The answer is obvious, of course. You go out to your local fast
food outlet (in deference to your kids' preferences), you go out
to the food strip at the mall, or you order take out. It is
convenient and you can eat your fill at these joints. What's
not so obvious, however, is what such a practice is doing to
you and your children's health.
Healthy eating habits are crucial to achieving a healthy mind
and body. Healthy eating habits refer to eating meals
regularly, eating well-balanced meals, and eating only what's
necessary. Healthy eating habits do not involve eating burgers
and fries for lunch.
The Fast Food Culture
Unfortunately, some people do think that it is healthy to have
burgers and fries for lunch. Advertising spiels have a lot to
answer for this. In a world filled with fast food and
restaurants, it is but natural that the companies serving up
this food have to undermine people's preference for home-cooked
meals or they will become redundant and not make any profit.
As such, big food corporations put millions of dollars into TV
commercials that assert in not so many words that a meal eaten
at a fast food is special while eating at home with your family
the meal your mother cooked is nothing but ordinary.
Such a reversal of values was helped along by the faster pace
of life, where people have no more time to devote to preparing
home-cooked meals. People are always driving or commuting to
work, attending business meetings, or maybe holding one or two
jobs. You cannot expect someone who has already been working 12
hours straight to come home and prepare a lengthy meal. It makes
more sense to buy some take-out or bring the family out for a
meal.
People are aware that they need to eat healthy food. However,
what do you do if you are misled into thinking that restaurant
fare and fast food taste better than home-cooked food? Sadly,
there's also an underlying effort to make people think that
food in restaurant and fast foods are all healthy, that there's
really not much difference when you eat in or out. It's all the
same, but eating out is more convenient.
As people continue to be bombarded with mass media
advertisements advocating the value of fast food and eating
out, and as people become even more busy trying to hold on to
their jobs, more and more people stop cooking and begin taking
these commercials to heart. People have deserted home-cooked
and nutritious meals that need hours of preparation for big
servings of calorie- and fat-rich food that gets served up
within minutes.
The Diseased Nation
The success of the fast food industry in establishing a culture
that thrives in fast food and meals eaten out, our people's
health has been placed on the balance. Thus, America is now an
ailing nation. Incidence of heart disease, diabetes and high
blood pressure continues to rise as obesity becomes even more
prevalent.
I am not saying that fast food is to be avoided at all costs.
What I am saying is that a trip to the fast food should be made
only very infrequently, not three times a week as most people
now are wont to do. A change should be instituted to bring back
the days when there's no doubt about what healthy food is and
where to find it. This is all I ask.
About The Author: Allen is a life-long writer and reader who
writes on a number of subjects including cooking, writing, and
Internet marketing. Allen has several cooking related websites
including: http://www.allbeefrecipes.com
http://www.allvegetablerecipes.com
http://www.pastarecipesworld.com
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