Proposal and Literature Review

The topic that I chose to research is the effect that fast food restaurants have on American health. I chose to research this topic because obesity has been an increasing problem in today’s world. Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child, per year, and increases the risk of obesity (Holguin 2003). We have continued to hear how much it is affecting Americans, but people continue to do nothing about it. Fast food makes a major contribution toward obesity. It is an important issue that needs to be further researched. People need to know more about the food that they are getting in the drive-thru, and they need to realize the negative effect that is has on their health. What I really hope to find out is the positive health effects this will have on me. Does cutting out fast food have a major positive effect on my health? Will it positively affect my overall state of well-being?

One topic many researchers focus on with fast food is portion size. The portion sizes at fast food restaurants are much larger than recommended sizes. The cost of the products that these chains use is relatively low. By having low costs, they are able to offer a large amount of food for a decent price. Large portions contribute to overweight in three ways: they provide more calories than smaller portions, encourage people to consume significantly more calories, and to greatly underestimate those calories (Young and Marion 239). The more people eat fast food, the more they get accustomed to these large portion sizes. By taking in a large amount of calories, their bodies become used to this amount, and feel that it is normal. This ultimately leads to obesity. The fast food restaurants do not put food labels on their products so many people do not know how unhealthy the food really is.

Due to our everyday demands in life, America has become much of a convenience culture. And what could be more convenient than fast food? Its name even suggests it. Fast food has become a way of life for Americans. They have taken over every big city, small town, and every street corner. In most cities, you can’t drive more than one mile without seeing the giant lit up sign of a fast food chain. With so many different cuisines to choose from, it is not hard for everyone to find something they like. Hamburgers, fries, pizza, chicken fingers, tacos, milkshakes, and so many other things have become available in just minutes through drive-thru. Even breakfast items have been added to most menus. With the speed and convenience of fast food, Americans are too blind to think about the negative effects. Many people get into the habit of eating fast food, and they begin to rely on it more and more. Convenience is a terrible excuse to eat large amounts of fast food. How long does it really take to prepare a healthy meal at home? Buying healthy foods at the grocery store and preparing meals in advance is not that much work. Today’s society has become too lazy, which is probably why the obesity rate has climbed considerably in the past few decades.

The link between fast food and obesity seems simple enough: Fast food is notoriously high in fats, sugar, salt and calories (Heathtree.com). Figure 1 shows the calories in some of the most popular fast food items. Eating a diet high in these four components can lead to many different health problems along with obesity.   There is nothing nutritious about fast food and their standard ingredients. These products are also made with many preservatives to promote a long shelf life, which you can imagine is awfully unhealthy. Highly processed ingredients help hold consistency and add flavor. The calories people are consuming do not give the necessary energy needed to get through the day. In fact, fast food does just the opposite. The ingredients in fast food cause people to be tired and sluggish. A diet high in saturated fats, sodium, and sugar content leads to obesity. Fast food generally lacks the main food groups of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The food is normally cooked in saturated oil which is also very unhealthy. Obesity can lead to serious health problems such as high cholesterol, and heart disease.

I am an exercise science major and I study a lot about the body and how it functions. I have a good background on personal health and diet. I know that I would be a good person to study and research this topic. I am very interested in personal health and the health of others. I think this research would benefit people who want to become healthier, but do not know how. I hope my research can inspire and persuade people to choose a healthier and better lifestyle.

Lately, I have been eating a lot of fast food. I usually use the excuse that it is more convenient, or that I am too busy to take the time to cook something nutritious and healthy. In my opinion, it is beginning to become a serious problem. I have gained a reasonable amount of weight and I do not feel as healthy as I used to be. I have also stopped exercising as much as I used to, which has contributed to my weight gain. I want to change my lifestyle and cut out all fast food and eating out at restaurants from my diet for the entire month of March. I plan to only eat food that I prepare at home or take with me from home. I will keep a food diary, monitor my weight loss and overall well-being, and record my challenges along the way. I will probably run into many issues in this project. I will have to be conscious about how long I will be on campus and away from home, and have to plan my meals accordingly. I will have to find meals that will not spoil and are practical to take with me. By completing this project, I hope to learn the health effects of not eating fast food. There has been much research done about the negative effects of fast food and its contribution to obesity. However, not much research has been done about the positive heath effects of a diet consisting of no fast food. I want to improve and add to the research about this topic by showing the positive effects of completely removing fast food from a diet. I will be able to show the outcome of my challenge, and I will be able to discover if I feel healthier, and also how it affects my overall well-being.

My Topic Memo

My topic that I chose to research is the effect that fast food restaurants have on American health. I chose to research this topic because obesity has been an increasing problem in today’s world. We have continued to hear how much it is affecting Americans, but people continue to do nothing about it. I believe that fast food is makes a major contribution toward obesity. It is an important issue that needs to be researched more. People need to know more about the food that they are getting in the drive-thru, and they need to realize the negative effect that is has on their health.

Many people make the mistake of only paying attention to exercise when trying to ‘get in shape’. They make the assumption that if they weren’t exercising before, they just need to start exercising to be healthy. That is definitely not the case. Just because someone exercises regularly or does not look obese, does not mean that they are healthy. As the obesity rate continues to climb in the young people of America, I believe that it is important to start changing now before it is too late in life.

I am an exercise science major and I study a lot about the body and how it functions. I have a good background on personal health and diet. I know that I would be a good person to study and research this topic. I am very interested in personal health and the health of others. I think this research would benefit people who want to become healthier, but don’t know how. I hope my research can inspire and persuade people to choose a better lifestyle.

Lately, I have been eating a lot of fast food. I usually use the excuse that it is more convenient, or that I am too busy to take the time to cook something. I think it is beginning to become a problem. I have gained a reasonable amount of weight and I do not feel healthy like I used to be. I have also stopped exercising as much as I used to. I want to change my lifestyle and cut out all fast food and eating out at restaurants from my diet for 30 days. I plan to only eat food that I prepare at home or take with me from home. I will keep a food diary, monitor my weight loss and overall well-being, and record my challenges along the way.

RR #5 Wadsworth Ch. 6-7

          Chapter 6 in the Wadsworth Guide to Research discusses how to read rhetorically. Reading rhetorically means you are paying attention to the context and analyzing the rhetorical situation. When reading something rhetorically, you must be aware of your purpose for reading that specific material. It might be helpful to read the material more than once to understand all of the information. Reading rhetorically requires you to not only understand the context, but to annotate your resources. Annotating is writing on or about something. When reading a resource, you must identify its claim, reasons, and evidence. The claim is the overall point that the resource is making. In other words, its thesis. Reasons are what is used to support the claim, and evidence is needed to show support for the reasons and claims. After reading your resources, you should be able to summarize them. You may also choose to paraphrase, or use direct quotes from your research.
          Chapter 7 talks about tracking and evaluating data. There are four steps to tracking data: verify, copy, respond, and fill gaps. Verifying data helps keep you organized and progress in your research project. You must decide what research you actually need according to your research plan. Once you have verified a resource that you want to use, it is important that you copy it. Making copies of secondary data, and keeping detailed notes on primary data will help you avoid losing any research. Responding to your research entails that you analyze the resource in relation to your research question. The last step, filling the gaps, is when you trace the resources referred to in your research. If you follow a certain author's work, you may be able to find other resources that could be very helpful in your research project.
          I thought these chapters were very helpful. I have not really heard much about these topics in any of my previous English classes. I did not know what reading rhetorically even was. I guess I have always sort of done it, but it helps that the book really explained it. The most helpful thing to me was the section talking about paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. I feel like me, along with many of my peers, have not completely understood the difference between these three ways of recording research. I found the description of these methods very helpful. The information from Chapter 7 was more familiar to me. I feel that I have always followed these steps for the most part when tracking and evaluating my research. However, filling the gaps was one thing I had not heard of. I have not ever really thought of tracing resources used in the research that I have found. This method can be very helpful in finding related material, and I look forward to using this method while conducting my own research.