Is Fast-food the new Tobacco?

 

                                                           Is Fast-food the new Tobacco?

                                                            

              People eat fast food because it is convenient and less time-consuming. Instead of spending time in the kitchen preparing food or going to the grocery store looking for ingredients to cook your next meal, you can go to a fast-food restaurant and get a complete meal instead. Fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's can be found on every street corner in our communities, as they are easier to find than healthy or organic foods. These fast-food restaurants are abundant, particularly among low-income families who cannot afford to go to grocery stores and buy organic fruits and vegetables, so they rely on these fast-food restaurants because they can get their food hot without having to get out of their cars or leave their homes. Apps such as uber eats and door dash offer food delivery services to customers where they get their food delivered with a click of a button. Eating fast foods regularly can quickly turn into an addiction, as you become accustomed to it, never taking the intuitive to cook your own meals. But eating these foods has a price as, people are becoming obese and dependent on these fast foods that are processed and contain a dangerously high amount of fat, salt, & calories which are causing people to become overweight when consumed on regular basis. The preservatives in the foods are detrimental to our health as they slowly kill us over time if we overindulge.

Fast food and Tobacco are similar in that they are both damaging to society and harmful to our bodies. Tobacco is a plant that affected many generations as it was quickly spread throughout communities and has been around for many years and is impossible to avoid because it has become ingrained in some of our daily lives. Tobacco is used in cigarettes, which were marketed to the public to be “fun and “cool” as well as a stress reliever. Tobacco in cigarettes contains carcinogenic chemicals that can cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). This disease can shorten your life and lower your quality of life, as well as cause you to die prematurely. It can also exacerbate anxiety, panic attacks, depression, schizophrenia, and suicide attempts. Fast food and tobacco are similar in that they can both make you sick and kill you.

              Obesity, in my opinion, should remain a personal issue because everyone has a choice. Nobody can compel someone to do anything; it is the consumer's responsibility to maintain their health and diet. It is entirely up to them to break the habit of ordering fast food and instead opt for a healthier diet. Everyone should have the freedom to prioritize their health. If the government continues to regulate obesity and restrict certain foods, who is to say that the consumer will accept the foods given to them? The problem wouldn't be solved, and it would end up being a waste of time.