Fast food. It's everywhere. 

    On TV, radio, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, movies. You name it, it probably can relate back to fast food. According to Super Size Me facts, 1 in 4 Americans everyday go to a fast food restaurant, and $110 billion is spent on fast food every year. This is more than people will spend on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined. Something that is really sad in our society is that the most eaten vegetable is the French fry. In America, 40% of people eat their meals outside of their homes. There are more than 300,000 fast food restaurants in the U.S. alone. Also, according to Eric Schlosser from CBS HealthWatch, the reason fast food is so popular is because it's easy, it's filling, and it's convenient and inexpensive. 

    "I go out to fast foods to be with friends and it's pretty expensive if you get the school lunch so eating out just seems better," senior Carl Finnander said. 

    Most fast foods can be eaten while steering the wheel of a car. Fast food restaurants are very well thought out. The seats in fast food restaurants are comfortable but not too comfortable and the colors are bright primary colors, which are designed to make you sit but eventually get up and leave. They don't want you to linger too long. 

    With so many fast food options in Hastings, it is expected that students use these as a quick source of food in their busy schedules.

    "I go and eat at fast food restaurants about twice a week and I go because it's fast and it is a good time to hang out with friends," junior Will Reimer said.

    One of the most common places that HHS students go to is McDonald's. According to Facts from "Fast Food Nation" The golden arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross in the world today. Children often recognize the McDonald's logo before they recognize their own name. 

    "It's sad but it's probably because McDonald's is very popular, low prices, and they are all over," PE teacher Kendra Laux said.

    McDonald's is now the nation's largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes in the U.S. Chicken McNuggets contain beef additives, while McDonald's French fries derive some of their flavor from animal products. McDonald's feeds more than 46 million people a day, which is more than the entire population of Spain. McDonald's operates more than 30,000 restaurants in more then 100 countries on 6 continents. McDonald's represents 43% of total U.S. fast food market. 

    With two McDonald's restaurants in Hastings, it is easily accessible to citizens and students.

    "It's close, fast, cheap, and I'm hungry," senior Sara Nimrod said about why she goes to McDonald's for lunch sometimes.

    Fast food has changed how our society lives. People are so dependent on others preparing and making our food for us. Most nutritionists say you should go to a fast food restaurant only once a month, but so many people in the U.S. go to a fast food restaurant every day for most if not all their meals. Fast food restaurants are fast, easy, and taste good, but think about what you are eating. How much are you eating these processed, salty, and fatty foods? Fast foods are the main reason why our country has the most overweight people in the world. 

    "Fast food has gotten out of hand because they are the main contributors to our obesity problem in America," Laux said. 

    Please when you go out to go get a Big Mac or a Whopper or any other food that is high in fats and calories, try to get something that's healthier on the menu or just don't go to that fast food restaurant at all and enjoy something that's at home.