Obesity In Fast Food

More than one-third of American adults are obese (Ogden et al., 2014; CDC, 2015). In 2013, 42 million children under five were overweight or obese (WHO, 2015). In addition, more than 1.9 million of adults were overweight, of which 600 million were obese in 2014. Additionally, obesity is more prevalent among Non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics and middle aged adults (CDC, 2015). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2015), obesity occurs from a combination of genetics and behavior (e.g., dietary patterns, physical activity/inactivity, and/or other exposures). Diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancers are the leading causes of preventable death with adequate diet and exercise (CDC, 2015). According to a recent poll, eight in 10 Americans eat fast food at least once a month (Tepper, 2013). The majority of fast food is high in …show more content…
Protein has 4 calories per gram and it’s composed of amino acids (Mayo Clinic, 2013; Zeidler, 2015). “Meat, poultry and dairy products should be lean or low fat (Mayo Clinic, 2013).” It is used for growth and maintenance, enzymes, hormones, antibodies, fluid and electrolyte balance, acid-base balance, transportation, blood clotting, energy, and extra protein is stored as fat. The three types of protein are complete protein—one that contains all of the essential amino acids (e.g., milk, meat, fish and eggs), incomplete protein—one that is missing one or more of the essential amino acids (e.g., beans, peas, nuts and grains) and complementary or mutual supplementation proteins—combining two incomplete proteins to get a complete protein (e.g., beans and rice). Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day-diet, you should consume about 200 to 700 calories of protein daily, or about 50 to 175 grams a day (Mayo Clinic, 2013; USDA, 2015). The USDA recommends at least 8 ounces of cooked seafood per week