Fast Food Informative Speech

The Reality of Fast Food
Purpose: To inform my audience the secrets and dangers of the fast food industry.

I. Quote
A. “We have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.”
― Ken Robinson
B. Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of innovation and human resources.
C. In my opinion, I think Robinson means that we have become blinded by how fast we have accepted the fast food industry. We have ignored what really goes on because we do not want to admit it. But if we eat fast food daily, we are trapping ourselves into paying for the effects fast food has on us emotionally and physically. (EX. Depression, weight gain, cholesterol, high blood pressure)
II. Statistics
A. According to pamf.org, there are more than 500,000 fast food places in America with McDonald’s being the biggest fast food chain.
B. Kids between the ages of 6 and 14 eat fast food 157,000,000 times every month. (toys, etc.)
C. Unfortunately, Americans spend nearly $100 billion on fast food every year.
D. McDonalds’ feeds about 45 million people every day all around the world.
E. Close to 60% of Americans are overweight or obese. This can increase the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, and other illnesses.
F. Did you know that the average strawberry milkshake contains over 50 chemicals?
G. People think that fast food just makes you fat. WRONG! You can also develop sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, impotence, high blood pressure, most types of cancer, headache, esophageal reflux, infertility, heart disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, depression, stroke, insulin resistance, asthma, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and lower back pain.

III. Evidence/Examples
A. Dateline NBC, a media outlet, went undercover and looked at the top 10 fast food chains.
B. They found rodents, insects, grime and debris in several places. For example, a man found chewing gum in his taco at a Taco Bell in California. In a Wendy’s in Chicago, they found a trapped rodent decaying in the kitchen.
C. In the famous movie, Supersize Me, John Spurlock eats McDonald’s every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He has many stomach cramps and vomits not too long afterwards. He gains 9.5 pounds after eating their fast food for five days. By the end of the month, he gains a total of 24.5 pound. Spurlock also admits that he is feeling very depressed and feels “out of it”. He loses most of his energy and develops heart palpitations.
D. Personal Experience
IV. How is fast food bad for you?
A. For example, fries are cooked in hydrogenated oils. These oils are used to make the fries last longer in form and taste. But these oils are toxic to the body. They have been linked to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
B. Show Website
Eggs: They are not real eggs. They use a “fake” blend that looks and taste like eggs. Glycerin, a solvent found in soap and shaving cream, is found in the blend. Dimethylpolysiloxane (Silly Putty) is also found in the blend. Calcium silicate, a sealant used on roofs and concrete is found in the blend too.
Salad: Contain propylene glycol to keep the leaves fresh. It can be found in antifreeze and sexual lubricants.
Tomato Sauce: U.S. Food and drug administration says" 30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams" and "1 or more maggot per 100 grams” is allowed.
Chili: Contains silicon dioxide in it which is found in quartz or sand.