FAST FOOD AND OBESITY
            
             In the past, people in the United States used to eat healthy and used to eat freshly
            
             prepared food and meals with their families. Today, many young people prefer to eat fast
            
             food such as high fat hamburgers, high-carbohydrate French-fries, fried chicken, or pizza
            
             in fast food restaurants; therefore, these same people often suffer from obesity. "Obesity
            
             is defined as a condition in which the natural energy reserve of mammal (such as
            
             humans), which is stored in fat, is expanded far beyond usual levels to the point where it
            
             is believed to pose la health risk." (www.society,guardian.co/publichealth/story).
            
             However, some traditional foods are eaten more often than in the past and many changes
            
             have occurred, causing serious effects on individuals and society. Obesity has become a
            
             major problem in the United States with over sixty percent of Americans being
            
             overweight. Obesity can be divided into three main causes – lifestyle, diet and education.
            
             There are many reasons for the popularity of fast food. One of the main reasons of
            
             obesity is change in lifestyle. Many people in the United States are working long hours,
            
             more shifts or extended school days, and do not exercise regularly. Therefore, the
            
             society's attitude toward food and change in lifestyle leads to the over-consumption of
            
             convenient fast food, causing obesity.
            
             A second cause of obesity is poor diet. A leading nutritionalist, Professor Thomas
            
             Sanders, the Director of the Nutrition, Food and Health Research Center, emphasizes the
            
             need for the balance between activity and the consumption of fast food. Professor
            
             Sanders states, "In trials, there is no evidence suggesting the reducing fat intake has an
            
             effect on obesity. As long as your expenditure equals what you eat, you will not put on
            
             weight, regardless of how high the fat con...