By Babacar Seck, April 2021
Fast food has been a part of our lives for decades, some of us might not even know what life was before it. Large fast food companies like McDonalds, Popeyes, and Burger King have been around since the 1900, even if they were different back then.
As the times change, so do food regulations, and as it gets lax in some places, people start to find ways to get people to buy their products, in more phycological ways.
And with such addicting food choices that can lead to spikes in blood sugar, and rapid obesity, it’s no wonder many people are attempting to halt fast food companies from continuing to serve such unhealthy foods, and look back on their advertising.
Many people feel fine consuming fast food, or don’t care about the side effects, even though there are many warnings strung throughout the media. Eating Fast food can have serious side effects, such as blood sugar spikes, obesity, depression and anxiety according to articles on the Washington Post, as well as articles on Healthline. Many people know this, and yet still eat fast food regularly. How do they get you, the consumer to buy their product?
Well, It’s about advertising. Making their stores open 24 hours is one way they make it easier for you to buy their product. They use colors and pictures to lure you into their establishments, where they can not only get you to use your money, but also get you to come back for more. Using tricks like super sizing for a small cost.
Of course, those aren’t the only tricks Fast food companies have up their sleeves. They use their menu formatting, using 9.99 and 3.75 to make you think you only spend 9 dollars, or 3 dollars, when you’re effectively spending 10, or 4. By using combos, they get you to think that you're spending less money. That however, distracts you from the large quantities of food you're buying.
Your wallet isn’t the only thing you should be wary of at your local fast food joint, considering the lack of nutrition in most fast food items. During a study on the effects of junk food, 12 men ate only junk food for 5 days, without eating any more calories than they would on a normal day. The result was their muscles struggling to glucose into energy, even though they ate no more calories than usual. And this isn’t an isolated incident. It was found that eating processed foods killed more people prematurely then smoking(according to the NCBI)
Even when people think they are being careful, fast food companies can still pull a fast one. Most people are unable to correctly identify how much sodium they were eating daily(according to a Healthline article), and the hazardous food colors and additives aren’t helping in that regard. (according to a health line article) In studies where people think they are eating healthy, on average, they indershot by 20%.
Fast food, though it tastes good, is really bad for both your body, and your mind. Restaurants constantly attempt to trick you out of your money using psychological tricks, and making you think you're getting a good deal. So watch out, and next time you go to your local fast food joint, remember what you learned here.
Sources
https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-mcdonalds-burger-king-restaurants-spend-more-money-2019-3
-https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Fast-Food-Affects-Childrens-Health.aspx
-https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324847
-https://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-eat-fast-food/
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/
-https://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body#digestive-and-cardiovascular-systems
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