Why do we eat so much fast food? Some people say it tastes better than healthy food, it's convenient and always available, it's cheap compared to buying groceries, no one has time to cook and my favorite reason; We are bombarded with TV ads for fast food!
TV ads for fast food is a huge contributing factor in our eating choices. Don't believe me? I'll share what is going on in St. Paul Minnesota right now. The first Sonic fast food drive-in opened a week ago. Sonic is brand new for Minnesota – not for me because I grew up in Texas where there's a Sonic in every town.
This Sonic was featured on the news because of the long lines and traffic cops needed to manage all the cars. People were waiting up to three hours to finally taste this fast food. Lines of cars were unbelievable – and people did it all with smiles on their face. Why?
Why did all the customers wait so long and go through so much for this "fast food"?
TV advertising in Minnesota for Sonic for 3 years prior to the big opening! Talk about a marketing plot. Why did they start bombarding us with their Sonic ads years before Minnesotans could eat there?
Pick which answer you think:
1. To get our anticipation up
2. Make Sonic a household name
3. Make us want something we don't and can't have
4. Tease us with the variety of food they offer
5. Make sure the opening was grand and news worthy
All the above and much more is correct.
When Krispy Kreme doughnuts opened in Minnesota people reacted much the same way waiting in long lines etc. Where's Krispy Kreme donuts now? Not here. See they didn't start bombarding us with TV ads three years before they opened. Would that have made a difference? Who knows but Sonic is not taking any chances. They want to make the upper Midwest love their food. I can imagine the number of ads we will see.
Of course Sonic is not the same as other fast food chains — servers deliver food on roller skates, and you drive-in and eat in your car.
We do have some responsibility for what we eat of course, but being bombarded by fast-food ads all the time doesn’t help. They do have some responsibility in this.
Eating well and eating healthy CAN be the same thing. Preparing good foods starts at home. We need to start there. The “fast” foods that we think we are addicted to, needs to be a treat, or a rare thing. Fruits & vegetables are the key. And just so you know, it’s been 6 months since I had any fast food, my last Burger King meal did not go down easy and the way I felt the next day will help keep me on my "no fast food bandwagon."
For the Sonic and fast food lovers out there – don't take this message personal – it's your choice what and where to eat. I for one used to love Sonic foods – I grew up with it but that was before I really put thought into food and health. Having a child also made me change my ways with food. If you aren't thinking about eating healthy to stay healthy I will not try to convince you otherwise – it's your choice.
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I too try to stay away from fast food, but I haven't been quite as disciplined as you - I believe I had a Big Mac about a month ago, and it tasted very good. But like you said, the next day you just don't feel right. It's funny how the body can adapt to having fast food frequently, and on the other hand when you eat real, healthy foods as a rule and then have junk food, the body also lets you know it's not sitting too well. We need to listen to our body's signals. Great article as always Robin
ReplyDeleteHi Chris (wildcatsthree)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great "honest" comment about fast food. One of the hardest things for me was not giving in when my son got hungry and crabby. Now he knows we will eat from home and he's ok with it.
Thanks for sharing - we always enjoy your comments!
Robin
Finally someone who writes the truth. I know about the fast foods ads being a reason people eat so poorly. I was in marketing for 20 years and can say this is exactly why you see so many TV and internet ads for Mcdonalds and the all the others.
ReplyDeleteI happen to love Sonic and I'm a fast food junkie. I know it's not good for me but hey I only go round once.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts and I agree with everything. I wish more people would just stop eating junk and eat food our grandparents ate.
ReplyDeleteMost people might not agree with this comment but anyone who eats that garbage deserves what they get; high blood-pressure, clogged arteries, and early death. Just like smokers you are paying for your own early death so enjoy it while you can! If a 30 second TV ad can make you rush to a fast-food outlet and jam big macs, sugar water and lard-soaked fries down your throat then I wouldn't trust you to watch my dog since if you saw animal abuse on TV your weak mind would probably have you repeating it. By proposing that advertisers share responsibility for individual's eating patterns you are admitting that people are too stupid to understand what they are doing to their health. I don't have a problem with that except I end up paying part of their health care in the end. I'm a natural bodybuilder and I eat clean all the time and love doing it.
ReplyDelete