Veal 1

Gracee Veal
Professor Lohmeyer
English 101: Composition
21 October 2016

The Love of Junk Food vs. Our Health

Some may believe that junk food is the problem with our societys obesity problem;
although, new studies are showing that this common belief may not be true. Americas obesity
rates are at a shocking 36.5%, making obesity a common concern throughout our population;
something has to be done. (Adult Obesity Facts par. 1) So, the question is what can be done to
bring that percentage down? David H. Freedman, editor at the Atlantic and Inc. magazines,
discusses this obesity issue in his essay titled, How Junk Food Can End Obesity. In his
opinion, the junk food and fast food that everyone presumes to be so unhealthy may not actually
be. Fast food restaurants are becoming healthier by adding more nutritious items to their menus.
In his opinion, these changes could lead to a healthier America. (Freedman 525). On one hand, I
agree with Freedman that many fast-food restaurants are becoming healthier by adding nutritious
options. On the other hand, I have a hard time being completely confident that by just changing
the menu of a few fast-food restaurants its going to change our obese population percentages.
Freedman argues the nation is actually becoming healthier through junk food. He
explains how many people are misled by believing if they consume less processed foods, they
will be healthy. This may not always be the case. It may be difficult to notice the significant
changes fast-food chains are making, but they are happening all the time. Freedman creates
support for his argument by demonstrating a variety of fast food-chains and the changes they

Veal 2

have begun making to their menus. A few of his examples include Carls Jr. Charboiled Atlantic
Cod Fish Sandwhich, the Mcdonalds White Delight McMuffin, Premium McWraps, and the
addition of heart-healthy oatmeal to their breakfast menu. McDonalds, a common fast-food
chain Freedman refers to numerous times throughout his essay, is making many secret menu
changes. The new options that these fast-food chains are creating include the following:
decreasing fat, reducing calories, creating smaller portions, decreasing the amount of fat,
substituting whole-grain flour for refined flour, and adding more fruits and vegetables.
(Freedman 524-525)
Fast-food chains are becoming more nutritious, but will these few menu changes cure the
obese population? Though I concede that fast-food chains are becoming healthier by changing
their menu, I still insist that to help with decreasing the obese population it will have to be a joint
effort between all fast food chains to have an effect on the obesity percentages. I agree with
Freedman when he explains the changes such as the flour, salt, and portion sizes to be a major
step towards more nutritious food. (Freedman 525). However, even with these changes, how is
this saying that the obese population will decrease? If an individual wants to eat unhealthy food,
they will find it at other fast-food places who havent made these changes. For this reason, all
fast food restaurants should be changing and offering more nutritious options to their menu. If
fast food restaurants would do so, people would have no choice when it came to choosing a
healthy option.
Portion sizes are a major contributor to weight gain. Debra-Lynn B Hook discuss portion
sizes and their effects in her article, How Portion Size Adds Up to Obesity. In her article, Hook
maintains that overabundant portion sizes are the main problem to Americas obesity. According

Veal 3

to Hook, Since the 1970s, American fast-food and sit-down restaurants alike have contributed to
the obesity epidemic by serving individual people enough food for a small family. (Hook par. 1)
The essence of her argument is that fast-food and sit down restaurants need to change their
portion sizes if America wants the obesity rates to decline. She explains statistics that show the
increasing portion sizes that restaurants give customers. In the 1950s, it was common for a
burger to be 2.8 ounces and contain 202 calories. In 2004, research shows that a common burger
has now increased to 4.3 ounces and contains 310 calories. (Hook par.3) In Hooks opinion, sit
down restaurants and fast-food chains could be a strong contributor in helping the obese
epidemic. Americans spend almost half of their money for food on restaurants; therefore, by
restaurants becoming healthier it might encourage individuals to become healthier even at home.
(Hook par. 7)
If we are focusing on the obese population, it cant only be a minority of fast-food chains
making transformations to their menu. In Freedmans essay, he focuses on just a few fast-food
restaurants making changes; although, for it to help the obesity problem it needs to be a joint
effort through all fast-food franchises. Dr. Ananya Mandal, an MD but also a vocational and
medical writer, goes into detail about how fast-food is affecting the obesity rates. Mandal
explains how the amount of food eaten away from home keeps increasing. This is increasing the
obesity rates because of the excess calories and fat that fast-food contains. By eating a more
nutritious diet by cutting out some salt, fat, and calories, there could be a tremendous change in
the obese population percentages. (Mandal par. 8)
Many people are hesitant to accept the idea that fast-food could be considered healthy.
Michael Pollan, a journalism professor at University of California and the author of Escape

Veal 4

from the Western Diet, is a prominent example of someone who disagrees that fast-food is
healthy. Freedman explained, Pollan exclaimed, It (fast-food) is one of the reasons that we
have obesity and diabetes epidemics that we do If youre going to let industries decide how
much salt, sugar and fat in food, they are going to put in as much as possible They will push
buttons until we scream or die. (Freedman 508). In other words, Pollan is confident fast-food
is causing an ample amount of problems for our health, and is only making the problem of
obesity worse than what it already is. Pollan strongly believes that obesity, and other health
problems, would be easily cured by removing all fast-food. (Freedman 508-509). Pollan may be
right that not all fast-food is healthy, yet; however, he exaggerates when he expresses that all
fast-food should be removed. Because fast-food is so popular, it would nearly be impossible to
remove all fast-food franchises. Fast-food is not the only factor that is causing obesity, lack of
exercising, smoking, air quality, access of health care, and many more are also major factors of
health issues. (Freedman 518)
What Id like to be taken away from this paper is for everyone to keep an open mind
about fast-food restaurants. It might seem slightly odd to believe that fast-food is healthy, but I
truly believe with time fast-food could benefit us greatly. If they all start working together to
eliminate some of the unhealthy aspects of fast-food, the goal would be for those who are daily
eaters of the food to hopefully begin to start noticing a difference in their waistline. Some may
think this is a long shot, but the differences we are beginning to see in food are endless. More
and more natural foods are arising that are in return cutting out preservatives. As time goes on
the obesity concerns continue to grow. Changes in fast-food could be one of the first steps to help
with the ongoing obesity problems in America.

Veal 5

Work Cited:

Veal 6

"Adult Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 01 Sept. 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
Freedman, David H. How Junk Food Can End Obesity Graff, Gerald. They Say I Say.
Ed. Cathy Birkenstein and Russel K. Durst. Third ed. New York: W.W NORTON, 2014. 506-537
Print.
Hook, Debra-Lynn B. "How Portion Size Adds Up to Obesity." EverydayHealth.com.
N.p., 05 Aug. 2009. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Mandal, Ananya. "Obesity and Fast Food - News-Medical.net." News Medical Life
Science. N.p., 9 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Storm, Stephanie. "With Tastes Growing Healthier, McDonalds Aims to Adapt ..."
Business Day. N.p., 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

Veal 7