Argument Essay

Fast Food

            The fast food industry is targeting young children.  They are spending millions of dollars advertising to children. They are using flashy ads, and popular toys to reel children in.  With little regard to the health risk that is associated with a diet high in fast food.

            The fast food industry has discovered that young children have buying power.  Armed with that information the fast food industry has directed their advertising towards children.  They place ads where they know young children will see them.  The fast food industry spends millions of dollars on television ads.  These ads run during prime viewing times for children.  They also make sure their products are strategically placed where children will see them.  The fast food industry spends millions on product placement.  They are making sure that they children see their favorite actors or sports figure endorsing their product.  (NCBI)

            Another way the fast food industry is targeting young children is by having that cute little toy in the box.  They put that cute little toy in the box to encourage brand loyalty.  It is not a coincidence that the week the new Toy Story movie comes out you can find Buzz and Woody in the kid’s meal box.  The fast food industry has learned to get the children when they are young.  “Research has shown that brand loyalty begins in children as young as two years old”(mediaawareness).  They know if they can hook a child at two years old that will result in a customer for life. 

            A diet high in fats food can lead to many health risks.  Fast food does not provide the essential vitamins and minerals a body needs to develop.  Children’s bones and muscles are in an important stage of growth, and having a diet high in fast foods will have a negative effect on their growth and development.  (livestrong)

            An extremely important fact to point out is childhood obesity is directly linked to consuming too much fast food.  One cheeseburger has about 500 calories, and then add an order of french fries that has about another 500 calories.  An active five year old child should consume around 1600 calories per day, so that 1000 calories worth of burgers and fries is more than half the calories they should have in a day.  (NCBI)

            Obesity increases the odds of being inflicted with other health problems.  There is a direct link between diabetes and obesity.  The more you weigh the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes.  Obesity also puts you at greater risk of developing certain kinds of cancer.  The odds of developing heart disease, asthma, and depression also increase with every extra pound.  To compound the situation the more obese you are the less active you become making it that much harder to burn off the extra empty calories you consumed. (livestrong)

            The fast food industry has tried to make some small improvements in their menu selection.  Now with the kid’s meal you have a choice of milk and apples instead of soda and fries.  Are those changes enough for the fast food industry to get away with?  Should the industry be held to a higher standard? 

Children depend on their parents to guide them, and look out for them.  Children aren’t able to make an informed decision about what this food is doing to their bodies.  They only know that they like the food and they want the toy that comes with it.

Parents want their children to grow up happy and healthy.  With that being said if you knew there was a way to keep your children healthier why wouldn’t you do it?  I’m not saying to never let your children eat fast food again.  Fast food just like everything else is fine in moderation. 

I feel that the parents should always have the right to choose what is best for their child. I don’t think that the government should be making laws in regards to the fast food industry.  For example California banded toys in kid’s meals. I do feel the fast food industry should be making an effort to improve the quality of the food they are offering.  I also feel the industry should limit how they market to children.

Works Cited

“Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children.” NCBI. 10 Feb 2004. Web. 10 May 2012.

“Health Risks Involved When Eating Fast Food.” Livestrong. Web. 15 May 2012.

 “Home Cooking.” USA Today. Web. 02 May 2012.

Kail, Robert. “Children and Their Development.” Boston: Pearson Education Inc.(2012): 120-27.  Print.

McNeal, James. “The Kids Market.” 1999. Web. 05 May 2012.

Photo Essay

Sadly I can not figure out how to upload my PowerPoint ... :(

I have been trying for days..

I just tried copying and pasting my photo essay from a word doc... Doesn't look like the photos copied.. :(

Fast Food Follies

Chicken Nuggets (McDonalds)

I feel this advertisement implies that you should reward yourself with food for having a good hair day.  The fast food industry spends a magnitude of money trying to get us to buy their food, and Americans are buying fast food in staggering amounts.  CBS News says” This year Americans will spend over $110 billion on fast food more than they’ll spend on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined”(qtd.FinancialNut). With the amount Americans spend on fast food does the fast food industry really need to encourage us to reward ourselves with food?  I am hoping through pictures I can bring this issue to your attention.  I am also hoping through pictures I can show you a healthier and fun solution.

Happy Meal (Margoian)

I wonder how much obligation the fast food industry should have.  The fast food industry purposely advertises with the intent to hook children on their food. “Brand marketing must begin with children.  Even if a child does not buy the product and will not for many years… the marketing must begin in childhood” (McNeal).  The fast food industry has enormous resources that they use to fund their advertising directed at children, so the children will nag their parents for these meals.  Should parents have to fight these giants on their own, or should this be a case of personal choice?  Parents should be able to choose what their children eat, and as an occasional treat it is harmless.

                                                                                                            Fast Food Project (LiveWell)

The LiveWell group decided to do an experiment with four leading fast food places. This is what they found “Our fast "food" display is now 2 years old. The word food is questionable, since the bread-like and meat-like substances have not molded or spoiled in any way. Bugs won't even bother with it. Please think twice about giving this to your kids. You have a choice, but they don't. We truly are what we eat” (LiveWell).  I found this photo shocking.  Do you really want to feed this to your family?  I think the fact that even bugs won’t eat it should speak volumes to why we shouldn’t put this food in our children. 

Preparing food at home gives you control of what you are putting into your body.  Eating at home you consume 50% less calories, fat, and sodium.  The food is healthier for you, and you are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables.  Eating more fruits and vegetables reduce your risk of some cancers. (usatoday) Home prepared food can be just as fun to eat as fast food.  If you are creative you can turn raisins and celery into ants on a log.  Involving the children in the preparation of their food will strengthen the family bond, and teach the children about the food they are eating.  My oldest nephew helped me make this lunch.

                                                                                               

I think we all know that family meal time is beneficial for our children.  Research shows preparing and eating meals together as a family improves the family bond.  Family meal time increases the likelihood of healthy eating habits carrying over to adulthood.  Children who have meals with their families on a regular bases have better grades in school, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. (heraldpress).   We all want to give our children the best possible advantages in life and eating together can help provide this benefit.  My niece and nephews have just as much fun eating their homemade lunch as they do when I take them out for lunch.

                                                                                                                       

Reward your children with outdoor activities.  My niece and nephews enjoy being able to go outside and play with their family.  The health benefits for your children are huge.  Playing outside for 30 minutes a day will make a huge impact in their health.  Children who play outside have better immune systems, and do better in school.  (Kail)  I feel it is important to teach our children how to reward themselves with physical activities they enjoy; instead of having them soothe themselves with food.   You can make exploring outside a family affair.  A family that plays together stays together.

Works Cited

  “Fast Food Project.” LiveWell Wellness Center. Photograph. 01March 2012. Web. 05 May 2012.

“Home Cooking.” USA Today. Web. 02 May 2012.

Kail, Robert. “Children and Their Development.” Boston: Pearson Education Inc.(2012): 120-27.  Print.

Margion. “Happy Meal.” Photograph. Web. 05 May 2012.

McNeal, James. “The Kids Market.” 1999. Web. 05 May 2012.

 “Whatever Happened to Dinner?” Herald Press. Web. 01 May 2012.

Reading Journal

Our Decrepit Food Factories

by Michael Polan

"To call a practice or system unsustainable is not just to lodge an objection based on aesthetics, say, or fairness or some ideal of environmental rectitude. What it means is that the practice or process can’t go on indefinitely because it is destroying the very conditions on which it depends. It means that, as the Marxists used to say, there are internal contradictions that sooner or later will lead to a breakdown." Michael Polan
This paragraph was a very good segue into the authors article.  He is writing about what he thinks is causing the breakdown of sustainability in our food system.

 He points out that the use of antibiotics make strains of bacteria stronger causing a new strain to evolve.  He also points out that we are eating meat that is being fed these antibiotics, the same antibiotics that we need when we get sick.  It isn't a stretch to see he is leading you down the path of eating this meat is doing you harm in some way or an other. 

He goes on to write about a collapse in the bee population, and how the bees aren't being allowed to keep to their natural cycle.  Bees are being shipped from all over the world to work for three weeks in the almond orchard of California.

At first I felt like the article was going all over the place, but he brought it all together.  It felt choppy to me, first he was talking about sustainability, then about antibiotics and the meat we eat, then he went on about the bees.  However, with the next paragraph it all came together.


"We’re asking a lot of our bees. We’re asking a lot of our pigs too. That seems to be a hallmark of industrial agriculture: to maximize production and keep food as cheap as possible, it pushes natural systems and organisms to their limit, asking them to function as efficiently as machines. When the inevitable problems crop up — when bees or pigs remind us they are not machines — the system can be ingenious in finding “solutions,” whether in the form of antibiotics to keep pigs healthy or foreign bees to help pollinate the almonds. But this year’s solutions have a way of becoming next year’s problems. That is to say, they aren’t “sustainable.”" Another great eye opening paragraph from his article.  He makes it very clear that we are over using our resources, and heading for a breakdown in our system.

Reading Journal

How to Feed the World

By Michael Pollan

I chose this article because it had a really catchy title, and I was hoping it could shed some light on a major issue.  I am happy to report that the article delivers a straight forward answer to the problem.  The author states that if we focused on growing grains for human consumption instead of for animal feed and fuel we could make a huge difference.  I was surprised that it takes ten pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat.  Our efforts would be better spent producing more grain for human consumption.

The author was straight forward, and cut right to the point.  I enjoyed the article, and recommend everyone read it.

"It comes down to this: the world’s agricultural lands make up a precious and finite resource; we should be using it to grow food for people, not for cars or cattle." Michael Pollan
This sentence really leaves you with something to chew on.  Americans really do have to get their priorities in order.

Reading Journal

Rules to Eat By

By Michael Pollan

The author posses a good question. Does Splenda with fiber even count as food? In this article he really gets you thinking. He brings up some very good points about our eating habbits, or what we consider good food. Like a fast food place replacing bread with slabs of meat, and calling that sandwich healthy. I found it interesting now that we depend on science to tell us what is healthy, we are eating more unhealthy. The autor brings up the point that we should go back to listening to our culture when it comes to choosing our food.

I enjoyed this article, and I have also enjoyed this author. He keeps things very straight forward, and he doesn't try to dance around with fancy words. He writes clearly, and keeps it interesting.

Ethnography

Weight Watcher

            This morning I went to a Weight Watchers meeting with a friend of mine.  When we walked in it looked like a mini store.  They had Weight Watcher products lined up on the shelves.  I saw rows of different foods, and cookbooks.  My friend got inline, and I stayed closer to the shelves that had the food on them.  There was a long counter with several women standing behind it.  In front of the counter were black platforms.  The ladies called each person up to the counter, and took a little booklet from them.  After they looked at the booklet they had them step up on the platform, and then they printed out a sticker, and put it in the little booklet. 

            Now that my friend was done with her weigh in we went into the next room.  This room had a bunch of chairs lined up, and several posters on the wall.  One of the posters was the food pyramid, and another was about the points program.  In the far corner there was before, and after pictures of other Weight Watcher people.  The room filled up fast with a bunch of different people.  There were mostly women, but also a few men.  There were people of all ages.  Most of the people found their own little group within the group.  All the little groups were having their own discussions about how they think they did this past week. 

            The leader arrives, and the meeting begins.  They call the lady who guides the meeting the leader.  She seemed to be very nice, and welcoming.  The meeting starts with them awarding some of the people with charms for how much weight they have lost.  The leader asks them to please share with the group what helped them the most on their journey.  One woman said “If you nibble, you must scribble.”  Meaning if you eat something you must keep track of it.  Another woman said “Having the Weight Watchers pre-packed snacks in my pocketbook helps me keep on track.” 

            The leader goes over to the dry erase board, and asks people for their favorite recipes.  She starts writing “Fried Chicken”, “Macaroni and Cheese”, “Broccoli Casserole”, and several more.  She asks if we know how we can make these dishes healthier to eat.  They all start yelling out suggestions, “use butter substitute”, “use canola oil instead of vegetable oil”, “bake don’t fry”.  She encourages them, and adds a few ideas of her own.  The leader tells them that for next week she would like each one of them to come in with two recipes.  One recipe like how they would have made it before and one recipe how they would make it healthier. 

            It’s time to wrap up the meeting and the leader asks everyone if they have anything coming up this week they need help with.  A man speaks up, and says “this week at work they are having a cookout, how do I keep from eating all my favorites?”  The leader says “You can get a few of your favorites, but just a smaller portion.” Another woman says “have a piece of fruit before the cookout.”  Someone else suggests “Drink plenty of water before the cookout, this way you fill up on water.”  The leader agrees, and tells them they have given great suggestions. 

            The leader leaves the room, and some people stay behind talking.  They encourage each other, and chit chat about what they have planned for the next week.  Some of the people went into the first room to buy Weight Watcher products.  They all keep moving in the direction of the parking lot, but they keep talking with each other.  Eventually they crowd disperses, and everyone gets into their cars.

            I found it to be a very interesting collection of people.  There were men and women, and there were people of all ages.  There were a few girls in their early twenties, and there were many ladies in their fifties.  Some of the people didn’t look over weight at all, but they had been doing Weight Watchers for years.  It was a nice experience seeing people who didn’t know each other come together and try to help each other with their battle with food.  

Ethnography Proposal

I am torn between two subgroups.  The first is the Weight Watchers group.  I would go sit in on a Weight Watchers meeting.  I have done Weight Watchers in the past, and I understand what they are going through.
The other group I am considering is the Gastric Bi-pass group.  I could go to one of the meetings held at the hospital.  They have two different kinds of meetings one is before the surgery, and the other is the support group meeting after the surgery.  I have also gone to these meetings before, because I have gone through the surgery.  Both groups are very much about food, and the relationship that we have with food.