Fast Food Vs Home Cooked Meals

These days most Americans prefer fast food rather than home-made food, things have changed it was not like this back when I was a child it was totally different. No one has time to cook at home or to make and bring their lunch to work. In this fast and modern world we live in, each day moms are faced with the question: in their head should we have homemade or fast food for dinner tonight? One of the easiest and fastest ways a person can get their hands on is food from seeing Commercials on television to the Billboards we drive by every day. All advertising they have on television that it quick and inexpensive and healthy. According to Daily News Newspaper fast food attracts people more than home-made food does. Reason why the commercials give everyone the impression on how juicy the burger is or how crispy the fries are. (Author Mark Harman) It is known as today’s busy mom does not have time to prepare dinner rather have someone prepare food for them.

Also it satisfies our children with little happy meals and toys that comes with it, as long we get our kids to behave and get quite a lot of parents are happy with that. Fast food is more common because people are always busy, on the run, so they go to fast food restaurants to save their time so they are not late for work or school, or they have been working all day and do not have time to cook dinner at home that’s when parents buy the most food and spend so much to get the whole family food. The greasy food that is saturated with oil and fat, chemical ingredients that is added and heart attack causing foods are readily available and just by going through the drive-through or just a five minute wait walking in the fast food place. In contrast, home-cooked-meals are not only better for your health, but also this what brings the family together to talk and open up to each other to have those special moments and conversations. Families were made on it by coming together and acquiring family time.

Fast food restaurants are generally bad for people’s health, because bad quality of ingredients used and also not clean and sanitized hands that serve the food. Home-made food has less attraction than fast food. A reason for this is that home-made food take time more than a five to ten minute wait. Another reason is that home-made food is less convenient than fast food. According to (Mark Harman) about 38% of Americans do not know how to cook, so fast food is perfect for them. On the other hand Home-made food is much healthier than fast food, and therefore, people will enjoy eating their meals without living afraid of health problems or getting food poisoning from not properly cooked food, or from very fatty artier clogging, sweet food. On the other hand, home cooked meals are typically nutritious, fresh, balanced, and prepared with care and consideration and time. Home cooked meals give person the choice of ingredients they want and allow you to adjust the taste to the way you like it.

Americans do not cook at home three or more times a week most of the time it is on holidays. For example I just got off of work I ran into traffic and it is getting late and I have just to go pick up kids form daycare. I won’t have time to make dinner give kids a bath and help them with their homework and clean the house? So I pick up fast food, come home, set up the dinner plates, and say, “Everyone, dinners ready.” Fast and easy no worries and less things on your mind, But we do not consider the lack of family time and unhealthy food we eat and give to our children. Some believe that there is nothing wrong with children eating fast food frequently, because it contains all the necessary food groups in it. No one cares they just don’t as long they do not have to go to store get the fresh meats and veggies and then go home and cook and clean all the pots and pans and plates that all that matters. Still, there are others that say children should not eat so much fast food (Author Valerie Hansen). Such an amount of fast food for this consumption can lead to many health related issues; the main issue is obesity and diabetes.

Obesity has become a big problem in the United States all we do is go out to eat no one understands that their child will become obese. Many adults are effected also by so much fast food they consume it effects all ages. There have been multiple studies and researches show that home cooked meals that parents who prepare nutritionally balanced home cooked meals provide more beneficial nutrition, also not risking your child catching virus or getting food poisoning. Versus those who allow the everyday consumption of fast food. So is eating fast food, in its self, wrong or right for children and adults? So an all-together happy meal is figuratively a good source of nutritional value if one wants to supply their child with all the food groups each meal. Why not? It is fast, easy, and effective. But my question is what about all that grease? The added chemical base sugar and ingredients is that healthy?

Most popular fast food is McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets (6 piece) contains 260 calories, 540mg of sodium. A Serving Size 1 double cheeseburger Calories 490, Sodium 1220mg51%, Total Carbohydrates 38.0g13%, Sugars 8.0g. How is this healthy? This is besides the chemical addictive ingredients and splenda that is added to the food. For the price of a chicken sandwich, double cheese burger. You can buy a whole rotisserie chicken and family pack of ground beef to make your own hamburgers and as much as you want for the whole family. And have enough chicken to feed a family last few days. Not have to buy seven dollar meal for each family member.

Although fast food is convenient and saves the busy mom from adding even more cleaning chores to her to do list, it makes one stop and think of what is being lost; quality time sitting around a dinner table discussing the day’s happenings. Being unhealthy is not worth and loss of money and quality time with your family to fast food. What you feed your children when their young is what habits they will take and be when there adults.

References
http://voices.yahoo.com/american-children-eating-fast-food-leads-health-10257.html American Children Eating Fast Food Leads to Health Problems

Endangering Our Future Generation

Valerie Hansen
Valerie Hansen, Yahoo Contributor Network
Nov 10, 2005 “Share your voice on Yahoo websites