First, before reading the debate, note if you are for or against the statement (before reading the debate, do you agree more with the pro or con position?). Then note if your position changed or remained the same after you read the debate (after reading the debate, do you agree more with the pro or con position?) Give any insights on the debate or debate topic.
Debate Topic–
We should avoid eating fast food because it is unhealthy (and bad for the workers, the animals, and the environment).
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Con
People should not avoid eating fast foods. In general, people have a negative image for fast foods; therefore, why are fast foods considered unhealthy to our bodies? It is related to ingredients contained in fast foods. An ingredient which is representative of fast foods would be trans-fat. Researches have already been published that this trans-fat adversely affects the body. According to the American Heart Association, intake of trans-fat increases the possibility of heart disease and stroke (Trans Fats). Furthermore, people believe that fast foods are not a real meal. According to our textbook, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” Pollan, its author, wrote what his wife thinks about fast foods. ‘She’s careful about what she eats, and having a fast-food lunch mean giving up a “real meal,” which seems a shame’ (Pollan 109). Like her, many people believe that fast foods are unhealthy for our bodies. However, why are fast foods still loved and eaten by many people?
First, fast foods are evolving every day. In 2015, Food and Drug Administration, which is a federal agency in the United States of America, banned provisions of meals which contains trans-fat. In other words, fast foods companies are forced to make menu changes because of trans-fat (Trans Fat). Thus, fast foods that we can buy at its restaurants have some changes. An order form FDA only bans trans-fat, but it finally solves other fast foods problems, such as sodium. Its companies have reduced sodium when developing new fast foods menus. According to BuzzFeed, there are many healthy fast foods menus at the storefront. They finally have succeeded in reducing some unhealthy ingredients as well as eliminating trans-fat (Kylstra). Indeed, “Fast foods are not good for our bodies.” is a past thing.
Second, fast foods are easy to eat. Moreover, that “easiness” supports many Americans. For example, time is limited. According to a federal law, which is established by the American government, “Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks as compensable work hours that would be included in the sum of hours worked during the work week and considered in determining if overtime was worked.” That is people who work have to take lunch in a short-predetermined time by their companies (U.S.). Indeed, some people say, “Fast foods are not a real meal,” but fast foods are only a meal which can be eaten efficiently while the time is short and limited.
Third, not all health problems come from fast foods. In the United States, obesity is a significant health problem. Its reason is that obesity produces high blood pressure or heart disease which can kill people. In addition to that, most obese people are in poor class (Fast Food’s). Thus, many people think that poor makes obese because they eat cheap fast foods. However, there is a research result that the middle class consumes fast foods the most. For poor people, fast foods are still expensive (Zagorsky). Therefore, what are they eating mainly? What they eat daily is snacks like Doritos and Pringles. The “snacks” and “fast foods” are different things, and “snacks” are a part of junk foods. What junk foods mean is food with extremely low nutritional value, sometimes called rich in “empty calories” (Fast Food). Indeed, from these results, it seems that snacks make people obesity, which is a significant health problem in the USA, and fast foods are making obesity less than snacks.
In conclusion, people should get rid of the concept what fast foods are. Fast foods have evolved every day, and healthy menus have created due to the influence of the FDA. A reason that fast foods are popular is that Americans cannot spend much time on lunch breaks, so easy-to-eat fast foods are a wonderful meal that they can finish eating within a short time. Moreover, fast foods are not a root of health hazards, and snacks do. People should not avoid eating fast foods.
Pro
We should avoid eating fast food because it is unhealthy based upon three significant reasons: fast food contains a cancerous substance called trans-fats and a lot of preservatives and it is a source of cheap and high calories. In the book, the author talks about his wife Judith does not like fast food at all and “having a fast-food lunch meant giving up a “real meal,” which seemed a shame” (Pollan, 109). As she implies, fast food has already become edible chemicals, not a “real meal”. There are some reasons why fast food has been so popular: it’s convenient, cheap, and tasty. We can find one anywhere for a quick meal, and some of fast food restaurants open 24 hours a day. Fast food eaters no longer need to think about what to eat every day.
Most fast food is known to contain the chemical substance trans-fats, which does not exist in the natural world. Margarine, for example, was advertised as a safer and cheaper substitute for butter, but research showed that margarine contains trans-fats; therefore, there is a danger of developing into a cancer. Equally important, it turned out to be a cancerous substance, causing arterial sclerosis, heart disease, and diabetes (American Heart Association).
According to a Daily Mali’s article, “A Utah man has unearthed a McDonald’s hamburger he bought in 1999 – and the sandwich looks exactly the same as the day [14 years later] it was first flipped” (Daily Mail.com). This should be a surprising fact for all of us. Any food gets bad soon, especially after opened, even if we keep it in a fridge; however, preservatives make it possible to be kept as fresh as possible for a longer period. Although the invention of preservatives was one of the amazing ones that makes our life easier, it isn’t natural that the food has never gotten bad more than a decade. We should be aware that fast food contains a lot of preservatives to keep it fresh and make its taste better.
Fast food eaters do not care about their health much because they are healthy right now. “In the long run, however, the eater pays a high price for these cheap calories: obesity, Type Ⅱ diabetes, heart disease” (Pollan, 117). Furthermore, eating fast food causes one’s blood pressure to rise rapidly, and then it falls rapidly, causing the eaters to feel sleepy, languor, and have a headache.
As we have discussed so far, there are three major reasons why we should avoid eating fast food. First, a trans-fat is a cancerous substance that does not exist in the natural worlds, which causes arterial sclerosis, heart disease, and diabetes. Second, it is not healthy to have a huge amount of chemical preservatives, some of which have been reported to develop in to a cancer. Finally, it is a source of cheap and high calories that make us unhealthy. Although fast food is so convenient, we should be more careful about what we eat because it is food that builds up our bodies.