Junkier Foods Are

Changing The Way We

Eat
By: Katrell Clay

is they might not have a choice. Not

everyone can afford healthy food.
because it is less accessible and it
costs more money.

Norwalk High School

Introduction
Imagine any main street in the country
and you will find that there is a variety
of fast food to choose from. Now, from
that main street try and find
somewhere where you can buy an
apple. Fast food has a huge impact on
society to the point where peoples

Expert Opinions

health is being affected in a huge way.

Do Americans believe they have a

Even though fast food provides

healthy diet? Michael Pollen, an author

substantial food at a low price, the

who has written many books on food

quality of the food is questionable. For

and eating, and has been named one

instance, when you go to McDonalds

of Time Magazines top 100 influential

to purchase a burger where does the

people, stated, Americans spend less

meat come from, what is the bun

than 10 percent of their income on

made from, and more importantly, is

food; they also spend less than a half

there any nutritional value to it?

hour a day preparing meals (Pollan

Millions of people go to places like

6). So, if Americans are not going to

McDonalds not knowing what they are

spend the time and money on their

putting in their bodies. The sad thing

food, how are they going to have a

healthy diet? The problem is not

president of a global health and

everyone has the money to spend on

wellness media company called

healthy foods. For example, if you go

Galvanized Brands, gives a great

to any vending machine for a can of

example of this. He detailed that a

Coca-Cola it will cost someone at most

salad containing 620 calories might

$1.50. On the other hand, if you buy a

contain 1,040 calories due to the

healthier brand of soda such as Steaz

dressing packet having a serving size

that has limited sugar and vitamins, it

of 2.5 as opposed to 1. And that

will cost over two dollars. Furthermore,

doesnt take into account that 450-

Steaz soda is also harder to access

calorie super-size Coke (Zinczenko 2).

due to it not being sold in vending

Pollan calls this way of eating the

machines. But is Steaz even

western diet. It is a way of life that is

healthy? Pollan additionally points

prone to a complex of chronic

out that even foods that seem organic

diseases that seldom strike people

might not be. Is a steak from feedlot

with traditional diets (Pollan 2). This

steer that consumed a diet of corn,

statement is sadly true. In 1994,

various industrial waste products,

diabetes in children was usually

antibiotics, and hormones still a whole

genetic. In addition, only 5% of cases

food? (Pollan 5). Even when we try

were obesity and diabetes related.

and be healthy, we cant because the

Presently Type 2 Diabetes accounts

food we are consuming has been

for at least 30 percent of all new

tampered with in some type of way. In

childhood cases of diabetes in this

addition to this, fast food restaurants

country (Zinczenko 2).

are not revealing the entire truth

about their food. David Zinczenko, a

Methods

To answer my question-- do Americans

percent of people thought that their

have a healthy diet?I designed a

wellbeing was average, healthy or

survey that asked people about what

very healthy.

they eat and what types of food they

eat. The survey was eight questions
and 35 people were surveyed. Five of
the thirty-five people were above the
age of 18 and the rest were under the
age of eighteen. Of these questions,
there were multiple choice, short
answer, checkbox, and scale
questions. Most of the respondents
were under the age of eighteen
because they reflect the diet of the
American people. They are the
ultimate outcome from adults
influences. So, if the kids diets are not
healthy, then that would suggest the
way the parents eat are not healthy
either.

60 percent of people said that they eat

fast

food

occasionally

and

zero

percent said that they eat it every day.

Results
Overall, all the respondents had a
mediocre diet. When asked, How
healthy do you think you are? 82.8

However, when asked, When is the

last time you have purchased organic
food? 34.4 percent of respondents
chose Never, I Cant Remember,

or In the Last Month. When the

Pollan, Michael. "They Say I say."

respondents were asked about what

Escape From The Western Diet 2014:

places were healthy to eat a whopping

5.

92.4 percent said that Whole Foods

was healthy. The second most popular
answer to the same question was

Zinczenko, David. "They Say I Say."

Don't Blame the Eater 23 November
2002: 3.

Panera Bread (62.9%) and the least

popular was Taco Bell and KFC (0%).
When asked to choose between a bag
of Doritos and a Banana, almost half
(48.6%) said they would rather eat the
bag of Doritos instead of the banana.
In addition, the same population said
when in a hurry, they would get some
genre

of

fast

food.

This

included

Wendys, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts,

and McDonalds.

Discussion
The results of the survey seem to
suggest that people might have a
false idea of how healthy they are. So
many respondents said that they were
healthy but over a quarter of those
people have never purchased organic

References

food or had it in the last month. On

Maxfield, Mary. "They Say I Say." Food

the positive side very few people

as

thought that fast foods were healthy.

Thought:

Resisting

Moralization of Eating 2012: 5.

the

Even though they would get those

same fast foods if they were in a rush.
This survey also seems to confirm

people choose to have junk food over

This Western Diet way of eating is a

healthy food even while knowing its

real topic. The fact that nearly half of

bad for them.

the respondents in the survey said

Conclusion

that they would go for a bag of

Doritos, knowing that they are not

Most of the data received supports the

reasoning behind the experts opinions
that people do not have the healthiest
diet. Furthermore some Americans
dont know that they are not eating
right. To be fair, it is not all the
Americans fault. The food industry
falsely advertises its food, so even if a
person is trying to eat healthy, they
are being tricked. However, people
also need to start putting more effort
into what they eat. Instead of eating
junk food when you are rushing or in a
hurry, explore your options instead.

healthy, versus a healthy banana is

very surprising. This issue is not at the
worst point. No one on the survey said
that they eat fast food everyday or
stated that they were very unhealthy.
But, if this diet from Americans
continues then people will have yet to
find out what being very unhealthy is.