Imagine your favorite beach. It’s a beautiful day; the water is warm, clear and letting off that distinct odor of salt; the sun is shining; the seagulls are singing; also it’s the warmest day of the summer. You look to your right, and see a few beached whales. You blink a few times, but those whales aren’t going anywhere, you look to your left, the same problem is also happening. You raise your sunglasses, you squint your eyes a little then everything is clear, those aren’t beached whales, they’re just unquestionably obese people trying to catch some rays. That’s the reality of our society.
Everyone knows the famous quote “You are what you eat”. Fast food chains have taken over our world. Let me ask you a question, when you’re low on time and getting hungry, where do you go?Take a second to really think about it. Grocery stores have pre-made meals, but 87% of the Canadian population respond with the name of a fast food restaurant. It’s heart breaking, although true. A little treat here and there isn’t too big of a deal, but, nevertheless, 41% of the Canadian population eat at least one meal a day at a fast food restaurant, 19% eat at least twice a day and 8% eat all three of their meals at a fast food restaurant, there shouldn’t be anyone eating 100% of their meals at fast food restaurants! It’s a deadly habit, in 2012 alone, 423 people in Canada died of malnutrition caused by eating at fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants should be for convenience, not for killing people.
Fast food meals have little to none of the essential nutrients. The human body needs to be healthy. Fast foods can lead not only to death as previously mentioned, but also to heart problems, strokes, high blood pressure in addition even diseases. Take diabetes for example, there has been an 18% increase in diagnoses since 2012 and the numbers are still on the rise! If by any chance you’re even the slightest bit unsure of why, let me tell you, we aren’t eating healthy meals and 2 out of every 13 kids will end up with diabetes or other health related problems caused by fast foods. The next time you want to eat at McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, or any other fast food chain, just remember you could be one of those two.
Let’s take a minute to talk about the subject of depression. Depression is an extremely tough thing to go through however getting out of it is even tougher. No one chooses to be depressed. But did you know that 60% of the Canadian population who constantly eat fast foods are more likely to develop depression? If you didn’t, now you do! Turkey accompanied by potatoes is proven to release endorphins that make you happy, yet which fast food restaurant serves that? Oh that’s right, none of them! Eat at home to help prevent depression because fast food restaurants sure don’t release much endorphins to make you happy!
Although there are many health problems associated with fast foods, they aren’t the only problems. What happened to having a delightful, healthy, home-made supper? What happened to sitting around a table as a family for a meal? 26% of the Canadian population doesn’t eat together as a family as well as 11% of parents have completely stopped preparing home-made meal. That’s ridiculous! Every family should be eating most of their meals around a table in their own dining room and only eating out occasionally, not the opposite! When I am a mother I shall definitely be preparing the majority of the meals at home.
Our’s is the first generation where children are dying before parents because of the way we eat. If they stopped serving soda at fast food restaurants, the population would be 30% thinner.
The next time you decide to go eat a meal at McDonald’s, as you are biting into that delicious, juicy, god-sent BigMac, ask yourself, do you want diabetes? Do you want depression? Do you want heart problems or high blood pressure? No you don’t! So set that burger down, go home and make yourself a meal, for your own sake.