In the modern world, fast food has gained more popularity due to people’s tight schedules and misleading advertising. However, this new tendency has adverse effects on people’s health. This essay will analyze factors that contribute to this phenomenon and its consequences.
One of the driving factors that makes junk food dominant is related to the work-life balance. Most people, nowadays, have heavy workloads and extra school hours, thus not having enough time to eat nutritious food. As a result, fast food becomes the predominant choice because of its convenience and taste. In China, for example, 70 percent of undergraduates are reported to eat ready-made and junk food as their universities offer tight schedules. Furthermore, exaggerated advertisements are also a driving force behind this process. Most unscrupulous commercial giants in this field utilize visualizations such as images and color choices which usually do not reflect reality and can make individuals hungry, creating instant impulses. To give an example, McDonald’s perpetually selects red and orange colors in its ads in order to maximize its profits, because these colors make people feel hungry.
With regard to its effects, consuming fast food increases the obesity level in the world. To be more specific, it contains excessive amounts of fat and carbohydrates, rendering people overweight. Furthermore, this type of food usually is so delicious because owners mix addictive taste chemicals into it. Therefore, people even become more obsessed with this fast food, perpetuating this cycle. Toxic chemicals themselves also have a plethora of detrimental influences on people’s health, as they can cause cardiovascular diseases and other terminal ones. For example, in the USA, the number of people who suffer from obesity and other diseases has soared for the last decade due to excessive consumption of this type of food.
All in all, consuming junk food poses a grave risk to humanity, contributed by a lack of time for eating and false advertising. Its effects are also devastating, as it can undermine people’s health in many ways.