Outline Draft for How The Food Industry Increases Obesity in the U.S.

I. Introduction

A. Hook: How many times have you been to a fast food restaurant or a sit

down meal and been asked if you would like to “super size” your meal or

add another side for only 50 cents more or for no additional cost?

B. Introduction: Processed and mass produced foods are not a healthy or

sustainable diet.

C. Thesis: Modern diets consisting primarily of “super sized” convenience-

based food products are one of the leading causes of obesity in the United

States.

II. Body Paragraph 1

A. Subpoint 1: American’s consume too much fast food.

1. Subpoint 1: American’s have gotten into the habit of consuming

fast food products daily.

a) Evidence: “According to CDC’s statistics, at least 36.6% of

American’s consume fast food every day, (Ayodele).

b) Follow-up: We need to start encouraging people to eat at home

and provide solutions to eating fast food.

2. Subpoint 2: Fast-food is easy to access and affordable

a) Evidence: A Big Mac at McDonalds cost an average of $6.00

in the U.S and includes a burger, fries and drink. Today, 1 lb.

of beef is averaging more than $5.00 per lb., (statista.com).

 b) Follow-up: This problem can be resolved by couponing and

planning out meals ahead of time to reduce the amount of

money spent on groceries

3. Subpoint 3: Fast-food chains are accessible and plentiful

a) Evidence: There are more than 200,000 fast food chains and

businesses across the U.S. (Smead, 2018).

b) Follow-up: Even in our small town of Tonkawa, we have a

Sonic, Little Caesars, Taco Bell and Cinnabon. It’s important

to encourage people to cook at home more.

III. Body Paragraph 2

A. Main Idea 2Eating fast food regularly can lead to medical problems.

1. Subpoint 1: Metabolic syndrome

a) Evidence: Metabolic syndrome is caused by regularly

consuming too much sugar and trans-fats. It is a condition

associated with high blood pressure and effects more than 41%

of our population, (CDC, 2020).

b) Follow-up: Consuming less fast food and drinking less sodas

and sugary drinks can help decrease the likelihood of

contracting metabolic syndrome.

2. Subpoint 2: Heart diseases

a) Evidence: Fried food that is typically served at fast-food

restaurants raises cholesterol as they are high in trans fats,

 which can cause an increase in blood pressure, (McDonell,

2017).

b) Follow-up: There are alternatives to fast food and swapping out

a typical burger and fries for a salad can help to provide a heart

healthy meal and maintain heart health.

3. Subpoint 3: Diabetes

a) Evidence: Eating fast food regularly can promote insulin

resistance, which can increase a person’s chances for

developing diabetes, according to a 15-year study,

(Diabests.co.uk).

b) Follow-up: Consuming less processed food and fried products

can help to better regulate insulin production and decrease

chances of developing diabetes.

IV. Body Paragraph 3

A. Main Idea 3: Fast food consumption contributes to obesity.

1. Sub-point 1: Fast foods have high caloric content and little

nutritional value

a) Evidence: Fast foods have a high amount of fast and sodium

with a low amount of fiber and an increased caloric content,

(Azemati et al).

b) Follow-up: Consuming less fast food and increasing exercise

can help to decrease a person’s chance for obesity.

 2. Subpoint 2: A large portion of the U.S. population suffers from

obesity.

a) Evidence: According to The United States National Centre of

Health Statistics, more than 15% of adolescents and 41% of

our population are overweight, (CDC).

b) Follow-up: It is important to educate and provide healthy

alternatives for people to consume while on the go and active.

3. Subpoint 3: Fast food products contain chemicals and ingredients

that contribute to poor gut health and decrease metabolic rate.

a) Evidence: “Fast food is high in fat and low in fiber, which can

throw off your gut health and microbiome balance. This can

reduce the growth of good bacteria that produce beneficial

short chain fatty acids like butyrate, known to play a role in

reducing inflammation,” (Cooper).

b) Subpoint: A balanced diet is important to maintaining a healthy

lifestyle.

V. Conclusion

A. In conclusion, consuming too much fast food can lead to several health

issues. People consuming fast food in excess is a convenience-based

problem that has become exacerbated due to every day busy lifestyles.

B. American’s consume too much fast food. Eating fast food regularly can lead

to heart problems, diabetes and obesity.

C. It is important to promote healthy and affordable alternatives to consuming

fast food. Fast food is okay to consume on special occasions, but like

everything it needs to be consumed in moderation and in combination with a

healthy exercise regime.

 Annotated Bibliography

Government Document (1)

“Adult Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 17 May 2022,

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. The Center for Disease Control

(CDC) publishes biyearly articles to explain to users and readers the rates and statistics

regarding our nations health. This article explains that obesity prevalence was 41% in

2017 and the estimated annual cost of obesity in the U.S. was nearly $173 billion in 2019.

Founded in 1946, the CDC began in an attempt to fight of malaria and it's transmission.

The CDC works towards improving U.S. health by collecting nationwide data and finding

solutions to combat challenging health issues. Due to the reliability of the CDC and the

data that they collect, I'm confident there is absolutely no bias in this paper and the

authors are extremely reliable. I believe this is a very reliable source for my paper. The

information was presented in an easy to understand format and discusses various statistics

regarding American health and obesity.

Multimedia/Interview (1)

Ayodele, Dorcas, et al. “How Much Fast Food Is Consumed Daily in America?”

Supplements101, 2 June 2022, https://supplements101.net/how-much-fast-food-is-

consumed-daily-in-america/.
This article discusses the amount of fast food consumed daily, weekly, monthly and

yearly in the United States. American's consume entirely too much fast-food each day.

That fact is proven in this article when the author explains that according to the CDC

statistics at least 36% of Americans consume fast food every single day. Doracas

Ayodele published the article on June 2, 2022. The timeliness of this article is extremely

beneficial because all of the information is up to date and accurate. The Supplements 101

website specializes in providing information to it's users in and easy to access and

understand format. It's because of this, that I am confident this is a great source for me to

use for this essay. It gives details regarding fast food and fast food chains and restaurants

all across the U.S. It does an excellent job illustrating how easy it is for the majority of

U.S. citizens to gain access to fast food.

Academic Scholarly Journal Article (1)

Cooper, Jarrod. “How Gut Bacteria Affect Our Overall Health and Wellbeing.” The

Pharmaceutical Journal, 3 Feb. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1211/pj.2017.20202890.

Published in 2017, this journal article was one of the first published about the benefit of

gut health and how it can negatively be effected based on the frequency of fast food a

person consumes. Consuming fast food regularly can cause a large amount of

inflammation due to the high level of fat and low level of fiber in the food. Jarrod Cooper

is a gastrointestinal specialist who has been published by the Pharmaceutical Journal.

This journal publishes research studies conducted by professionals from all across the

world. One aspect I would like to change to increase the reliability of this source is that

they were more stringent on who they allowed to publish in the journal. Several of the
articles had been disproven, not the one I used, but several others. While I do think the

article is reliable and non bias, I wish the journal it's published in was more reliable. I do

still think it makes for a good source for my paper.

Internet Website(s) (2)

“Fast Food and Diabetes (Junk Food).” Diabetes.co.uk, 15 Jan. 2022,

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/fast-food-and-diabetes.

Published by the Global Diabetes Community, this article discusses the disadvantages of

consuming too much fast food. This author(s) of this article are not given but they do

explain the relationship between fast food, it's additives and obesity. This article explains

that there have been several studies conducted that indicate that consuming too much fast

food can result in insulin resistance, which can lead to the development of type 2

diabetes. There was a 15-year study that showed an increase in weight gain and insulin

resistance in people who ate at fast food restaurants more than twice a week. The Global

Diabetes Community was developed by a community of people who suffer with diabetes

and offer support and first hand knowledge to others suffering from the disease. This

forum publishes research and acts as a medium between science and people suffering

with diabetes. I think this is a reliable source for my paper because this website publishes

only scientific articles and first-hand testimonies of people who suffer with diabetes.

McDonell, Kayla. “Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You?” Healthline, Healthline Media,

19 Nov. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-fried-foods-are-bad.

Author Kayla McDonell is a health specialist and nutritionist who writes for publications

like healthline.com. She provides readers with healthy alternatives and information

regarding the nutrient content of the food they consume daily. In this article, she explains

the breakdown of caloric content in fried foods and how that can increase weight gain

and how trans fats are difficult for the body to break down. She also explains how eating

too much fast food and consuming too many trans fats can increase the chance of heart

disease, diabetes and obesity. The forum that the article was published through publishes

works, blogs and articles from a variety of people who are passionate about human.

Academic/Scholarly Article (2)

Singh S, Ankul, et al. “Junk Food-Induced Obesity- a Growing Threat to Youngsters

during the Pandemic.” Obesity Medicine, vol. 26, 12 Aug. 2021, p. 100364.,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2021.100364.

This journal article was published by a group of authors who researched the effects of the

COVID 19 pandemic on human health, specifically in youths. While obesity does not

discriminate based on age, this article studies how junk food effects young individuals.

Not only does this article discuss the growing number of young people who are battling

obesity but it also discusses the ingredients and components of junk and fast food and

how it increases chances of obesity. The National Library of Medicine publishes

scholarly articles and research methods written by doctors, pharmacists and professors

from all across the world. The authors of this article include various professional doctors

and pharmacy specialists. Because of this, I am confident that this is an incredibly

reliable source for my paper. All of the data was researched and studied by professionals
who want to fight the growing problem of obesity. I don't read any bias in the article

because it is all backed up by science.

health. Healthline.com has been around for more than 10 years and continues to publish

articles and information weekly. I do think this is a reliable source of information for my

article because of the emphasis that it places on providing reliable information to its

users.

Popular News Source(2)

Shahbandeh, M. “U.S. Retail Price of Ground Beef, 2021.” Statista, 2 May 2022,

https://www.statista.com/statistics/236776/retail-price-of-ground-beef-in-the-

unitedstates

Published in May of 2022, this timely article written by M. Shahbandeh discusses the

changes in beef production and prices since 1995. The author explains that beef is the

leading fresh meat sold in the U.S. and generates more than $19,000 in sales a week at

stores across the country. The author also explains that there has been a continuously

positive trend in beef production over the past several years. This article was published

using the statista.com forum, which publishes various statistics regarding all types of

entities. This website has been publishing since 2005. I do think this is an extremely

reliable source because the information published can easily be looked up and researched.

However, I don't necessarily think it would be particularly useful for my paper unless I

chose to break down the cost difference in cooking meals at home versus eating out at

restaurants.
Smead, Spencer. “America’s Fast Food Obsession - The Colby College Community

Web.” Web.colby.edu, 29 Oct. 2018, https://web.colby.edu/st297-

global18/2018/10/29/americas-fast-food-obsession/.

Published by Spencer Smead in 2018, this article discusses the American obsession with

fast food. The author explains how easy it is to access fast food and how cheap the

products are compared to other alternatives. He explains that the convenience factor of

fast food chains adds to their popularity an breaks down the number of different chains

all across the U.S. He explains that the typical American spends more than $1200

annually on fast food. The website that published the article is sponsored by Colby

College and focuses on informing its users about various issues throughout the U.S. This

author was a student publisher at the time of publication. I do think the author and the

article are a reliable source of information because of the affiliation it has with the

college. I also think it will be a good source to utilize for my paper.

 Works Cited (all seven are used in my outline)

“Adult Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 17 May 2022,

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.

Ayodele, Dorcas, et al. “How Much Fast Food Is Consumed Daily in America?”

Supplements101, 2 June 2022, https://supplements101.net/how-much-fast-food-is-

consumed-daily-in-america/.

Cooper, Jarrod. “How Gut Bacteria Affect Our Overall Health and Wellbeing.” The

Pharmaceutical Journal, 3 Feb. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1211/pj.2017.20202890.

“Fast Food and Diabetes (Junk Food).” Diabetes.co.uk, 15 Jan. 2022,

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/fast-food-and-diabetes.

McDonell, Kayla. “Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You?” Healthline, Healthline Media,

19 Nov. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-fried-foods-are-bad.

Singh S, Ankul, et al. “Junk Food-Induced Obesity- a Growing Threat to Youngsters

during the Pandemic.” Obesity Medicine, vol. 26, 12 Aug. 2021, p. 100364.,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2021.100364.

Smead, Spencer. “America’s Fast Food Obsession - The Colby College Community

Web.” Web.colby.edu, 29 Oct. 2018, https://web.colby.edu/st297-

global18/2018/10/29/americas-fast-food-obsession/.