpose, scope, author, location and date of the study. Fast Diets That Work gives various of diet program, such as "Natural Detox Diet Program" and claim to be the best natural body cleanse program, but without any scientific or medical researches which supports the effectiveness and safety of the program instead all it has are testimonials from previous users. eMedTV Health Information provided accurate and credible health information to the reader with a multi-step process to review the content, including medical reference textbooks, specialty medical journals, and drug-prescribing information approved by the FDA for each articles.

5. Are there a good set of links to other useful sites? -Links to other sites can be very useful, provided the person or group making the selection has the authority and credentials to do so. The links Fast Diets That Work provided from some of the articles are no longer exist or haven't updated for a long time, and with unclear background information about where the source come from.

References

Alicia, Kay. (2010, July 29). Fast Diets That Work.
             Message posted to http://fastdietnews.com/
Clinaero, Inc. (2006-2011). eMedTV Health Information.
             Retrieved June 12, 2011, from http://www.emedtv.com/