Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

Should fast food be banned?
Los Angeles seems to think so! Council members voted on a 1 year ban on all new fast food restaurants in a poor area of South Los Angeles. Funny, how almost half of the restaurants in that area are fast food.

What do you think, Should fast food be banned in Los Angeles?

[Violent]

No! yes its fatting but not if you eat say one meal a month or 2 in some cases. of course none if your dieting, plus people choose to eat that stuff they dont have to let them if they want. Its the same as the no more plastic bags in stores thing you gotta pay 25 cents for one or bring your own which is so gay. Cause that encourges people to make several small trips to the store thus useing gas thus not helping the enviroment like the dumb things supposed to. off the point but anyway I say def no to banning fast food and not just cause i like it lol.

[Lucyp]

people have a right to choose, I think people should be given information so that they can make an informed decision and be given the choice. Fast food should be healthier and not filled of rubbishy food.

[Irving]

i say ban that crap! or at least tax it big time like cigarettes!

[dreamblooms]

Originally Posted by Lucyp

people have a right to choose, I think people should be given information so that they can make an informed decision and be given the choice. Fast food should be healthier and not filled of rubbishy food.

Many people don't have any choice. In poor neighborhoods there is only the crap food. I've been emailing recipes to poor, single moms across the country, & one said, "Aw man, I'd have to take three buses to get to those ingredients. Our neighborhood doesn't even have any supermarkets!"

As far as people who do have a choice, know too that food chains LIE. Read this:
Restaurant alert; Healthy macaroni & cheese; Hi-Protein Chcolate cookiesTM
At the bottom of the 1st two paragraphs click the two links from ABC news.

[healthyz]

Well, yes but well all know in reality that isn't going to happen. What I'd love to see though is more healthy fast food joints...there are just too many unhealthy ones.

[dreamblooms]

Originally Posted by healthyz

Well, yes but well all know in reality that isn't going to happen. What I'd love to see though is more healthy fast food joints...there are just too many unhealthy ones.

"Healthy" & "fast food" are an oxymoron. Fast food chains use the cheapest ingredients and they lie. Their menus & web sites are full of lying labels & hidden, bad-for-you ingredients. What's the government going to do about it? They've already tried (see link below). The same goes for many products still in your supermarkets. Food manufacturers have all found their clever legal loopholes:
The Cardiologist's Wife's Chocolate Too! Diet: No Sugar, Low Fat *&* Low Carb

It's best to stick to the perimeter of supermarkets. Just fresh produce, low fat dairy products, etc. As for fast food chains, you won't see many physicians going near them.

[dreamblooms]

Originally Posted by Irving

i say ban that crap! or at least tax it big time like cigarettes!

Irving, THAT is a brilliant idea. I've seen your posts before, you're quite an out-of-the-box thinker.

The only possible downside to taxing them is, they'd pass the expense on to poor people, but what can you do? Nothing stopped folks from getting their cigarettes...although, come to think of it, nicotine is a true addiction.

Irv, you've got fire. Maybe start a campaign?

[healthyz]

Good point. But you can make healthy food "fast". Doesn't have to be the high calorie stuff you see a lot of. I'd just like to see more options than the standard you-know-who's of fast food out there.

[Violent]

hmm lots want it banned im surprized. but as to the one persons comment, your right. Poor are obease because of what we cant afford to eat. But fast food is not to blame for this. I grew up dirt poor me my 3 sisters and my mom supporting us on her own. Fast food was way to exspensive for us peroid, we never ate it! Anyone who is poor and eats fast food is not poor. We only went to the supermarket and there typically is one on every other corner not 3 buses away. The reason poor get fat is because you eat potatos, mac and cheese, hot dogs, spagetti, ramen, eggs, and if your lucky you can mix it up a little with something a little more pricey like corn dogs or frozen pizza. Thats why we all got fat. Those are the worst for you, even worse than fast food. Fast food gets a bad rap because we all eat to much of it not because its that bad. A box of mac and cheese is just as bad. People keep wanting to raise taxes on the stuff thats bad for you to force people to eat healthy but the thing is the people who eat that way cant afford to eat healthy. The answer is to force healthy food to be cheaper than bad food. Make it illigal for a company than offers a healthy brand and a bad brand to charge more for the healthy one which is usually what they do. Thats what we really need to do.

[Twinkle]

I agree with you Violent - in this country it's cheaper to eat healthier foods so I see it as an excuse - I think it's more the convenience of fast food and laziness in not preparing your own food xxx

[Violent]

i dont think you understood me. Its not cheaper, next time your at the store look at ramen about 12 cents a pack and horrible for you. Unhealthy food is the cheapest. but fast food is not cheap. Cheap food is pastas and sugers at the store.

[Violent]

ok i think i might have misunderstood you lol. It is cheaper to eat healthy food from the grocery store than it is to eat fast food. But it is cheaper to eat unhealthy food from the grocery store than healthy food from the grocery store. thus the problem isnt fast food its the price of healthy food at the grocery store in 75% of the cases thats the issue. Parents cant afford healthy food. In the 25% where fast food is to blame those are the people who can do something about there weight. And banning fast foor wont help, they will just get bad food from the store because there choosing too eat that way. SO thus it shouldnt be banned.

[Angie]

I think places like McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, etc should be banned because although a lot of people CHOOSE to go there, they wouldn't go if the places weren't available, thus preventing a lot of weight gain. I also think that instead of burger joints, that they should be replaced with an alternative, like healthy wraps and sandwiches, or other healthier choices.

[Violent]

you cant ban something though. People will still eat that stuff. Illigal carts will drive around selling it for twice as much and make a killing on it. If people like something they will find a way. Look at drugs, booze when it was banned, cigs, and etc. This will actually be counter productive and drive up the demand. I can tell you if it was banned and a cart pulled up to me. I would order a ton since I wouldnt know the next time it would come even if it came daily. And I would enjoy it so much more cause it would give me an adrenalin rush. Banning it is the absolute last thing we need to happen. Just make healthy choices cheaper. At this point 99% of the people I know would go to blimpie, Subway, or Quiznos if they were not 2-3 times the price of the burger joints. A sub which is less filling than the burgers is 5-9 before drinks and such. You can get a burger for 1 buck. Its no wonder people choose the burger. Banning is not the answer. Bring down the price of the healthy stuff.

[Twinkle]

Definitely bring down the price of healthy stuff a little more - although in this country convenience foods do tend to be more expensive than healthy stuff - I think it's just re-educating people on nutrition and also the benefits of taking the time to prepare food rather than going for ease of preparation xxx

[nes2124]

i think they should stop building any more fast food places, just keep the one we have.

[carinna]

Last time I checked, this was a free country. I know fast food isn't the best for us, but everyone should have the right to make that a personal choice. That's just my opinion, of course.

[Chrisydj]

If you think about it and really, I mean REALLY look at the menu, most places even fast food offer an at least semi-healthy option.

I read all these posts and see ALOT of finger pointing but most arent willing to accept that we all make our own choices. We can chose to work overtime to be able to afford the healthier foods or get a second job or even learn to eat less. Most of us eat WAY to much. You can eat healthy food but if you eat more than you really need you are going to get fat and unhealthy. So no matter who we want to blame it is our own fault not fast foods for existing, or the government for letting fast food places be built, or even our parents for guilting us or forcing us to eat everything that they put on our plates even though we are full or who or whatever people want to blame. We make our own choices no one forces us to eat the gross disgusting foods that make us obese.

[Twinkle]

Here here Chrisy xxx