FOOD AND HEALTH
In Barranquilla, the majority of teenagers prefer to eat fast foods, because of its price, taste or how fast it is to be prepared. Even though they know it’s not healthy for their bodies to eat on a daily basis, they ignore the warnings and continue to do so. In addition, a great number of restaurants where they serve these products, do not use ingredients in good conditions, staff that fully know the correct way in which these foods have to be prepared, or a clean environment to cook either.
As a result of these factors altogether, people have ended up in the hospital, due to intoxication, food poisoning, allergies, a disease transmitted from the meat of an animal, or a bacteria coming from a poorly washed vegetable. On the other hand, you could get less threatening symptoms, like diarrhea, vomit, fatigue, dizziness, etc.
Not only you have to worry about the place, but also because of the amount that is going to be eaten and how often you do it.
Another alarming facet of this is the generalization of the consumption of these foods. An example of this, is when you go out with your friends and the first thing they suggest is most likely than not, a fast food restaurant, and a majority of the arguments given about why it was chosen, it’s because it’s cheaper, everyone likes it, or that it is in fact, fast.
It could be true, but healthier alternatives do exist, healthy foods are not that expensive, for every junk food habit, there exists a much more nourishing counterpart. Or if you simply can’t convince them, you could always go to your house and offer to make them a healthy, home-made and warm dish.
By Laura Cadena, Step 10.
