Fast food and weight gain
Fast foods increase the amount of calories that an individual consumes thus leading to obesity. These foods contain calories and high level of saturated fats, and this leads to the high rate of obesity. Small amount of fast food increases obesity since they come with high amount of carbohydrates, sugars and oil. Another cause is large portion sizes in that fast foods are always available in large portions, and this encourages an individual to overeat. Fast foods have a tendency of replacing a healthy eating habit since individuals who eat fast foods may fail to eat milk fruits or vegetables. This change in consumption easily leads to obesity. While people consume fast foods, they may be tempted to add a soft drink or extra cheese thus enormously increases their risk of obesity (Freedman & Pisani, 1997).
One main effect of consuming fast food every day is excess consumption of calories. Most meals served with soda and fries provide over 1,000 calories for every meal. This is half more that the calories that an average individual requires. If an individual eats two to three meals a day at a fast food restaurant, he/she may be consuming 150% of the daily calories needed. The continuing excessive consumption of these calories results to weight gain. According to the CARDIA study, eating fast food more than two days in a week strongly associates with obesity and weight gain (Cassell & Gleaves, 2006).
Fast foods are not the only cause of obesity as others may include pollution where pollutants affect the hormones that control the body. Air conditioning is another cause since many people work or lives in temperature-controlled places. In order for people to burn calories, they need a surrounding that is extremely hot or cold. Another cause is getting too little sleep as it increases body weight. Medicine is also a contributing factor as use of different drugs such as steroid hormones, contraceptives some antidepressant, and blood pressure drugs is on the rise and can cause weight gain (Anderson & McFarlane, 2011).
References
Anderson, E. T., McFarlane, J. M. (2011). Community as a Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing, 6th edition (pp. 34-36). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Freedman, D, Pisani R. ( 1997) Statistics, third edition( p.67). WW. Norton & Co.
Cassell, D. K., & Gleaves, D. H. (2006). The encyclopedia of obesity and eating disorders. New York: Facts on File.
