How to Combat Gluttony/Fast Food

Gluttony - habitual greed or excess in eating.

Let me begin by explaining why I will fail to persuade you of anything: You can only persuade yourself.

This article is about gluttony. The modern-day philosophy of life seems to be very simple - obtain as much as possible while conserving as much as possible. Our minds have been conquered by this thinking and businessmen know it. In 2007, The New York Times published an article titled Anywhere the Eye Can See, It's Likely to See an Ad. Unless you are fine with disconnecting from society, you can't escape advertising.

What is the universal message of these ads: Buy while saving money!!! They want to convince you that their product is not only superior to their competitors but is also cheaper (or more cost-effective). It's easy to see why gluttony has become a pillar in modern societies.

How much does it cost to drive to McDonalds and purchase a 'value-meal'? This depends on what you want of course, but nothing is over $10. There are several reasons for this:

- Convenience 

- Low quality food which has been pumped full of chemicals to taste good

- High profit margins on soda. This is an exert from Fast Food Nation: “Today McDonald’s sells more Coca-Cola than anyone else in the world. The fast food chains purchase Coca-Cola syrup for about $4.25 a gallon. A medium Coke that sells for $1.29 contains roughly $.09 worth of syrup. Buying a large Coke for $1.49 instead, as the cute girl behind the counter always suggests, will add another 3 cents worth of syrup — and another 17 cents in pure profit for McDonald’s.” (pg 54)

- Minimum wage (or slightly above) employees

- High profit margins for corporate leaders

You're purchasing convenience. That convenience allows justification for the amount you pay. HOWEVER, this justification is full of fallacies. You're filling yourself with unhealthy food in gigantic proportions, supporting the geographical domination of fast food joints (which inhibits small restaurants from becoming successful) and you're not enjoying your meal. Sure, you may enjoy the instant gratification the specifically engineered chemicals give you, but it's an illusion. Your mind enjoys it, your body doesn't. Eventually, once you've realized, that is, your mind realizes, the effects fast food has had on your body, you'll come to the conclusion that fast food has indeed mislead you.

Remember, I cannot convince you of this - you must convince yourself. Combating gluttony is all about taking a second to think about the consequences of your decisions and how they will play a role in your future. Our society is full of mindless, automated thinking. The marketers do all of the thinking for us and we follow their lead. DON'T be a drone. Think for yourself. Realize that if we're going to change as a culture, we have to begin on the individual level.

Thank you for your time!