What’s Going Into Your Mouth?

By: Yusuf Usman

Do you think that people know what they are putting in their mouths? Let’s find out!

Just yesterday a man was spotted eating at the popular fast food chain McDonald’s. On his tray was a Quarter Pounder Burger. By it’s name you can tell that it weighs 1/4 of a pound. All around him the restaurant was crowded with people eating sandwiches bigger than their faces and drinking carbonated diabetes. This may sound fictitious to you, but this is real, and it’s happening everywhere.

According to Fox News, 76% of Americans say that fast-food is “not good for you”. Yet 8/10 Americans eat fast-food monthly and 50% of Americans consume it weekly. What I’m trying to say here is that Americans just don’t care. Why, because fast-food is cheap, appetizing, and convenient. Sometimes, it is someones only option when they can’t afford anything else, are on the road, or have no patience waiting to eat lunch.

Based on some research done at the Islamic School of San Diego people know what they are eating, but don’t care. They don’t care because they don’t really know what other harmful things junk food could cause. It causes obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease. This may seem like a lot, but it is only a handful of all the possibilities. Even the most common food items such as Takis could cause very severe diseases. For example, excessive amounts of Takis causes liver disease.

Even after all this knowledge, people continue to put fast food at the #1 income of money for some states. It’s because they can’t do anything about it; but let me tell you something. Whether you can’t afford it or are impatient, there are still some things that are in your control to fight this, like, you could slowly cut back on consumption. Try to eat as little of this stuff as possible. Try to eat most of your meals at home, where you know what you’re eating. It may take some effort, but try. You could spend less  at fast-food and more on ingredients for meals. Check your bank account and look at how much is spent of fast food each month. Try to bring that number down by spending money at the supermarket instead of at McDonald’s. You may even have to spend more, but in the end your body will thank you. Lastly, you should bring food from home outside. Restaurants are convenient, but instead you could prepare something at home and bring it outside instead of eating out. With these 3 steps you could maintain a healthier lifestyle and know the age old question, “What’s Going Into Your Mouth?”