Two-faced: Fast food’s dark side

America is experiencing an obesity and diabetes epidemic. A whopping 30% of Americans are obese and 6% have diabetes. Much of the weight should fall on the shoulders of mega-corporations like Mcdonald’s and Coca Cola for turning people across the country into carb and sugar addicts, but it unfortunately does not.

Food product manufacturers have escaped the dark cloud left by movies like “Super Size Me” and books like “Fast Food Nation”, by jumping on the health conscious bandwagon and offering “healthy” alternatives in an effort to appear concerned about the welfare of consumers. Mcdonald’s, for example, has a “food, nutrition and fitness” section on its website which hides behind meticulously calculated brand identity to hide the truth from consumers.

The words and images used are designed to obliterate stereotypical but truthful thoughts of fast food products. “McDonald’s range of high quality foods can fit into a balanced diet” is plastered on the “food, nutrition and fitness” section, along with pictures of young and attractive people, all with huge smiles on their faces. The scamming being done by Mcdonald’s should be apparent given that the majority of those who devour their products on a regular basis are eating low quality foods that do not fit into any diet and certainly do not have the bodies of fitness models!

McDonald’s also hosts a fitness section by Bob Greene, personal trainer to none other than Oprah Winfrey. Greene has posted “5 Simple Rules for More Balanced Eating” which is quite amusing to read. He tells you to drink six 8-ounce glasses of water a day and to eat a “nourishing” breakfast, which both go against everything the golden arches offers. Super-sized Cokes and egg McMuffins with cheese and bacon won’t exactly put you on the fast track to health, will they?

McDonald’s tactics fall in line with scams initiated by computer hackers who create virus’ to wipe out thousands of computers, and then sell cures to the very same people they have infected. It’s absolutely preposterous that a company can make a living selling food that is pure poison and then turn the tables to promote themselves as good stewards of human health. Coca Cola is doing much of the same with its upcoming line of soft drinks fortified with vitamins and minerals. Even if the products are harmless, the idea that they have millions of people around the world addicted to their sugar-filled products would seemingly cancel out their credibility. Right? This is where billions of dollars spent on marketing, advertising and endorsements come in. It’s hard to not go a day without hearing or seeing a McDonald’s or Coke advertisement and their products are just as difficult to avoid. McDonald’s has approximately 31,000 stores in 119 countries and maintains a yearly advertising budget of 80-90 million dollars. How’s that for indoctrination?

Heart disease is the number one leading killer in America and diabetes is 6th; therefore, fast food chains and food manufacturers that sell products contributing to these epidemics should be forced to either change their ways or get out of the business. When abused, sugar and fat are just as addicting and deadly as tobacco or alcohol, but don’t appear threatening when hidden in a classic all-American value meal. During my childhood the prospects of my parents taking me out for a Happy Meal was enough to make my day. The cute little box had fun and games on the outside and contained delicious food and toys on the inside, and when I finished eating I could jump around in the ball pit- could life get any better? If you came home to your child drinking a beer -just one beer-you would most likely rip it from his or her hands, pour it down the drain and scold them for being so irresponsible. However, if you came home to your child eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger you probably would not render equal punishment. What’s wrong with this picture? One beer may contain 150-200 calories, no cholesterol and no fat. One Quarter Pounder with cheese, on the other hand, contains 500+ calories, 90 milligrams of cholesterol and nearly 30 grams of fat. I’m certainly not promoting that you feed alcohol to children (although doctors say it’s good for the heart), but when weighing the nutrition facts of one bottle of beer against one Quarter Pounder with cheese, the burger proves more harmful to one’s health.

In the end it’s all about the image we’ve allowed corporate food chains to etch into our brains. Clowns, ball pits, toys and catchy jingles mask the poisonous ingredients contained in fast food products, which reduces the chance for a parental ban on cheeseburgers or soda. Fat and high fructose corn syrup will never be deemed illegal drugs, but a nationwide awareness of their detrimental affects can prevent us from abusing them. It’s time to wake up!