Social Issues Research Paper

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Fast Foods and Health
Fast food joints open every other day in most parts of the world. In Western countries, billion-dollar companies like McDonald’s have thrived on selling fast foods and continue to spread their wings to other parts of the world. But are these companies being sincere and honest to their clients? Do they offer enough food knowledge and warnings to those who queue for their seemingly tasty foods? Well, looking at how people throng to the fast joints, one is inclined to think that people do not know much about the effects of the foods they take. Oberst (2017) notes that “today, the majority of people in most of the developed world get more than half their calories from processed, fast, and fake foods.” However, only a few appear to know the effects of these foods on their bodies. KFC, McDonald’s, and Nestle continue to grow with each passing day as more customers warm up to the idea of eating in these joints. Unknowingly to these people, the health risks associated with fast foods are only getting worse by the day. Action is indeed needed, and people need to know the dangers they subjecting their bodies to. This paper seeks to discuss the possible solutions or remedies which experts believe can help ameliorate the problem.
Firstly, people need to be made aware of the health effects of fast foods. A majority of the people who eat at fast food joints do not know the health effects of the foods served at these joints. In their study, Chandon and Wansink (2007) note that people are likely to ignore the caloric content of the food they purchase especially when the fast food joints claim to be offering healthy foods. This means that people tend to believe the words of the fast food joints whose main goal is to make profits. In the end, people fall for the psychological tricks these companies use to lure them into eating at their joints. It is thus crucial that people be made aware of the health risks associated with junk foods. In his study, Bhaskar (2012) supports the idea of creating awareness while also noting that people need to be sensitized about body fitness and adopting “healthy diet regimens.” It all starts with creating awareness and making sure people understand when they need to stay vigilant to avoid falling prey to the advertisements they watch on television.
Secondly, parents need to work with teachers in making sure that children, especially adolescents eat at home where they can be monitored and not at fast food joints. Jaworowska et al. (2013) agree that fast foods are a health risk but appear to be asking researchers to dig deeper and discover more with regards to fast foods and their effects. Today, the busy schedule of parents does not allow them to prepare healthy foods for their children. So, many of them give their children money for lunch. Today, Schmidt et al. (2005) confirm that “children and adolescents are reported to be eating an increasing proportion of their meals away from hom...