Some say that Walt Anderson, founder of White Castle, created the modern concept of fast food dining. When White Castle first started in 1921, fast food was something new and initially didn’t take off and replace in-home dining.
When automobiles became more common, fast food dining became a mainstay in society. However, lots of things have changed since the 1920s. The benefits of drive-thru dining, saving time and energy, didn’t cost much back then. Nowadays, the real cost is not so much measured in dollars and cents but in the number of healthy years you have and your quality of life.
Today the culture of fast food dining is thoroughly baked into our society, to the point that one in three adults in this country consumes fast food daily.
The powerful propaganda machine promoting fast foods has only increased in recent years. People still take it to the gut even then the foods have a cancer warning label. It’s proof of the powerful marketing machine the fast food industry wielded.
Changing ones eating choices to a healthier lifestyle is a process, especially when the food you’re trying to wean yourself from is processed. Currently, food companies take extreme measures to make their food irresistible and addictive, which is detrimental to the health of those who eat it. Foods today are designed in labs to ensure their craveability. Teams of ingenious scientists, flavorists, and mathematicians are involved in taking natural food and turning it into the perfect addictive product.
Unhealthy levels of sugar, sodium, and fats are often part of the process, along with artificial ingredients, trans fats and carbohydrates. All these ingredients lead to poor nutrition, which is one of the top causes of major health challenges.
Fast foods have immediate and harmful impacts on blood sugar, blood pressure and increase inflammation. It promotes obesity over time and can affect the heart’s health, just to name some of the side effects. A new study shows how eating fast food is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression, especially in teens.
The silver lining for those struggling with fast food addiction is restaurants are starting to add healthy options to their menu as of late. It may be a practical option if you desire to stop eating fast food but find it challenging. However, be on guard as everywhere you turn, their marketing machine is steady at work, especially when you’re standing in front of their menu. Their goal is to get a cancer burger in your hands, even at the cost of your health.
Words by Kaba Abdul-Fattaah.
