Effects of fast food
In the wake of recent times, fast food consumption has become a regular occurrence for many people. Fast food appeals to people especially due to the nature of the fast-paced life. Parents do not have the time to prepare healthy nutritious meals for their children and they turn to the conveniences supplied by the fast foods industry. With time, the parents become reliant to the foods that have proven detrimental to the health of children. Children in Dubai have also seen the effects that the foods can have. Fast foods are particularly enticing to children because they are delicious. Their availability is not just in homes anymore. Schools and lunchrooms have stocked up on hamburgers, fires and shawarmas much to the jubilation of most children. The advertisements posted by the fast foods are attractive to children. It does not help the situation that the fast foods have friendly offers where children between ages twelve and fourteen can afford using their allowance money. There is a need to address the issue especially because obesity has reached an all time high in the international community (Gordon, Lisa & Rensburg 13). Even with the proximity and suitability of restaurants, the fast food business has debilitating effects on the young and a solution in the issues is pertinent for the sake of the children’s future.
The most obvious effect of fast food is weight gain of the excessive nature. The quality of fast food in terms of diet is extremely low. Fast foods are often having high caloric content that is unhealthy for children as it fosters excess body fat. The body is unusually reliant on nutrients to enable its growth. Children between the ages of twelve and fourteen are at their peak in terms of growth and they require nutrients that are absent in the majority of the fast foods. Quality nutrients can be found in whole foods and vegetables such as legumes. Fruits are also viable for a child’s development and should appear regularly in their diets. Parents should reduce fast foods or remove them entirely especially in children that have exhibited issues with excessive weight gain. The high levels of fat and sugar make regular consumption of fast foods inappropriate. Weight gain leads to obesity if the consumption patterns are not in control. This could present risks in health that often proceed even in old age. Obese children are prone to diseases such as asthma and some forms of diabetes. If the weight gain remains uncontrolled, diseases such as stroke or heart attacks could occur.
Most fast foods are low in their fiber content. High fiber foods include grains and vegetables that allow the body to retain all the healthy nutrients and excrete the unnecessary ones. Unfortunately, even the vegetables popularly found in burgers do not have high fibers. Most children deceive themselves that the lettuces are healthy and therefore it seems all right to consume burgers. This is not the case. Children with low fiber intakes frequently suffer from constipation, which is the inability to pass stool. Stool that remains in the body has serious effects on the health of adults let alone children. Parents of constipating children should seek treatment with immediate effect. Constipation is an uncomfortable ordeal as it causes pains in the abdominal areas. Constipation has ruptured anuses due to the difficulty and the friction it presents. Regular vegetable, fruit and water intake allows stool to soften unlike hard constipation stool.
Children that are regular consumers of fast foods are slow and sluggish compared to children that consume healthy foods that have plenty of antioxidants. Based on the low energy levels, children that consume regular fast foods are usually cranky and in terrible moods. They are easily provoked and most prefer to remain alone with their snacks. These children rarely exercise or indulge in sports, as it is a tiresome fete. They do not have adequate energy and are often lazy in their education and in most areas of society. Parents should introduce activities that are fun such as football or dancing. This way the child engages in exercise without complaints. If the practice of consuming fast foods continues to the children’s later teen stage, it could lead to depression, cases of anxiety as well as low belief in the self. Aside from the health issues, children may suffer emotionally, as they are prone to bullying and subject to name-calling.
Poor performance in school is also common among fast food consuming children. As mentioned earlier, children that consume these foods tend to become slower with weight gained. This affects their performance in school, as they are no longer interested in the prospect of learning. There is plenty of proof that diet friendly foods can inspire brain activity making learning easier for the child. Some studies have gone a step further to indicate that fast food consumption fosters low IQs in children. Low IQs affect children’s performance in school, which has long-term effects in the future. Children have also developed resistance to insulin. Insulin is crucial in controlling the levels of sugar in the body. Insulin lowers the levels of blood in a child as it allows the body to absorb the sugar transmitted in the blood. Fast foods limit the amounts of insulin realized by the pancreas (Gordon, Lisa & Rensburg 20). Further effects could cause the development of serious diabetes cases that could be disadvantageous for the children’s future. Fast foods are easily comparable to prescriptive drugs. Over long periods, the foods become addictive and children may have difficulty consuming healthier foods.
Carbonated drinks often come along side fast food. They risk raising the blood sugar levels of children and they can cause issues with bones. The most common effect of the sugary drinks however is tooth decay, which is normally an uncomfortable and painful ordeal. The process of transitioning children from junk foods to healthier alternatives can be a difficult process. Parents should reduce the intake of junk to celebrations or limit the intake to once a week. Consumption of fries for example could be better with more salads and a small potion. Instead of purchasing the foods from a shop, parents could find time to prepare it themselves. This way they are able to reduce on the spices and the cheeses that contribute to the unhealthy eating lifestyles. This also serves, as an activity through which parents and siblings can bond with each other. Parents should avoid eradicating the food entirely as cravings for fast foods can get extremely strong. Instead, the changes should be gradual to avoid situations where children hide foods form the parents. The school system should also avoid serving fast foods in their menu. The effects of fast foods may affect the future of children and should be put in check to avoid problems in the future.
Children that consumed fast foods more days in a week consider themselves of average weight. They weigh heavier than the ones that ate regular food in the same category. Those that ate a lot of fast food, more than thrice in a week and considered themselves overweight are heavier than those that consume healthy meals. It can also be seen that children that thought themselves as being underweight and ate many fast foods were less than the ones that ate at home.
Works Cited
Gordon-Davis, Lisa, and Rensburg L. Van. The Hospitality Industry Handbook on Nutrition
and Menu Planning. Lansdowne: Juta, 1998. Print.
