Introduction: It is believed that fast food can have a detrimental impact on how we live and what we eat. Based on the overwhelming weight of the evidence I tend to agree with this proposition.

P1: With regard to lifestyle, fast food consumption could contribute to less cooking at home which has the consequence of people not being able to cook in situations without access to fast food. This can have serious problems in terms of culture with certain non-fast food dishes being connected to local traditions. Additionally, if the fast food supply becomes unstable, people will not be able to effectively manage such situations.

P2: Not only does fast food consumption have serious potential consequences for the way people live, it can also have major dietary effects. Foremost amongst these is obesity caused by excessive sugar (in addition to other carbohydrates) consumption and high amounts of added sugar along with other chemical additives, are usually present in practically all fast food products.

P3: Occurring alongside obesity are equally serious comorbidities such as diabetes (also caused by excessive sugar consumption) and heart disease. In addition to being life threatening, these health issues place a serious strain on families, healthcare systems, and general societal well-being.

Conclusion: Taking the aforementioned points together, it is clear that the belief that fast food may have a damaging effect on both our lifestyle and diet is well-founded. These could be seen in the effects on home cooking, various illnesses and their wider influences on society in general.