According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “Americans spend nearly $100 billion on fast food every year” (Ransohoff par. 4). The United States is practically known for the widespread chains of fast-food restaurants throughout the country. Along with an increase in fast-food restaurants, there is an increase in obesity and diabetes. This has sparked the controversy over fast-food restaurants. The editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine David Zinczenko addresses the fast-food health concerns in his article “Don’t Blame the Eater.” He believes that fast-food restaurants are to blame for the increase in American obesity, not the eater making the decisions directly. While he is correct about bad eating habits developing to adult obesity, he is incorrect when stating teenagers can’t find alternative food sources and fast-food restaurants don’t display nutritional information.
Fast-food restaurants are expanding along with obesity and diabetes, which has caused fast-food companies to be sued, and they will continue to be blamed for obesity because of their lack of nutritional information and warning labels. Recently, fast-food companies have been sued for the obesity of their consumers. Fast-food consumption has substantially increased, and obesity and diabetes have increased as well. Zinczenko states, “Before 1994… only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity-related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (392). It is becoming increasingly difficult to find healthy options near by. Also, fast-food chains don’t put nutritional information labels on their food products, leading to misinformed customers. When the calorie count is included, it is often vague and misleading. More people may end up suing fast-food companies if changes and precautions like warning labels and correct nutritional information aren’t established in the industry. First, Zinczenko states that teenagers who grow up eating fast food will most likely continue their bad eating habits, which will lead to obesity. According to Zinczenko, “Most teengers who live, as I once did, on a fast-food diet won’t turn their lives around: They’ve crossed under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity” (392). Zinczenko’s point is that once teenagers develop a habit of frequently eating fast food, they will likely transition this habit to adulthood. I agree with this statement. If bad eating habits start while a person is a teenager, then those bad habits will continue to adulthood, especially when childhood obesity develops first. When fast food is all a child knows, it will be the only source of food they will be comfortable with in the future. However, teenagers may change their eating habits by buying healthy foods, though Zinczenko believes otherwise. Zinczenko believes that teenagers in today’s society don’t have the option to opt for a healthy food choice because there is no place to buy healthy food. Zinczenko writes, “But where, exactly are consumers--particularly teenagers--supposed to find alternatives? Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee you’ll see one of our country's more than 13,000 McDonald's restaurants. Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit” (392). The essence of Zinczenko’s argument is that teenagers are practically forced to make the decision to eat unhealthy because there are such limited healthy options. While I agree that fast food is more prominent than healthy restaurants, I disagree with Zinczenko's argument. There are many places a teenager could buy a healthy meal at low costs. In my own town, if I want to eat healthy food, I will stop by Hy-Vee or Walmart. The majority of towns in America have a grocery store like this where teenagers can pick up a salad, sandwich, or healthy snack. I believe the teenager makes a conscious choice to choose fast food over healthy food, not that they are forced into an unhealthy lifestyle against their will. Zinczenko believes that fast-food restaurants should be blamed for obesity because the restaurants do not have nutritional information, and when they do, it is complicated to understand. In Zinczenko’s view, “Complicating the lack of alternatives is the lack of information about what, exactly, we’re consuming. There are no calorie information charts on fast-food packaging, the way there are on grocery store items” (392-3). In other words, Zinczenko believes that fast food contributes to obesity by not properly displaying nutrition information. I disagree with this point as well. The main fast-food chain restaurant that Zinczenko uses as an example in his article is McDonalds. The McDonald’s menu consists of an elaborate display of food, with the caloric count next to each item con the board. They make sure to list the calories to fit specifics like the size of the fries or the amount of chicken nuggets. Also, if the calories aren't listed, the employees can usually provide that information upon request. If that is too inconvenient, there are numerous apps that fast-food consumers may download to view all the fast-food nutritional information for any chain restaurant. No, like Zinczenko said, there are not food labels presented on fast food like there are on grocery store food. However, there is still a way to check the calorie count and be aware of how much food is going inside fast-food consumer’s bodies. The amount of fast-food restaurants in America increases every year. Along with an increase in fast-food restaurants, there is an increase in obesity and diabetes. This has caused the fast-food controversy to become a prominent issue. The editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine David Zinczenko addresses the fast-food health concerns in his article “Don’t Blame the Eater.” He believes that fast-food restaurants are to blame for the increase in American obesity. While he is correct about childhood eating habits transitioning into adulthood, he is incorrect when stating teenagers can’t find alternative food sources and fast-food restaurants don’t display nutritional information. Works Cited Ransohoff, Julia. “Fast Food.” Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Oct. 2013, www.pamf.org/teen/health/nutrition/fastfood.html. Zinczenko, David. "Don’t Blame the Eater". They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 391-394. Print.