Is fast food the new tabacco?
Is fast food the new tobacco? Well, first we must look at the properties of fast food and the properties of tobacco. Fast food is technically fuel for our body, and eating fast food is better than no food at all. Even though fast food is not good for you, it can provide comfort, convenience, and sometimes much-needed calories. Tobacco on the other hand is a substance, it has cultural significance, but it does not offer anything to you. Also, tobacco is highly addictive and has proven to cause more harm than good. You could argue the same about fast food, however, people need to eat to live. If all you can eat is fast food, then at least you are alive. People do not need to consume tobacco to live. Both tobacco and fast food cause harm to our bodies and the earth. But fast food does have some use as it is food.
I do not believe that fast food is the new tobacco. Fast food and obesity is definitely an issue that Americans and people all over the world face, however, it is not nearly the same issue as tobacco. The article, What You Eat is Your Business claims “It's difficult to think of anything more private and of less public concern than what we choose to put into our bodies.” While the same can be said about tobacco, it is a more dangerous substance to our bodies than fast food. Or at the very least we know the long-term negatives of tobacco, and they have been proven. We do not know the long-term effects of fast food. The documentary, What The Health claims that processed food is a major cause of health problems in America, such as heart disease, cancer, and others. However, the movie also claims that protein from chicken, eggs, and meat is bad for you. The goal of the movie is to help people be healthier and look at the choices they make every day, however, I believe that all food is good for you in moderation. I do not believe that smoking is good for you in moderation because smoking is not essential to being alive, eating is. Fast food is in no way the best option however it is a valid option.
To help people live better healthier lives, the government should provide some aid. It is not the responsibility of the government to tell us what we can and can not do, however, if healthy options are available at the grocery store at an affordable price, people do choose them. Michelle Obama's NAACP’s address in 2010, showed the reliability of the claim. She provided evidence that giving lower-class communities axis fruits and vegetables at their local supermarket led to healthier choices and more consumption of healthy food. The government should continue this work, subsidizing healthy food, and making it accessible to more people. This way there is a choice of food options, not just fast food. Nobody wants to be forced into healthy eating, but with the option of both fruits and vegetables and McDonald's, people can create a more balanced diet.
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