Banning Fast Food

Introduction

This blog’s main objective is not ban fast food franchises in New Zealand but simply ban some of the famous meals in fast food restaurants in New Zealand so that we could encourage healthier eating. McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King are three of New Zealand’s most famous restaurants. When you think of these franchises only three things come to mind, the Big Mac, the KFC Chicken and the Whopper. However the qualities of the meals are very poor and I will discuss this more in later posts of my blog. Other arguments can argue that not everyone eats fast food or it is an easier option then cooking a meal at home, which are very good points to argue but the amount of diseases such as obesity and heart disease are caused from an unhealthy diet and I will explain this in more depth in other posts. The reason I have chosen only three restaurants and not all of the fast food franchises in New Zealand is because I am limited to the amount of words my blog may have.

The Big Mac

This blog is based around a video in which Brian Marcel explains a McDonald's review and the healthy options at McDonald's. The video also explains how some of the most famous meals and burgers such as the Big Mac are made. Marcel briefly mentions and explains how burger buns, soda drinks and chips are bad and unhealthy. However the main focus about this blog is about the Big Mac. In Brian Marcel’s video he also explains the ingredients of a Big Mac. The Big Mac made McDonalds famous and it is highly known for its sauce as Brian mentioned. The Big Mac is made from 33 ingredients and one ingredient that Brian talks about is Propylene Glycol. Brian mentions that propylene glycol is a type of chemical that is inside the engine of a vehicle. Some of the symptoms that propylene glycol can cause to the human body are eye irritation, redness of eye and eye pain. The nutritional facts explain in more depth what consists of a Big Mac. It identifies how much fats, cholesterol, sodium and many others contain in a Big Mac. This is significant to my blog as it shows how poor quality the Big Mac is.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

This video explains what is in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and how it is being cooked. Although Brian Marcel mainly focuses on other food items from KFC I still used this video as an example for the KFC Chicken. The video itself can explain this blog for me but as Brain mentions in his video that there were two ingredients that stood out for him and one of those ingredients were Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). When I first watched the video I had no clue of what MSG was because it sounded like some sort of chemical. What is MSG? A brief description of MSG is that it is a flavor enhancer which is why they use MSG for the KFC chicken. Symptoms of MSG are headaches, chest pain, weakness etc. The KFC chicken is unhealthy due to the nutritional facts of a KFC chicken and how the context of the chicken is very poor.

Whopper burger

This post will only focus on the context of the burger. It will not focus on other food items such as the drinks and the chips similar to what I have done with my KFC blog and Big Mac blog. However I will make a link between all three meals from McDonald's, KFC and Burger king. The nutritional facts about the whopper are very similar to the Big Mac and the KFC chicken. The whopper is very high in calories, cholesterol, fat and sodium. After researching nutritional facts about these meals one thing that really stood out was the amount of calories, cholesterol, fat and sodium in each meal. The reason why these nutritional factors are important is because it can increase the chances of having obesity and heart disease which I will explain more in other posts.

Problem/solution

Fast food is bad for you because it can increase the risk of having heart disease and obesity. The main causes of obesity and heart disease is having an unhealthy diet or consuming unhealthy meals which are very high in cholesterol level, fats and sugar because this may also lead to heart disease. As mentioned earlier the meals that I have chosen and explained are very high in cholesterol, fats and sugar. For example heart diseases are cause because of high blood pressure and consuming unhealthy meals that have high sugar levels and cholesterol level is very bad for you. Fast food advertises their meals to seem friendly and healthy but really it is bad for you.

In my opinion we need to imply healthier eating options in New Zealand. Although there are a lot of other fast food franchises other then McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, I have chosen these restaurants because of its popularity. The meals that they produce and sell to our community are not healthy in fact it can increase your chances of heart disease and obesity. I believe we should have more restaurants that sell healthy meals at an affordable price so it may be easier for people to maintain a healthy diet.

Conclusion

In conclusion banning the meals from McDonalds, KFC and Burger King is my opinion. This is what I feel should be done to imply healthier eating in New Zealand. Many may disagree with me which is fine however I have shown the effects of a unhealthy diet and how famous restaurants like McDonalds, KFC and Burger King have meals that are unhealthy for the human body. If I was able to write more on this topic I would have covered every fast food restaurant with unhealthy meals in New Zealand I would have but that will have to wait for another project.

Referencing

Brian Marcel. (2011, May 13). Can You Eat Healthy At McDonald’s?(Food Review). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3SVu6gjxgk

Brian Marcel. (2011, Sep 21). Can You Eat Healthy At KFC?(KFC Food Review). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ZlI6ScJvU

Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. (2013, July 13). Nutrition and healthy eating. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/monosodium-glutamate/AN01251

Mckay, T. (2009, March 1). The Truth and Fiction about Propylene Glycol. Retrieved from http://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/content.php?pid=72586&sid=1370962

Ministry of Health. Statistics. Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/know-the-facts/statistics

Ministry of Health. (2011, December 6). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/obesity

Ministry of Health. Risks and causes. Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/know-the-facts/risks-and-causes

Nutritional Facts. KFC chicken: Original Recipe, thigh. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/foods-from-kfc/6500/2

Nutritional Facts. BURGER KING, WHOPPER, no cheese. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fast-foods-generic/9280/2

Nutritional Facts. McDonald’s Sandwich: Big Mac. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/foods-from-mcdonalds/6220/2