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Please note that any comments expressed in these forum posts do not reflect the opinions of Medical News Today in any way at all. Opinions posted in this forum do not constitute medical
advice, which should be sought from qualified medical advisers. Disclaimer.
Obesity: Is Fast Food To Blame?
posted by Tina Daniels on 02 Jan 2007 at 3:21 amNo, Fast Food is not to blame for the Obesity issue in the United States. Fast Food is not addictive. It is the customer's choice to spend their money on fast food. Fast Food places are not holding a gun to your head telling you that you have to buy and eat their food or you will be killed, are they?
Read the news article that this opinion was posted about:
Serotonin, Acting In A Specific Brain Region, Promotes Sleep In Fruit Flies
I Partly Agree
posted by Veronica Cartwood on 02 Jan 2007 at 10:16 am
I partly agree with you Tina. However, the amount of available choice is also a factor. I live in a meduim-sized town in Italy. When I go out and want something to eat, my choices of places that serve good quality food are wide. The last three times I went to the USA I walked and walked and could only find fast food centres. The last time I was in the USA, I was there for 6 weeks and ended up just eating fast foods - doing otherwise was too much of an effort. In Italy, I never touch fast food.
So, I partly agree with you. Nobody is forcing people to eat fast foods in the USA. But the choices, when compared to other countries, are much more limited.
European Fast Food
posted by Giselle Embry on 05 Jan 2007 at 11:13 am
I have to agree with that opinion. The choices in the U.S. are poor. I've always been able to find small helpings of quick, healthy and reasonably priced food in Europe. To eat out in the U.S. one usually has to buy a huge portion, spend a lot of money and sit down and wait to eat. As a single mother I don't have the time or the money to do that.
I Partially Agree
posted by Dewi on 24 Jan 2007 at 11:17 pm
In my opinion, who should be blamed for obesity is not easy to declare. This is because of human rights consideration.
On the one hand, fast food companies have the right to grow and produce their products and make a profit from this process. On the other hand, these companies also contribute to tax or national revenue where they generate their companies. I believe that one of the aims is probably to ease people in obtaining quickly served food in the middle of rush hours people have.
However, consumers also have the rights to be told what is in foods, especially fast food. By this, I mean, the companies have to declare what the food contains, including the portion of calorie, fat, sugar, etc. For example, food labelling in lots of instant foods in markets. As a result, people can make a choice about what they have to eat.
In conclusion, obesity cannot be related only to fast foods, because there are many possible reasons why people gain weight. May be they exercises or eat fatty foods besides fast foods. This is still about people's choices, whether they eat healthy food. I think it might be better if fast food companies take responsibility in letting their customers know about what their products contain. Therefore, it is individual choice to consume the products even they are not healthy.
Nope
posted by darrbie on 22 Feb 2007 at 11:50 am
I do not think that fast food is to blame for obesity in the U.S because it is someone's personal choice on what they spend their money on. If they decide to spend it on greasy, NON ADDICTING food then so be it, but face the consequences!
Is There Really Choice?
posted by Jason Flemming on 22 Feb 2007 at 12:07 pm
I often travel to the USA, I live in Italy. I must say that in America there is very little to choose from - junk, junk, junk and junk. If you go out for a quick bite in the USA you may spend a long time trying to find some decent, healthy food.
In Italy it is easy.
So I agree with the previous comment - it is people's responsibility. However, I feel sorry for Americans, because everything is so loaded against them. All I have to do in Italy is sit down in any cafe and I will get a well balanced meal with plenty of salad, good quality protein and excellent carbs. Now, walk out of an Italian cafe and look at people's bottoms, and compare them to those in the USA and you have a difference in size of about 60%.
Eating Fast Food
posted by blah blah bad sheep on 13 Mar 2007 at 5:12 am
It appears that obesity has been directly related to fast food, however it isn't neccesarily fast food alone that makes a person overweight. Being obese comes from a number of choices: such as where i want to eat, what i'm going to get, how much i'm going to eat. No one ever said that they went to McDonald's expecting to eat a gormet meal that was exceptionally healthy. If a person wants to eat at McDonalds, they do so with the full awareness that the food there is extremely high in calories. It's not like McDonalds hides the nutritional information about the food, and even if it's not in plain view you can ask for sheet containing that information, or at least use common sense and think that eating a supersized Big Mac isn't the healthiest choice in the world. You can also split with someone. You aren't forced to eat it alone.
I Dont Agree!!
posted by Teresa Bonner on 10 Apr 2007 at 6:31 pm
I think fast food is partly to blame. Most food in the U.S. is fast food. I think if fast food wasn't an option to eat then people wouldn't have the pressure to eat it.
I Totaly Agree
posted by maggie on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:41 am
I agree because it is the people's fault to buy so much food and consume it. It is so ridiculous that people are so addicted to food that they eat so much and blame it on the place that they got it from.
I Don't Beleive Fast Food Is Addictive..
posted by Anon on 29 Apr 2007 at 9:56 am
Fast food is not addictive! Neither are cigarettes! Um... wait a minute..
I Absolutely Agree
posted by Kimmy on 03 May 2007 at 11:48 pm
I agree if there wasn't so much fat and other chemicals in fast food then we wouldn't have so many overweight people. I am 15 and I just look around at people at school and around that are overweight and I just shake my head. I mean, how can their parents let them get that big?
There Are More Choices
posted by Zach Dice on 14 May 2007 at 12:46 pm
Even though fast food is most of the choices, there are other places to go. When people want something to eat they automatically think restaurant, but they never think about the quick and simple places like gas stations. they serve plenty of healthy things such as pre made salads, low cal. chips, and diet pops and all of that will cost you like three dollars!
Gas Station Food In The USA
posted by Francoise Lambout on 14 May 2007 at 1:00 pm
I think I would much rather drink the gas than eat US gas station food. I tried it once - never again. I wonder how many times their salads have been rinsed in extremely heavily bleached water - I know US supermarkets do it five times, washing away most of the nutrients.
I Disagree
posted by Charniqua Madden on 31 May 2007 at 2:56 pm
I disagree. I think the main reason for Obesity (in the USA) is based on physical inactivity, no playgrounds and etc. People simply stay at home and watch televison just because they have nothing to do. I think if the community had more things to do then people will stay active and go out. I also think vending machines have alot to do with obesity as well. All the snakes have alot of fatting and since there so good many people go out to get more and more. I think they should put more healthy foods/snackes in vending machines so that people can get the right nutrution they need.
America Sounds Awful
posted by Yayoi Hendo on 01 Jun 2007 at 10:57 am
I am from Japan. I was going to go either to England or the USA for one year to improve my English. After reading the last opinion and some others I have decided to go to England - I did not know there were no playgrounds in America (anyway, that is not my main reason, my main reason is public transport - in England it exists, in America people say it is dangerous and very bad)
People Are Just Lazy
posted by Kayla on 15 Sept 2007 at 12:24 pm
I think all this stuff about "McDonalds is the Blame" is retarded. Like previous opinions, we are not forced to eat fast food. no one says "eat it or else!" its your own choice. Americans are just lazy and dont want to do anything. I see obese people everyday just eating and eating as much crap as they can. its not like we can't do physical activities. the option is there. its just laziness that keeps people from doing anything. people just need to throw away their scotters and start walking around. get off their lazy butts and do something.
No. Not Really
posted by Elina on 15 Oct 2007 at 6:27 pm
I disagree. Fast food IS in fact VERY ADDICTIVE. I just took a health course and we learned that if a person does commit to eating at a fast food place, they will grow addicted to it. They will feel very down and 'bad' if they don’t eat fast food (unhealthy foods) and just as soon as they eat a burger or something they feel good again. Yes, though it is the persons choice to eat this food, but you must also consider the fact that many children in America were practically raised on fast food. A test was shown that most kids know who Ronald McDonald is and do not know who Washington is.
Are you kidding me?
posted by BlackSheep55 on 25 July 2008 at 12:03 pm
Fast food restaurants should be held responsible for their customers weight gain! They (like cigarette companies) make their products addictive (fat, sugar, sugar, and more sugar!). Industries market their products to peoples' tastes and senses. Small toys, Ronald McDonald the clown, playgrounds, and tasty foods addict children at a young age. Parents go to make their children happy and eat the food. Fast food chains are getting placed in new countries as well. These countries waistlines are growing as the restaurant chains do. Don't tell me there is no link!
Prejudice
posted by elle on 20 Nov 2008 at 12:48 pm
There are different reasons and factors as to why people become obese. It could be because of genetics, medication and yes poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Of course, it is an individual's choice what they decide to put in their mouth, but food can be addictive.
Temptation is all around us and people give in. Some people are more vulnerable than others. People turn to food because of their emotions, for comfort and then things may get out of control. I don't think it's fair to say that they're lazy, obviously there is a problem and they need help.
When I was younger I had a serious weight problem and I was treated very badly by others because of it. I wasn't a glutton, I rarely ate fast food, I tended to gain weight much easier than others because of my genetics, but people judged me for they way I looked and unfairly. I have since lost a tremendous amount of weight and I am considered now a normal size woman. I see overweight people and know what they are going through. I think that it is unfortunate and quite sad that people have this problem. They should be helped not criticized.
WTF!???
posted by David on 14 Mar 2009 at 11:17 am
Whoever says fast food isn't addictive obviously cant pull their right sized head out of their !xx!? because a burger is addictive. You don't need chemicals to make something addictive, and hey! Why not blame fast food because frankly it seems like something that isn't really a good thing. So quit defending it like its going to help u!!!
Gotta Love It
posted by Nikki on 16 Mar 2009 at 2:36 pm
I agree! It’s addictive because of the taste and convenience but mostly location, since there are chains of it everywhere! And it’s great for poor college kids like me, we don't really have a choice unless we starve for a week, then go out & buy something healthy to eat.
NO!!!
posted by Liliana Nobagan on 14 Apr 2009 at 2:14 pm
Fast Food restaurants should not be blamed at all for obesity. People have to make their own descions!
Fast Food Is NOT The Blame!!!!
posted by Sherly on 06 May 2009 at 8:01 am
People can choose to exercise...they don't have to eat fast food either...they can eat a salad if they chose to eat fast food....common sense...kinda....neways i just have to say its your choice to eat fast food and exercise or not...Thank you
People Are So Intelligent When It Comes To What They Think They Know.
posted by Joseph DiBella on 03 Sept 2009 at 10:25 am
Fast food is not fully to blame for the US obesity epidemic. However, foods high in animal fat and high in HDL cholesterol levels are virtually the same thing as what you would purchase at a fast food restaurant. Take a look at how many calories are in your next burger that you get from publix or walmart or anywhere you purchase hamburgers to make at home. The stats don't differ much from the fast food burgers. Did you know that foods high in animal fat produce dopamine levels comparable to such activities as sex?
When researchers say that fast food is addicting, they are not saying that it is literally addicting like cocaine. The common cheeseburger releases as much dopamine as an orgasm does. So what would you do? As you become used to the dopamine release you get from eating fast food why go back to anything less rich in saturated fats, sugars, sodium, cholesterol, and protein?
People have a choice what they eat. Yes. But as statistics state, more than 30% of the US is considered obese. Are you one of them? If so, then stop making excuses for yourself and go and do something about it.
It Is Disgusting Blame...
posted by Omari Johnson on 09 Sept 2009 at 10:36 pm
I am fully disagree with the USA blame on the fast food, the article i have read i am satisfied with them, there should not be blame on the food which is the customer choice to eat them, All customers prefer the fast food to his/her own choice and taste.......
Thanks & Regards
Omari Johnson
I Partially Agree - Obesity, fast foods and personal choice
posted by Olivia on 07 Dec 2009 at 2:16 pm
I partially agree, if it wasn't for Fast Food restaurants we wouldn't have so many obese people. Though the people are to blame. THEY choose the meal, the Fast Food restaurants just make it. I say, both is to blame, really.
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