Fast food- a convenience that so many Americans rely on when they’re hungry, yet short on time or money. Although it’s prepared quickly and cheaply, we still enjoy eating it. But would people feel the same way if they knew what their food was really made of, or what it’s doing to our bodies? In college, it is especially easy for students to depend on fast food to get them throughout their days, since they have tight budgets and busy schedules. What these students do not realize is that their grades, and social/academic lives can suffer due to the amount of fast food they eat.

Fast food chains use appealing descriptions to help sell their food such as “crisp, juicy, fresh”, but these words are deceiving and cover up the truth behind what you’re really consuming. Meat, bones, and tissue are mixed together into what is known as “mechanically separated meat” and this mixture then becomes the meat in burgers, tacos, etc. Ammonia, a chemical that can be found in fertilizer and cleaning agents, is added to the mechanically separate meat. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is also found in fertilizers, yet is used by fast food chains for the purpose of adding flavor and seasoning. Some known side effects of MSG include headaches, nausea, and chest pain. Dyes that are linked to behavioral problems in children as well as cancer are still being used for the purpose of coloring foods and drinks. If restaurants included these ingredients in the descriptions of their menu items, do you think Americans would be so easily ready to continue to purchase them? A major problem faced by Americans is that we do not realize what is really in the processed foods we are consuming, and therefore we continue to eat them, unaware of the harm they do to our bodies.

Although people most likely know that fast food is linked to gaining weight, they are not aware of all the other side effects it has on the human body. With too much weight gain comes obesity, which is linked to asthma and sleep apnea. Mentally, fast food effects the body by causing depression and decreasing a person’s memorization/learning abilities. Carbs and sugars take a toll on the body’s skin and bones by causing acne, cavities, and increasing the risk of developing osteoporosis- a condition in which bones become weak and brittle. Other effects of fast food that you may not be able to tell just from someone’s physical appearance include diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and spikes in blood sugar. When you stop to think about it, you realize that the satisfaction you get from one cheeseburger or one order of fries is not worth all of the health issues these foods can cause. It is also important to realize that we should not put anything into our bodies with ingredients that we cannot pronounce, or that were meant for other purposes, such as cleaning. Cutting fast food from your diet can help you live a healthier, happier lifestyle with more energy and less risk of diseases, illnesses, and other health problems. 

Those negative side effects of fast food are all able to be avoided in the long run by college students who choose to give up fast food and opt for healthier alternatives instead. Because price and convenience are two very important factors to college students, fast food is an appealing option. On average, college students consume 6 to 8 fast food meals each week, which is more than enough to create health problems. In a study done at Ohio State University by Kelly M. Purtell, students who ate fast food once a day showed slower growth in math, reading, and science. Although this study was conducted with middle school students, the same effects can be seen in college students.

 College-aged students are transitioning between childhood and adulthood, and the decisions they make can have an influence on the rest of their adult lives, especially when it comes to how they treat their bodies and what they choose to consume. By eating nutritious foods instead of processed foods full of chemicals, young adults can make sure that even as they age, they will remain in shape and healthy. Besides these long-term benefits, college students who choose to eat a healthy balanced diet will also see positive effects during the time that they are still in school. Their learning and memory will be benefited and their IQ level and cognitive abilities will be higher than that of students who consume fast food. Students will also be happier, get along with other students more easily, and face less stress by avoiding fast food. Something as simple as cutting fast food from their diet can make it so much easier for students to get a good education and be successful in whatever they pursue. Students face enough stress from classes, assignments, extracurricular activities, etc., that they would never choose to deal with more stress. Sometimes, this stress will lead students to binge eat fast food, but if they knew exactly how they would be affected, they would most likely stop consuming fast food find another way to get rid of their stress. 

In the United States, we see fast food restaurants everywhere we go. In fact, Google maps shows that there are almost 50,000 fast food chains in America alone. With such easy access to it, no wonder fast food is so popular among Americans. Although we can’t stop everyone from their habit of eating fast food, a simple fix could help create a significant decrease in the number of students who eat fast food. In a study done in California, students who went to school less than half a mile from fast food chains ate less fruits and vegetables, drank more soda, and were more likely to be obese. If fast food chains were not in such a close radius to schools, students would be much less likely to choose those places to eat at. Many high school students do not have a license or car, and many college students, especially freshman, go to college without a car. Therefore, they are very limited in their options for eating out, and who would really want to walk several miles for a cheap fry or burger? Even so, those who did decide to walk to a fast food chain would have a further distance to walk, thus burning off more calories which would help decrease obesity rates among adolescents. 
