Many of us eat up to four meals a day thanks to excessive snacking. And when we have a snack, we don't eat a carrot or an apple. Instead, we reach for junk food. But this is not always the children's fault. Schools are full of vending machines that offer high calorie snacks and sugary soft drinks. To make things worse, they are bombarded with TV ads and commercials for unhealthy food. An average American eight-year old watches more than four thousand food ads a year. About 35% of these ads are for candy and snacks, another 10% for fast food.


Fast food is another reason for obesity. While some fast food chains offer healthy alternatives, these aren't what people order. Today's families also eat out a lot more than earlier generations.



"Fast Food" by Awais JIBRAN is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 .



Vending machine with snacks in Hong Kong

Images : Waoceanu, CC BY-SA 3.0,
via Wikimedia Commons


Words

  • ad = short word for "advertisement"
  • average = normal
  • bombard = hit
  • carrot = a long, pointed orange vegetable that grows underground
  • eat out = go to a restaurant instead of eating at home
  • excessive = too much
  • fast food chain = fast food stores that have the same name
  • fault = someone is to blame
  • obesity = having too much weight
  • reach = get, eat
  • soft drink = a cold drink that does not have any alcohol in it
  • thanks to = because of
  • vending machine = a machine from which you get drinks, cigarettes and something to eat by putting money into it