Dear Mr. President,

I noticed that Americans have began to become unhealthy. As a country we have been eating a staggering amount of very unhealthy foods. The main source of this bad food is fast food. We have been chowing down on fast, greasy food. We would rather eat an over processed burger than a salad with lean protein thrown in. Americans are at a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks than ever before. We eat way too many sugars, fats, and salts. Now, I know that most of the food tastes good but it is still unhealthy. Fast food companies do not pay attention to the research conducted on what is healthy and what is not, proving the fact that we need to take a stand and make the companies offer more healthy options.

I started by looking at the number of obese kids in our country. From the ages of 6-11 there is 18% of kids that are obese. That is nearly ⅕ of that population. Also out of all of the population between the ages of 12 and 19, 21% of them are obese. This needs to change. I have looked into why the kids are getting obese and found that it is an excess intake of unnatural sugar, salt and saturated fat. Kids don’t always realize just how bad the food is that they are eating. Most just think that if it tastes good then it must be good for you. In my opinion we can prevent that excess intake easily.

Most people are starting to figure out how bad fast food is. They have started to turn towards more natural options like free range chicken and salads. People don’t want to put greasy, fat loaded food into their bodies anymore. They want fast food joints to start selling healthier options. That is why fast food visits in America have lowered 3% in the last Quarter and fast-casual has risen 8%. Fast food companies are starting to see that. Many have taken some ingredients out like high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Chick-fil-a took out high-fructose corn syrup in their buns. Carl’s Jr. started offering all-natural options and that is going very well.

There are many health risks involved with eating too much junk food. Fast foods with too many calories will raise people’s risk of cancer by 11%. That is scaring considering 49% of the population eats less than one fresh meal per day. Some eat less than 1 fresh meal per week. I know that when I eat fast food my body feels terrible. But when I eat fresh foods I feel great. And I am almost positive the rest of the country would agree with me. Our country needs more fresh and healthy food options.

Mr. President, our country is depending on you to keep us healthy. We are ready to support you in any efforts you make to make us further our well being. If you don’t help us we will turn into fat, lazy, space wasting Americans. If you do help us we will be very grateful because you helped get our eating habits back on track. You should start a nationwide campaign to promote healthier eating so that America can be healthier and stronger than ever. Do you Mr. President understand the consequences if you don’t fix our eating habits?

Sincerely,

Matthew S.