“Hello, can I take your order?” "Sure, let me have a cup of artificially flavored sugar, a bag of crispy fat, and a heart plug." Everywhere you turn you see a McDonald's, a Burger King or a Wendy's. Eric Scholosser There are more fast food restaurants in America than real grocery stores! Lately, fast food has become a craze. Everyone eats it, even little babies, but do you really know what you're eating? There's a ninety-five percent chance that's not the case. Everyone is guilty of buying fast food and many don't even know the side effects that come with this purchase. The foods we think of as “quick” and “easy” are the same foods that kill people every day. Although eating "fast food" is convenient and saves money, it can also lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, weight gain, and increased risk of heart disease. This article will evaluate the effects of fast food on its consumers. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries as it circulates through your body. This may be too high or too low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one in three American adults (31.3%) have high blood pressure in the United States today. High blood pressure is caused by a variety of factors ranging from sodium and fat consumption to smoking and alcohol consumption. Today's Americans consume too much sodium and fat by regularly eating fast food restaurants. “High blood pressure can cause atherosclerosis, kidney and heart failure, to name a few” (Aiden). Fast food can cause high blood pressure, but that's not the only effect it has on the human body. With a fast food restaurant like McDonald's on every corner, weight gain is a... middle of paper ... It's because I myself am guilty of purchasing and consuming these meals . Yes, these meals are often fatty and loaded with salt or sugar, but please note that everything, if eaten in moderation, is acceptable for the average human being. In the direction society is heading, moderation is the way to go. Heed my advice. Works Cited Aiden, Anton. “Effects of high blood pressure from fast food.” Livestrong. October 19, 2010. 24-34. Carey, Rita E. “Obesity Epidemic Poses Threat to Global Health.” » Green Haven Press, October 2006CDC.GOV. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionKFC.comLinklater, Richard, dir. Fast Food Nation. Fox Searchlight Productions, 2006. DVDSimon, Michele “Even “healthy” choices at fast food restaurants are unhealthy. .” Fast food. Roman Espejo, ed. To the series of numbers. Green Haven Press, 2009. Spurlock, Morgan, dir. Super-size me. Warrior poets. 2004. DVD