Blog#8 Midterm

 By Prof. Smith.

Class. ENG101.           

Diana Coll.

04/27/14

Advertising, Food and Children.

 According to the book ‘Fast Food Nation’ since 1980 children have been attacked by the fast food industry via media without any mercy. The industry has been brainwashing our kids to buy their products and to consume everything they make, affecting the children’s health causing them several diseases by promoting the consumption of food with a poor nutritional value.

A study of ‘The American Psychological Association’ found the main reason for the obesity epidemic in America today is because most of the kids spend long periods or many hours watching television especially children between the ages of 8 through 18 years old .Because they also watch many hours of television, they are exposed to watching many hours of junk food commercials and because children are viewing these fast food commercials over and over, they become convinced that it is okay to consume this food regularly. The origin of this problem is partly that parents in order to have some time off used television to babysitter kids. As a result, by taking control of the naïve mentality of children, fast food advertising creates unhealthy eating habits which may lead to many health complications.

Fast Food companies have been affecting children’s health by promoting unhealthy food such as candy, hamburgers, French fries, soda and more. This food is full of sugar, fat, salt, and calories and has been reflected in the increasing number of diseases, like obesity. According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention more that one of five children between ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight in the Unite States and this has been linked to health risks such as diabetes type two, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety. Kids also face the risk to become a sick adult and die at a young age. This situation is very sad because a person with a chronic disease may never have a normal life.

Fast Food has changed our life style, turning commercial kitchens in to  small factories and changed familiar food into commodities that are manufactured, promoting unhealthy eating habits through advertisements. Children are the most affected group because their minds are easily manipulated, which the fast food industry knows and targets. Furthermore, this leads to health problems.  If the government limits fast food advertising in the media they will save many lives and improve the health condition of the population.