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22 April 2014
English 1010-005
Salt Lake Community College
231 E 400 S
SLC, Utah 84111
To whom it may concern:
America is at the top of the list of obesity. Several sources in my research blame obesity
in the US on fast food. For the purposes of my research, and this paper; fast food
defines franchises and chains that serve very rapidly, often pre-prepared, simply heated
food, generally in conjunction with a drive-through service window. I wanted to learn
more about fast food because, like most people, I find it very unhealthy- yet
disturbingly delicious; so I intend on opening my own similar type of fast food-like
operation concentrating on providing healthier, hearty, homemade soups and high-
quality, cold-cut sandwiches. Although most fast food is unhealthy, the cold cut sandwich
does offer somewhat of a healthier dining experience, without all the fat and grease
resultant from deep frying. Using the information and date acquired through my research,
I will challenge myself at this particular goal. I did some research on Luigi Cornaro and
his insane diet of 12 ounces daily consisting mostly of liquids like my homemade soup.
Not a working mans lunch, probably because he was a Noble man.


Sincerely,



Daniel J Boyce







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Daniel J Boyce
Salt Lake Community College
Writing 1010-005
22 April 2014

Disturbingly-Delicious facts on Fast Food
Obesity is one of the biggest health problems Americans face today. If you ask a
friend, neighbor, or relative each one can blame a different institution. Some can say it
is the consequence of fast food, or some could say government and schools, my point
here is that you and only you are responsible for what you eat and assume said
responsibility for yourself.
I maintain that everyone is responsible for his or her own nutritional intake for
three main reasons. First, fast food is merely an option. Second, if organic and healthy
food is available, there is no viable reason we are choosing to processed food. Third,
someone else like a government entity should not be allotted the power to make, or even
influence consumer decisions.
I am Daniel Boyce, and I am a fat kid, have been most of my life. I started
eating junk-food and garbage very young. As a child, I grew up in a poverty stricken
household, yet it was still commonplace for my parents to send my siblings and I to the
nearest Hardees or Arctic Circle with a few dollars. Just as my parents did, I brought
this same problem to my children; always taking them to McDonalds, or ordering
delivery Pizza. It just seemed like an easy, harmless thing to do. I would even meet my
friend for breakfast at McDonalds on Sunday, so our children could play. I dont think I
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am obese, just fat. I always have been. I am not lazy, I exercise and workout. If I dont
do all this I am in real trouble. I struggle each and every day. I like to eat out myself. I
even want to open my own eating establishment also. Is it even possible to own and
operate a restaurant that can serve a healthy alternative at a reasonable price?
As a teenager growing up in the 80s I found the only reasonably priced diet to be
fast food. David Zinczenko (Author of dont blame the eater) also grew up in the 80s,
where he ate lunch, and supper at fast food restaurants such as KFC, various hamburger
joints, or places like Taco Bell. In the 80s like now it is the only way for kids to eat at a
small expense. Many teenagers including myself, and Zinczenko, running on a fast food
diet is actually helping the cause of Obesity in American teenagers still. If you drive
down any average street, in any city or town you will find McDonalds every 15
minutes, although how easy would it be to buy a piece of fruit fast and easy?
Dirty carbohydrates, saturated fatty foods, and hardly any omega 3s, this is
known as the western diet. The theory to escape this diet is we have to stop eating
disgusting processed styled foods. Harder to achieve then, it sounds. Gyorgy Scrinis
suggests the most important facts are not the nutrients, it is all the processing (Graff
437). I find this to be very true. Whole foods and industrial foods are the only two
food groups Id consider including in any useful pyramid (Graff 437). Why is it,
Americans spend almost 10% of their income on fast, easy food, and only spend twenty
to thirty minutes cooking, on average? Traditionally, people would allot more of their
income to food, and cooking time. With this in mind, Pollan introduces three rules-Eat
food. Not too much. Mostly plants (Graff 440).
So you could probably imagine what happens when I eat fast food or other types
of processed foods. Its been a problem my whole life, daily exercise is just not enough.
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Im always hungry, and it doesnt really matter if I eat junky processed foods or not.
What matters is they are much worse for me. I enjoy fast food. I am in search of a
healthier fast food alternative for this love and addiction of mine, as well as many other
people.
Margo Wootan, of the Center for Science in Public Interest has said, How to get
fat without really trying (Graff 397) this could be why he feels we are not responsible
for our own condition. Theoretically, it is our own responsibility only as long we pay
this so ridiculous fat tax (Graff 396) brought forth on us by Senator Lieberman, and
Oakland City Mayor Brown. Why is it, most the public has not heard of this ridiculous
tax?
Junking Junk Food is an article that shares on the governments idea eat
differently (Graff 440). We can approach this through two different strategies. First,
there is the nutritional one- second, the psychological one. Anthropologist Margaret
Mead supervises the psychological aspect, with assistance from her team at the National
Research Council. Their goals are to push the American people towards eating the way
the government would ideally want them to. In doing so, one would exercise a certain
degree of patriotic loyalty. As a postscript, this committee has since been disbanded,
and shut down.
During World War II the government actually tried to push rations on the
American people, this program was already in place for troops stationed overseas. Why
wouldnt Judith write about Glen Beck mocking the US governments efforts to lead
Americans to stop being fat. 17% of children and teenagers are obese, and 2/3s of
adults. These numbers are changing daily.
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Somewhere or somehow things need to change. I dont really think that we should
get daily rations from the government. What I think is that we should have healthier
alternatives. Fast food restaurants need to put more labeling on the products they
produce, they should advertise more fruit and vegetables. The present requirements of
nutritional label information is that they are only needed to supply nutrient profiles
upon the request of the customer. It is no wonder I saw on a Dr. Oz segment that within
2 years nutrition labeling might possibly be changed.
Lets get more on the topic of processed foods. I read an article called Food as
thought. How do French people eat so unhealthy, yet on average stay healthier than
Americans (Graff 442). Pollan states, Insisting that it is a simple solution, quit
obsessing over this French paradox and start obsessing over the French fry. Pollan
contradicts his own profession, and only adds to our stress over food. Not only that, he
is actually capitalizing over this frustration of how we eat. Again using the blame of all
the processed crap we eat. Pollan actually thinks he is contributing to our health, stating
that Americans need this structure, because we are a nation struck with heart disease,
diabetes, and cancer, from what he refers to as the western diet. He insists that
overeating constitutes the greatest threat (Graff 434) to our survival. This mass of
obesity is really threatening our national health. This is true in my opinion yet I also
think we should really be raising a commotion on all the chemicals being fed to our
cattle.
Law Professor and Journalist Paul Campos shares Lies about fat, fitness, and
healthnot coincidentally serve the interest of Americas $50-billion-per-year diet
industry (Graff 445). Kate Harding a fat acceptance activist elaborates on this same
point. Stating that press release on any obesity crisis turns toward developing a new
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weight loss drug, funded by the same companies (Graff 445). Campos and Harding are
both scholars of the school that states you cannot trust body mass index (BMI).
Continued beliefs by both state right and/or healthy ways of eating involves-eating
less or just eating differently. My own personal experience on this has failed.
Health at every size nutritionist Michelle Allison states what a person eats
[rarely] takes primacy over how they eat (Graff 445). We should eat like we always
have including eating for emotional sickness or even social events we can still survive
and thrive. How? Something Im still trying to figure out. Trust yourself. Trust your
body. Trust your needs (Graff 446). My own thoughts on this is I trusted my needs and
look at the results, Im still fat.
Fat is a social problem, and a feminist problem says Susie Orbach. It is also
complimented through women being pregnant. Feminists argue being obese represents
the attempt to break free of sex stereotypes. Obese is not a lack of self-control. Obese is
not a lack of self-esteem, or mothering. Fat is a Feminist issue, campaign for body
diversity (Graff 451). This is an organization saying 50% of women in the United
States are obese. Most magazines show physical fitness and beauty for woman. Why is
this? The thought is that most men like the sexy magazines, and most actually want to
do something about the problem.
As John Berger says: Men act women appear. Men look at women. Women
watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between
men and women, its also the relations of women to themselves (Graff 450). For most
women, being obese, and an over eater is the way to avoid being on the meat market
for the sexy bride to be. See the beauty on the inside, not the outside. If you are truly
interested in me, wade through the layers and find out who I am. (Graff 452) Yet most
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people do not see you from the inside, only the outside. My opinion is the same for men
as it is for women. Stop worrying about looks, and concentrate more on healthy.
When I was growing up, there was no such thing as specifically marketed
Organic Products. Everything back then was already natural. Farms grew healthy
vegetables, even in our own backyards. Now days to even get close to a healthy piece of
meat or vegetables you need to pay extra for organic. America is the leader in obesity in
the world. Why is this? No doubt it has something to do with McDonalds being 15
minutes travel in any direction. Should the government regulate what we eat? Should
fast food restaurants be a thing of the past? Should we really be putting
steroids/chemicals in the meats we eat, or soil that we crop? This is an issue that would
help on most of all these problems. Yet we still keep doing it.
In search of the ultimate diet, Luigi Cornaro was a noble man that lived in the late
1400s, to early 1500s. This man dined on a terrible and rich diet until he neared age 35.
Becoming very sick and near death, Luigi consulted with the medical minds of Genoa,
Italy. With the latter in mind, he started a much more conscious diet without drinking
alcohol, or smoking. Being in fear, he started a diet of six ounces; two times daily,
roughly equivalent to 1200 calories. Two of those ounces consisted of broth, and pure
grape juice. In only one year he felt better, and was now in excellent health. Being a
Noble man, there was no need for him to work, one would assume. By the time he was
85, friends and relatives bothered him so much he decided to up his daily diet to fourteen
ounces. Immediately, he was on his death bed once again. Luigi said enough is enough
and went back to his original 12 ounce intake and lived on to be 102 (Bass). Eat as
little as you can, and dont abuse your body (Bass). Most people would call this an
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insane diet, and would more than likely not even give it a try. Would you? Yet many
Doctors and Nutritionists say the ultimate key is to maintain moderation in consumption.
Unlike Luigi, I and probably many others would not want our daily sustenance to
be a mere twelve ounces. There has to be a better solution to this problem in America.
This is an ongoing issue that will take time, and hopefully will soon have some sort of
resolution in the near future. I personally am going to try and do my best to address the
aforementioned obesity and dietary schizophrenia issues in my future business venture.
My goal is to bring a happier and healthier fast food experience to Americans. This battle
against junk-food, and for simpler choice is just starting. Most people as of yet are simply
unaware. There should be no reason we, as Americans, cannot enjoy fast food as long as
we keep it simple, occasional, healthy, and dont take advantage of it, or overindulge.
In conclusion, there is still a long way to go in America with the obesity, and poor
dietary choice problems. We cannot shift blame on anyone except ourselves, I agree in
the sense that we need to stop eating all this processed garbage; my point being the
government and our schools need not decide for us nor for our children. Eat healthier,
exercise on a regularly basis, and be more conscious about the different types of fast food
one eats. Throughout this research, Ive learned many different theories. Everyone seems
to make their own conclusion ultimately it all leads back to the same, fast food,
chemicals/steroids, and organics. I again stress the fact quality cold-cut sandwiches and
homemade soup could ultimately help these issues. No grease, no fat, just cold-cuts and
carefully chosen liquids.
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Works Cited
Allison, Michelle. Eat Food Stuff You Like. As Much As You Want. The

Fat Nutritionist. 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2011.

Allison, Michelle. Rules vs. Trust in Eating The Fat Nutritionist. n.p.,pag 15 Dec. 2009

Web. 19 Jan. 2011.

Balko, Radley. What You Eat Is Your Business. They Say I Say. Comp. Gerald Graff, Cathy

Berkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and company, 2009. Print
.
Campos , Paul. Being Fat is Ok. Jewish World Review. Jewish World Review,

23 Apr. 2001. Web. 25 Mar. 2011

Cornaro, Luigi. "The Art of Living Long". Padula: Italy , 1558. Print.

Cutler, David M. Why Have Americans Become More Obese? Journal of Economic

Perspectives. Vol. 17, No. 3. 93-118. Print Graff, Gerald. 2010. Web. 19 Jan.

2011

Engler, Yves. "Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations." They Say I

Say. Comp. Gerald Greff, Cathy Berkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton

and Company, 2009. Print

Harding. Kate Dont You Realize Fat iIs Unhealthy? Shapely Prose.

Wordpress, 20 June 2007. Web. 19 Jan. 2011

Orbach, Susie Fat is a Feminist Issue. They Say I Say. Comp. Graff, Cathy, Berkenstein,

Russel Durst. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 2009. Print

Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eaterss Manifesto. New York: Penguin,

2008. print
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Pollan, Michael. Escape from the Western Diet. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter In

Academic Writing With Readings. 2nd Edition. Graff, Gerald.

Warner, Judith "Junking Junk Food." New York Times Magazine (2010):

15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Zinczenko, David. "Don't Blame the Eater." New York Times 23 Nov. 2002:
A19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.