Recent dacades have witnessed an obvious trend that international fast foods have
gradually taken the place of traditional foods in many regions. Although fast
foods may bring about some direct benefits in people's daily lives, I personally
believe that these foods exert an adverse impact on both families and societies.
It is undeniable that international fast foods, such as hamburgers and fried
chickens, have helped people save time for cooking and extricated them from a
series of complicated cooking processes that are used in cooking traditional
foods. This is especially true when we consider the fact that nowadays more and
more people are participating in the labour market and undertaking an enormous
amount of work. However, the negative effects induced by these fast foods should
not be ignored, since they are, actually or potentially, detrimental to
individuals and societies.
For families, one of the most direct influences induced by fast foods is that
they worsen the quality of people's health. It is widely accepted that
international fast foods have long been criticised as junk food because they
contain a considerable number of calories with high level of heat and fat. If
people get accustomed to eating these foods, they may be easily stricken with
some severe chronic diseases, such as haert disease, high blood pressure, cancers
and of forth. Therefore, these foods, to some extent render people week in
combating diseases.
For societies, the introduction and the growing popularity of international fast
foods, directly and indirectly, takes its toll on the protection of traditional
culture. It is generally acknowledged that the culture of diets and foods is an
indispensable pare of traditional culture, which reflects the unique character
of a nation. If local people prefer to eat fast foods rather than cook
traditional foods, the recipes of traditional foods will gradually disapper.
Consequently, local citizens may lose a sense of cultural identity and social
belonging. Hence, this is unfavourable to the carrying forward of traditional
culture.
To conclude, although international fast foods may provide people with some
direct benefits, they pose a serious threat to people's health and the
preservation of traditional culture. Therefore, people should pay attention to
the negative effects of these fast foods and properly change their diet
structure.