| When you have no time to cook your own food, | | | | meal. It makes more sense to buy some |
| what do you do? The answer is obvious, of | | | | take-out or bring the family out for a meal. |
| course. You go out to your local fast food outlet | | | | People are aware that they need to eat healthy |
| (in deference to your kids' preferences), you go | | | | food. However, what do you do if you are misled |
| out to the food strip at the mall, or you order | | | | into thinking that restaurant fare and fast food |
| take out. It is convenient and you can eat your fill | | | | taste better than home-cooked food? Sadly, |
| at these joints. What's not so obvious, however, | | | | there's also an underlying effort to make people |
| is what such a practice is doing to you and your | | | | think that food in restaurant and fast foods are all |
| children's health. | | | | healthy, that there's really not much difference |
| Healthy eating habits are crucial to achieving a | | | | when you eat in or out. It's all the same, but |
| healthy mind and body. Healthy eating habits refer | | | | eating out is more convenient. |
| to eating meals regularly, eating well-balanced | | | | As people continue to be bombarded with mass |
| meals, and eating only what's necessary. Healthy | | | | media advertisements advocating the value of |
| eating habits do not involve eating burgers and | | | | fast food and eating out, and as people become |
| fries for lunch. | | | | even more busy trying to hold on to their jobs, |
| The Fast Food Culture | | | | more and more people stop cooking and begin |
| Unfortunately, some people do think that it is | | | | taking these commercials to heart. People have |
| healthy to have burgers and fries for lunch. | | | | deserted home-cooked and nutritious meals that |
| Advertising spiels have a lot to answer for this. In | | | | need hours of preparation for big servings of |
| a world filled with fast food and restaurants, it is | | | | calorie- and fat-rich food that gets served up |
| but natural that the companies serving up this | | | | within minutes. |
| food have to undermine people's preference for | | | | The Diseased Nation |
| home-cooked meals or they will become | | | | The success of the fast food industry in |
| redundant and not make any profit. | | | | establishing a culture that thrives in fast food and |
| As such, big food corporations put millions of | | | | meals eaten out, our people's health has been |
| dollars into TV commercials that assert in not so | | | | placed on the balance. Thus, America is now an |
| many words that a meal eaten at a fast food is | | | | ailing nation. Incidence of heart disease, diabetes |
| special while eating at home with your family the | | | | and high blood pressure continues to rise as |
| meal your mother cooked is nothing but ordinary. | | | | obesity becomes even more prevalent. |
| Such a reversal of values was helped along by | | | | I am not saying that fast food is to be avoided |
| the faster pace of life, where people have no | | | | at all costs. What I am saying is that a trip to the |
| more time to devote to preparing home-cooked | | | | fast food should be made only very infrequently, |
| meals. People are always driving or commuting to | | | | not three times a week as most people now are |
| work, attending business meetings, or maybe | | | | wont to do. A change should be instituted to bring |
| holding one or two jobs. You cannot expect | | | | back the days when there's no doubt about what |
| someone who has already been working 12 hours | | | | healthy food is and where to find it. This is all I |
| straight to come home and prepare a lengthy | | | | ask. |