When given the topics of obesity and fast food, a common association is with America. With the obesity rate growing in America, it is astonishing that more and more fast food restaurants are being built and promoted. Americans are facing more demand to work and less time for physical activity, causing them to eat a faster meal then to keep their bodies healthy. It is almost impossible for the average American to remember what food used to be like, and most importantly, it is growing on the new generation that fast food is okay to eat on a regular basis. Focusing on this topic, I am going to inform you on the effects of fast food, the increased size of food portions, and the growing population of obese Americans.
What once started as a convenience to travelers, has now turned into a gluttonous pastime for everyday citizens. Every day, millions upon millions of Americans make their way to and from fast food restaurants. This obsession with eating out has become so intense that it is almost impossible to pass through a town without seeing a fast food restaurant. No one has understood why this obsession has come along and why it continues to strive. The consumer knows that the food is not healthy, can see the amount of calories that they are consuming, and yet, they still choose to return for more. On top of the amount of calories that a meal contains, there is the portion size of the meal. A consumer at a fast food restaurant feels that they are getting a better deal if they get the larger size because it only costs a little bit more, thus consuming more calories than initially intended. Imagine the last bagel that you have eaten, the smell causing your mouth to water. The warmth radiating off your hand as you spread cream cheese over the top of it. How the size of it is almost the size of your outstretched fingers. Now, imagine a bagel half that size, specifically 3 inches in diameter. The portion size of a bagel has doubled in size since it was first created, now imagine all the other foods you like to eat. Almost all foods have become larger in portion size, and if the portion size hasn’t changed, the size of the plate has. Fast food restaurants are creating larger food portions to make you feel as though you are getting the most out of your buck, but what they don’t want to realize is how unhealthy the food really is. They even have an option for the people that aren’t fast food fans, salad. Salad may look healthy upon arrival, but once you add the sauce on top, you might as well have just gotten a juicy, calorie loaded burger off the dollar menu. The double in portion sizes has caused a countless amounts of Americans to