fast food advantages essay

IELTS Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food

Updated On Nov 06, 2023

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Here is a step-by-step guide to write such essays in writing task -1..

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Task 2 of IELTS Writing is similar for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General. In this task, you will be expected to write an essay on a given topic. Different types of essays are given in the exam, advantages and disadvantages essay being one of them. Here, we will go through a sample answer of the IELTS essay on advantages and disadvantages of fast food.

Before proceeding to the sample answer, it is best to learn some ways to achieve a band score of 8 for Writing Task 2 that will help you write your own essay on the topic.

• Understand the Prompt: Read the essay prompt carefully and ensure you comprehend the topic. Identify whether you are required to discuss advantages, disadvantages, or both.
• Brainstorm Ideas: Spend a few minutes brainstorming points for each aspect (advantages and disadvantages) of the topic. Jot down key ideas and examples that support your arguments.
• Plan Your Essay: Create a rough outline for your essay. Decide on the structure, including how many paragraphs you’ll have and the main points for each section.
• Write the Introduction: Start with a clear and concise introduction. Mention that you will discuss both advantages and disadvantages in your essay. Provide a brief overview of your main points.
• Develop the Body Paragraphs: Dedicate one or two paragraphs to each aspect (advantages and disadvantages). Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main point. Follow with supporting details, examples, and explanations.
• Address Each Point: Balance your discussion of advantages and disadvantages, giving roughly equal attention to both unless the prompt specifies otherwise.
• Write a Conclusion: Summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. Restate your position on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa. Provide a final thought or recommendation, if appropriate.
• Proofread and Edit: Carefully review your essay for grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling errors. Ensure that your sentences are clear and concise. Check that your essay meets the word count requirement.

Now, let us learn how to frame an essay using the above-mentioned steps.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task .

Write at least 250 words.

Nowadays people have greater access to fast food. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Advantages – Disadvantages Essay

Introduction

Paraphrase the topic of the essay and mention that the essay will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages.

Paragraph 1: Advantages of access to fast food

Paragraph 2: Disadvantages of access to fast food

Conclusion 

Clearly restate points covered in the essay.

Sample Answer 1 

The traction towards fast food has been on the rise for the past few years. As a result, fast-food outlets have mushroomed in every corner of the world. This essay will discuss both sides of this inclination and highlight how the disadvantages of the rampant availability of fast foods outweigh the advantages.

On the bright side, the availability of fast food is a boon to the working population as well as people who live alone away from home. Nowadays, it is quite common for spouses to go outside to work. Consequently, the easy access to these foods makes life easier for them as they juggle their office and home chores . Moreover, these convenience foods are economical and delectable if bought from appropriate places. Therefore, they are the best alternatives for healthy food, which is sometimes exorbitant .

However, unbridled accessibility and consumption of fast foods have an array of adverse effects. Firstly, it affects the health of the consumer and raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases, dental problems, etc. Obesity is one of the major side effects of these foods. Secondly, the innumerable ways of obtaining fast food is making people sluggish . For example, due to online delivery options like Zomato, Swiggy, etc., people do not have to go out to eat. This makes them dependent on these apps and gradually, they give up cooking and become torpid . Lastly, overconsumption of fast foods can lead to mental issues like depression and anxiety, as argued by many scientific researchers. They claim as people are more inclined towards eating fast foods, they do not maintain a healthy lifestyle, which contributes to these issues.

In the end, even though fast foods are easy to cook, inexpensive and readily available, greater access to them certainly has more pitfalls than gains.

• Traction (noun)

Meaning: the extent to which something new becomes popular

E.g: His debut album gained a lot of traction.

• Mushroomed (verb)

Meaning: increase, spread, or develop rapidly

E.g: Beauty salons have mushroomed in our village in the past two years.

• Rampant (adjective)

Meaning: happening a lot or becoming worse, usually in a way that is out of control

E.g: The rampant poaching of animals and birds has led to biodiversity loss in many places.

• Boon (noun)

Meaning: a thing that is helpful or beneficial

E.g: The construction of the dam is a boon to the nearby villages.

• Chores (noun)

Meaning: a job or piece of work that needs to be done regularly

E.g: I divide the chores equally among all members of the household.

• Exorbitant (adjective)

Meaning: much more than is reasonable

E.g: The supermarket charges an exorbitant price for most items it sells.

• Unbridled (adjective)

Meaning: unrestrained

E.g: Letting the tiger roam unbridled in the forest can be dangerous to the nearby villages.

• Sluggish (adjective)

Meaning: lacking in energy; lazy

E.g: My son has become sluggish.

• Torpid (adjective)

Meaning: not active

E.g: Most students in our high school are torpid.

• Pitfall (noun)

Meaning: problem that is likely to happen

E.g: There are pitfalls of using cars on these roads.

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Sample Answer 2 (320 words)

In today’s fast-paced world, access to fast food has become more convenient than ever before. This essay will explore both the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.

One of the primary advantages of greater access to fast food is convenience. Fast food restaurants are widely available, often 24/7, allowing people to grab a quick meal on their way to work or when they have a busy schedule.

Another advantage is the affordability of fast food. In comparison to dining at traditional restaurants, fast food is usually more budget-friendly. Families on a tight budget often find it economical to choose fast food as an occasional dining option.

Furthermore, fast food establishments often offer a variety of menu choices. This allows consumers to select from a range of options, catering to diverse tastes and dietary preferences.

On the flip side, greater access to fast food can lead to health-related problems. Many fast food items are high in calories, unhealthy fats, and sugar, which can contribute to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Excessive consumption of fast food has been linked to various health issues, making it a concerning aspect of this accessibility.

Another disadvantage is the environmental impact of the fast food industry. The production and distribution of fast food contribute to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and excessive waste generation. This has a detrimental effect on the environment and contributes to climate change.

Moreover, the convenience of fast food may lead to a decline in home-cooked meals. As more people opt for the ease of fast food, traditional cooking skills may erode, resulting in a loss of cultural culinary traditions and diminished family bonding over meals.

In conclusion, while greater access to fast food offers convenience, affordability, and menu diversity, it also presents significant disadvantages such as health concerns, environmental issues, and a potential decline in home cooking. Whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages largely depends on an individual’s choices and lifestyle.

• Convenience (Noun)

Meaning: Suitable for one’s needs; making life easier.

Eg: The convenience of online shopping has revolutionized the way we shop.

• Budget-friendly (Adjective)

Meaning: Cost-effective; not expensive.

Eg: The local farmer’s market offers budget-friendly organic produce.

• Diverse (Adjective)

Meaning: Showing a great deal of variety; different.

Eg: The city’s cultural festival showcased diverse traditions from around the world.

• Obesity (Noun)

Meaning: Excessive body weight often associated with health issues.

Eg: Childhood obesity is a growing concern in many developed countries.

• Deforestation (Noun)

Meaning: The action of clearing forests, often for agricultural purposes.

Eg: Deforestation has led to the loss of many endangered species’ habitats.

• Culinary (Adjective)

Meaning: Relating to the practice or skills of cooking.

Eg: The culinary school offers a wide range of cooking courses.

• Erode (Verb)

Meaning: Gradually destroy or diminish something over time.

Eg: The constant exposure to water eroded the coastline.

• Cultural Traditions (Phrase)

Meaning: The customs, beliefs, and practices passed down within a society.

Eg: Preserving cultural traditions is essential for maintaining a sense of identity.

Also, check:

• IELTS Writing Actual Test & Band 8.0 Advantage/Disadvantage Essay – Topic: Travel
• IELTS Writing Actual Test In 2016 & Band 8.0 Sample Advantage/Disadvantage Essays
• IELTS Advantage/Disadvantage Essay Of Band 8.5 – Topic: Traffic & Accommodation
• IELTS Writing Actual Test & Band 9.0 Advantage/Disadvantage Essay – Topic: Gap Year
• IELTS Writing Actual Test In April 2016 – Band 8.5 Advantage/Disadvantage Essay
• Academic IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic & Band 8.5 Advantage/Disadvantage Essay

Practice IELTS Writing Task 1 based on report types

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IELTS Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food: Tips to Write

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Updated on 13 April, 2023

Mrinal Mandal

Study abroad expert.

Want to practice the IELTS essay on advantages and disadvantages of fast food? This is one of the common topics for the IELTS essay. Do not devote more than forty minutes to this assignment. You should maintain a minimum word count of 250 words. There is no upper limit, but that does not mean that you go overboard and write a few thousand words! Stick to a logical and coherent essay that crisply articulates your opinion.

Table of Contents

Popular study abroad destinations, ielts essay on advantages and disadvantages of fast food- samples.

Question-  The advantages and disadvantages of fast food . 

Essay 1- 

Fast food has steadily become an intrinsic component of our daily lives, and while it keeps attaining popularity, there is a need to review its advantages and disadvantages. 

We cannot deny that fast food ushers in lifestyle ailments and health problems for its consumers and society. Fast food contains lipids in excessive amounts, which are harmful chemical substances that people should ideally stay away from. With the growing consumption of fast food, people keep adding more lipids to their bodies, leading to obesity and a lower inclination towards exercising and physical activities. Eating excessive fast food also increases blood cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol) and causes major ailments like heart disease. 

While it has its clear disadvantages, fast food has still attained more popularity owing to its widespread benefits. In modern times, with hectic schedules to meet, most people lack the time and energy to prepare home-cooked meals. They consume fast food conveniently at competitive prices, offering sufficient nourishment and energy to sustain long working hours. At the same time, fast food has a unique and compelling taste that stimulates food lovers to indulge it. Fast food is also prepared hygienically in most cases while being a blessing for busy working people who barely have time to sit down and eat their meals, let alone prepare them! Studies have also shown that consuming fast food in smaller amounts periodically can boost immunity and enhance the appetite of individuals. Many fast foods also incorporate healthier items, including vegetables, herbs and even salads, which ensure some minerals and vitamins in the daily diet. 

Thus, it can be concluded that fast food has its own set of advantages and disadvantages though the onus to regulate consumption rests with consumers. While fast food offers great taste and convenience, it does bring health issues in the long run. Hence, regulating consumption and adopting a balanced approach is the best solution in this regard. (317 words)

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Essay 2- 

Fast-food consumption has increased exponentially in recent years. Many people encourage fast food consumption, stating that it offers better taste, enhances the appetite, and comes with certain healthy ingredients. At the same time, another cross-section warns of the impending health issues sparked by excessive consumption of fast food, including higher blood cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease. It is important to discuss both arguments objectively to conclude. 

There are numerous advantages of fast food that cannot be ignored. Firstly, fast food can be consumed easily since it is prepared quickly and sold almost everywhere. Secondly, many people do not have sufficient time to prepare meals at home. They depend on readily available and pocket-friendly fast food for their daily dose of energy and nutrition. At the same time, it is not always the case that fast food companies use only unhealthy ingredients. Many fast food items make use of healthy vegetables, organic elements, herbs, and other ingredients at times. Thirdly, fast food consumers vouch for the riot of flavours that enrich their taste buds, thereby increasing their appetite and inculcating a love for food in their minds. 

However, the disadvantages of fast food cannot be ignored. Fast food is often prepared with unhealthy lipids and fats, which we unknowingly keep adding to our bodies. Fast food can make us overweight or obese while leading to issues with blood cholesterol, heart ailments and more. Fast food can sometimes impact the liver as well. It has also led to the slow death of many home-cooked recipes that have been consumed traditionally across households. 

To sum up the argument, fast food has its drawbacks and advantages. The best way out is to consume fast food in limited amounts every month for starters and emphasize on preparing healthy home-cooked meals with fresh ingredients. The Government and other authorities can also consider implementing minimum health standards to make fast food less harmful from a long-term perspective. (320 words) 

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Fast food IELTS sample essay with vocabulary

Our band nine sample essays give you the opportunity to learn from successful essays that show off the best structure, vocabulary and grammar. This IELTS essay on fast food gives the advantages and disadvantages of this type of meal.

Band nine sample essay

Fast food is increasingly popular in large cities. compare the advantages and disadvantages of this type of food and give your own opinion. .

Despite many healthy eating campaigns, demand for junk food has skyrocketed in recent years. In this essay, I will explore the advantage that this food is affordable with the disadvantage to consumers’ health. 

To begin, fast food allows people to grab a quick bite to eat without spending too much money. As the world has been hit by inflation and stagnant wage growth over the last year, more and more consumers have been unable to find affordable meals on the go . If someone finds themselves in this situation, fast food can help them to afford to eat. Furthermore, for parents, who are deeply affected by price rises, many fast food restaurants have multi-buy meal deals which are suitable for a whole family and which can help them cope. 

However, regular fast food consumption is damaging for those who eat it. Because these foods are prepared in bulk , they rarely use fresh ingredients and often use additives, which can have a negative impact on people’s health. Furthermore, as the quality of the ingredients cannot be high while keeping prices low, these foods often rely on sugar and fats to make them taste better than they otherwise would. For example, compared to an organic homemade burger, a burger from a fast food chain is likely to be full of chemicals, use poor quality meat and bread, and use more sugar and fat than is necessary.

To conclude, fast food is beneficial as it helps people to eat without breaking the bank . However, it also can be damaging to consumer’s health. For me, given that for many, the alternative to fast food is to not be able to afford to eat, fast food has more advantages than disadvantages.

Fast Food vocabulary

There is a lot of vocabulary you need to write an essay about fast food. I have highlighted some of the important terms from the essay below, but keep an eye out for other essays as there is more to know.

Related posts

Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Response to post 1

Response to post 2, works cited, multiple questions.

The popularity of fast foods is increasing, as reflected by the growing fast food industry. This is because of the convenience that comes with buying fast foods. Most campuses are surrounded by fast-food restaurants as most students prefer fast food to home-cooked food. There have been debates on the effects that fast foods have on on-campus students. This paper will explain the gains and drawbacks of fast foods on campus (Walker).

The most obvious advantage is that fast food help to save time. Time is one of the most valuable assets to focus on students. Having meals in between classes is made possible with the availability of fast food. After a busy day in school, students are able to get ready food without much hustle. Although fresh food is healthier than fast food, a burger or pizza will be a stroke of luck after a tiresome day in school.

To prepare fresh food, one has to shop for ingredients, cook, and wash the utensils, which are time-consuming for a busy student who might be having assignments or notes to read. Apart from saving time, fast food helps in cutting costs. The cost of some fast foods like burgers is relatively cheap hence affordable to students. Most fast foods are also healthy, for example, salads, lean meat, wheat bread, boiled food, fruit juice, and low-fat milk (Walker).

Fast food has some negative impact on on-campus students, one of them being on their health. Fast food contains a large amount s of calories, salt, and fats, which is a threat to a student’s life. These fats accumulate in the body and result in obesity, high blood pressure, and heart diseases. Most students also tend to make eating fast food a habit that they cannot do without. This, in turn, makes the students lazy to cook fresh food even when they have time. They are also unable to adopt a home cooking culture in the future when they get families (Walker).

In conclusion, fast food is a modern technique that facilitates ready food when most needed. It is necessary for students to take into consideration their gains and drawbacks to ensure an effective lifestyle.

The classmate has pointed out that fast-food restaurants provide a quick and convenient means of provision of food. The classmate has outlined the following advantages of fast foods in the university system. One of the advantages is that fast-food restaurants are convenient since students do not necessarily have to worry about access to foods. Also, the classmate mentions that fast-food restaurants save students time, especially when they have a tight schedule and they do not have time to look for normal foods.

The third advantage is that fast-food restaurants save students the burden of carrying packed lunch as they go to school. On the other hand, fast foods do have disadvantages. The classmate mentions that fast foods make students possess poor eating habits that lead to intestinal problems. Finally, the classmate identifies that fat foods are expensive in the long run and may lead to students forgetting their nutritional requirements.

The classmate points out that fast-food restaurants are indeed beneficial when the university does not have many restaurants. The student explains how one feels relaxed due to the contentment that, after classes, one can be able to grab something to bite. The classmate mentions that students usually feel less distracted while doing tests compared to incidences when they are hungry and doing exams. The classmate mentions that the overall advantage of fast foods is the availability of foods. On the other hand, a classmate mentions that fast foods lead to obesity among university students who eat from fast-food restaurants. The classmate argues that junk foods lead to an imbalance of nutrients in the body.

Walker, John Introduction to Hospitality. Upper Saddle River: Publisher Prentice Hall Higher Education, 2008. Print.

• Everything the guest sees.
• Remembering the names of your guests.
• Guest covers and average guest check.
• Average check total per person.
• All of the above.
• It is based on the expected volume of business.
• Everything the customer does not see.
• Inventory control.
• Foodservice is the primary business.
• Being able to predict the number of meals and portion sizes.
• Food pyramid.
• Business and Industry.
• Leisure and recreation foodservice industry.
• Resources and support available.
• Fast-Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity in the USA
• Fast Food, Fat Profits: Obesity in America
• Saudi East Burger Company's Marketing Plan
• Fast-Food Restaurants as a Minor Cause of Obesity
• Burger King vs. McDonald's: Turning Things Around
• Fast Food History and Global Presence
• Obesity in Hispanic Adolescents and Fast Food
• Fast Food, Obesity, Depression, and Other Issues
• Fast Food Ban Necessity in Schools
• Fast Food Consumption in New Jersey (United States)
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, January 22). Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fast-food-in-campus-advantages-and-disadvantages/

"Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages." IvyPanda , 22 Jan. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/fast-food-in-campus-advantages-and-disadvantages/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages'. 22 January.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages." January 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fast-food-in-campus-advantages-and-disadvantages/.

1. IvyPanda . "Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages." January 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fast-food-in-campus-advantages-and-disadvantages/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages." January 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fast-food-in-campus-advantages-and-disadvantages/.

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IELTS Essay: Traditional Foods and Fast Food

by Dave | Real Past Tests | 10 Comments

This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay on the topic of traditional and fast food from the real IELTS exam.

Be sure to sign up for my Patreon here so that you don’t miss out on any other sample answers.

In many countries, traditional foods are being replaced by fast food. This has a negative impact on families, individuals and society.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The rise of fast food globally is often thought to have an injurious impact on families, individuals, and society at large. In my opinion, fast food is a negative overall despite some tangible benefits.

The advantages of fast food vary according to the segment of society in question. Individuals get enjoyment out of fast food, the clearest evidence of which is its popularity. Fast food is also relatively cheap and, as its name suggests, saves time. For families, the advantages are similar. In many working-class families, parents spend at a lot time and energy at their jobs and do not have the luxury of preparing a nutritious, time-consuming meal for their children. Fast food is therefore a necessary, viable alternative. Finally, society benefits in a general sense because of the employment opportunities. Fast food restaurants employ thousands of, admittedly, lowly paid workers and is a safe transitional job for students and struggling individuals.

Regardless, the negative impact of fast food is greater. Though people enjoy the taste and convenience of fast food, they are doing irreparable harm to both their short and long-term health. Research has shown that the high fat and sugar content in fast food not only affects daily energy levels but also contributes to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. These same health risks extend to families, with the added caveat that children are forming potentially life-long bad habits. Society also suffers from the growth of the fast food industry as local businesses lose revenue to these international conglomerates that enrich primarily the already wealthy or foreign nationals.

In conclusion, despite the benefits related to convenience and economics that fast food brings, the health drawbacks should serve as strong deterrents for countries looking to encourage these industries.

1. The rise of fast food globally is often thought to have an injurious impact on families, individuals, and society at large. 2. In my opinion, fast food is a negative overall despite some tangible benefits.

• Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
• Write a clear opinion and include some hints at your main ideas. Read more about conclusions here .

1. The advantages of fast food vary according to the segment of society in question. 2. Individuals get enjoyment out of fast food, the clearest evidence of which is its popularity. 3. Fast food is also relatively cheap and, as its name suggests, saves time. 4. For families, the advantages are similar. 5. In many working-class families, parents spend at a lot time and energy at their jobs and do not have the luxury of preparing a nutritious, time-consuming meal for their children. 6. Fast food is therefore a necessary, viable alternative. 7. Finally, society benefits in a general sense because of the employment opportunities. 8. Fast food restaurants employ thousands of, admittedly, lowly paid workers and is a safe transitional job for students and struggling individuals.

• Write a clear topic sentence with your main idea at the end.
• Explain you main idea and focus on one category.
• Develop that category.
• Switch to families.
• Develop that idea.
• Finish developing it.
• Focus finally on society.
• Develop it fully. This paragraph is a little too long.

1. Regardless, the negative impact of fast food is greater. 2. Though people enjoy the taste and convenience of fast food, they are doing irreparable harm to both their short and long-term health. 3. Research has shown that the high fat and sugar content in fast food not only affects daily energy levels but also contributes to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. 4. These same health risks extend to families, with the added caveat that children are forming potentially life-long bad habits. 5. Society also suffers from the growth of the fast food industry as local businesses lose revenue to these international conglomerates that enrich primarily the already wealthy or foreign nationals.

• Write another topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
• Explain that main idea.
• Use research to support your ideas.
• Make sure that you cover all areas.
• This paragraph should have stronger reasons since it is the side you agree with.

1. In conclusion, despite the benefits related to convenience and economics that fast food brings, the health drawbacks should serve as strong deterrents for countries looking to encourage these industries.

• Repeat your opinion, summarise your main ideas and add a final thought. Read more about conclusions here .

What do the words in bold below mean?

The rise of fast food globally is often thought to have an injurious impact on families, individuals, and society at large . In my opinion, fast food is a negative overall despite some tangible benefits .

The advantages of fast food vary according to the segment of society in question . Individuals get enjoyment out of fast food, the clearest evidence of which is its popularity. Fast food is also relatively cheap and, as its name suggests , saves time . For families, the advantages are similar. In many working-class families , parents spend at a lot time and energy at their jobs and do not have the luxury of preparing a nutritious , time-consuming meal for their children. Fast food is therefore a necessary , viable alternative . Finally, society benefits in a general sense because of the employment opportunities . Fast food restaurants employ thousands of, admittedly , lowly paid workers and is a safe transitional job for students and struggling individuals .

Regardless , the negative impact of fast food is greater. Though people enjoy the taste and convenience of fast food, they are doing irreparable harm to both their short and long-term health . Research has shown that the high fat and sugar content in fast food not only affects daily energy levels but also contributes to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes . These same health risks extend to families, with the added caveat that children are forming potentially life-long bad habits . Society also suffers from the growth of the fast food industry as local businesses lose revenue to these international conglomerates that enrich primarily the already wealthy or foreign nationals .

In conclusion, despite the benefits related to convenience and economics that fast food brings, the health drawbacks should serve as strong deterrents for countries looking to encourage these industries .

rise increase

globally around the world

injurious impact negative effect

society at large all people

negative overall bad in general

tangible benefits concrete advantages

vary different

segment part

in question being discussed

clearest evidence of which best instance includes

relatively somewhat

as its name suggests can be figured out from the name

saves time doesn’t waste time

working-class families normal, working families

luxury privilege

preparing making

nutritious good for your health

time-consuming takes a lot of time

necessary needed

viable alternative good second option

in a general sense overall

employment opportunities job chances

admittedly it must be said

lowly paid workers don’t make a lot of money

safe transitional job not risky in-between work

struggling individuals people who need help

regardless nonetheless

irreparable harm can’t be fixed injury

short and long-term health in the near and far future

content what’s inside it

affects daily energy levels impacts how much energy you have

contributes to adds to

conditions such as diseases including

diabetes disease from eating too much sugar

health risks extend to health problems include

added caveat extra warning

forming potentially life-long bad habits possibly last forever habits

suffers hurt from

growth of the fast food industry more powerful fast food companies

local businesses lose revenue neighborhood shops lose money

international conglomerates big companies

enrich primarily mostly get money from

foreign nationals people from other countries

related to similar to

should serve as ought to be

deterrents dissuades people

encourage these industries support those companies

Pronunciation

raɪz   ˈgləʊbəli   ɪnˈʤʊərɪəs ˈɪmpækt   səˈsaɪəti æt lɑːʤ ˈnɛgətɪv ˈəʊvərɔːl   ˈtænʤəbl ˈbɛnɪfɪts ˈveəri   ˈsɛgmənt   ɪn ˈkwɛsʧən ˈklɪərɪst ˈɛvɪdəns ɒv wɪʧ   ˈrɛlətɪvli   æz ɪts neɪm səˈʤɛsts seɪvz taɪm ˈwɜːkɪŋklɑːs ˈfæmɪliz ˈlʌkʃəri   prɪˈpeərɪŋ   nju(ː)ˈtrɪʃəs ˈtaɪmkənˈsjuːmɪŋ   ˈnɛsɪsəri ˈvaɪəbl ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv ɪn ə ˈʤɛnərəl sɛns   ɪmˈplɔɪmənt ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪtiz ədˈmɪtɪdli ˈləʊli peɪd ˈwɜːkəz seɪf trænˈsɪʒənl ʤɒb   ˈstrʌglɪŋ ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəlz rɪˈgɑːdlɪs ɪˈrɛpərəbl hɑːm   ʃɔːt ænd ˈlɒŋtɜːm hɛlθ ˈkɒntɛnt   əˈfɛkts ˈdeɪli ˈɛnəʤi ˈlɛvlz   kənˈtrɪbju(ː)ts tuː   kənˈdɪʃənz sʌʧ æz   ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz hɛlθ rɪsks ɪksˈtɛnd tuː   ˈædɪd ˈkeɪvɪæt   ˈfɔːmɪŋ pəʊˈtɛnʃəli laɪf-lɒŋ bæd ˈhæbɪts ˈsʌfəz   grəʊθ ɒv ðə fɑːst fuːd ˈɪndəstri   ˈləʊkəl ˈbɪznɪsɪz luːz ˈrɛvɪnjuː   ˌɪntə(ː)ˈnæʃənl kənˈglɒmərɪts   ɪnˈrɪʧ ˈpraɪmərɪli   ˈfɒrɪn ˈnæʃənlz rɪˈleɪtɪd tuː   ʃʊd sɜːv æz   dɪˈtɛrənts   ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ ðiːz ˈɪndəstriz

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

The r____e of fast food g________y is often thought to have an i_____________t on families, individuals, and s______________e . In my opinion, fast food is a n________________l despite some t_________________s .

The advantages of fast food v_____y according to the s__________t of society i_______________n . Individuals get enjoyment out of fast food, the c___________________h is its popularity. Fast food is also r___________y cheap and, a_____________________s , s_________e . For families, the advantages are similar. In many w____________________s , parents spend at a lot time and energy at their jobs and do not have the l________y of p___________g a n____________s , t_______________g meal for their children. Fast food is therefore a n___________y , v__________________e . Finally, society benefits i____________________e because of the e________________________s . Fast food restaurants employ thousands of, a_____________y , l__________________s and is a s____________________b for students and s________________________s .

R______________s , the negative impact of fast food is greater. Though people enjoy the taste and convenience of fast food, they are doing i____________________m to both their s_________________________h . Research has shown that the high fat and sugar c____________t in fast food not only a____________________s but also c__________________________s heart disease and d_____________s . These same h____________________o families, with the a______________________t that children are f_____________________________________s . Society also s________s from the g________________________________y as l________________________________e to these i____________________________s that e_____________________y the already wealthy or f_____________________s .

In conclusion, despite the benefits r______________o convenience and economics that fast food brings, the health drawbacks s__________________s strong d________________s for countries looking to e________________________s .

Listening Practice

Watch the video below to learn more:

Reading Practice

Read more about this topic below in The New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/business/mcdonalds-tech-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-fast-food.html

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following question from the real IELTS speaking exam :

• Do people in your country often eat together?
• Why are family meals less common today?
• Is this a positive or negative development?
• Are there any holidays in your country centred around food?
• Are international foods a threat to the traditional culture of your country?

Writing Practice

Write about the related topic below then check with my sample answer:

In many countries, fast food is becoming cheaper and more widely available.

Do the disadvantages of this outweigh the advantages?

IELTS Essay: Fast Food

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10 Comments

Thanks a lot!

It was absolutely helpful and informative for students like me. Im going to take an IELTS test in the 21st, November,2020 though i am extremely nervous. I hope i could get a 6.5 in that examination. *I am stressed and i have to force myself to wake up at 4 a.m to keep writing again and again these essay so that i can get as many vocabulary and ideas as possible( i believe in the accuracy and reliability of your essays 100%)

Thanks for saying that but I’m not 100% sure that cutting down on your sleep will help in the long-term! Send me a message here if you need any advice: Facebook.com/davelanghowtodoielts

“Regardless, the negative impact of fast food is greater. Though people enjoy the taste and convenience of fast food, they are doing irreparable harm to both their short and long-term health.” I dont understand the structure of this sentence thoroughly. Could you please explain the word “regardless” for me ? how it is used ?

Regardless is short for regardless of the…

We use it the same as despite, in spite of.

Extremely great essay

you are not understanding question because question requires task response

I’m not sure what you mean. Can you explain? IELTS essays are marked on task achievement, cohesion and coherence, vocabulary, and grammar.

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Home Essay Samples Food Fast Food

Cause and Effect of Fast Food: the Impact on Health and Society

Table of contents, causes of fast food consumption, effects on physical well-being, cultural and societal impact, economic considerations, promoting healthier lifestyles, conclusion: balancing convenience and health.

• Ludwig, D. S., Peterson, K. E., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2001). Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. The Lancet, 357(9255), 505-508.
• Malik, V. S., Pan, A., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(4), 1084-1102.
• Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., Robinson-O'Brien, R., & Glanz, K. (2008). Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 253-272.
• Stuckler, D., McKee, M., Ebrahim, S., & Basu, S. (2012). Manufacturing epidemics: the role of global producers in increased consumption of unhealthy commodities including processed foods, alcohol, and tobacco. PLOS Medicine, 9(6), e1001235.
• World Health Organization. (2016). Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. WHO Press.

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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

• Introduction
• Body paragraph 1 – advantages
• Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages

Examples to start your body paragraph:

• The main advantage is...
• The disadvantage of this...
• The main benefit...
• Despite these advantages...
• One possible drawback...

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• convenience
• long working hours
• prepare meals
• Regular consumption
• health issues
• heart disease
• high levels
• economic factors
• healthier meal options
• low-income families
• cultural influence
• global expansion
• adapting menus
• local tastes
• integrating
• environmental concerns
• packaging waste
• carbon footprints
• meat production
• traditional cuisine
• culinary heritage
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Essay on Fast Food

Students are often asked to write an essay on Fast Food in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

100 Words Essay on Fast Food

Introduction.

Fast food is a type of meal that people often eat because it’s quick, convenient, and tasty. These meals are usually served at restaurants, drive-thrus, or take-outs.

Popularity of Fast Food

Fast food is popular worldwide. It’s often the go-to option when people are busy or don’t have time to cook. Fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC are famous globally.

Health Implications

Despite its popularity, fast food is often unhealthy. It’s typically high in fats, sugars, and salts which can lead to health problems like obesity and heart disease if consumed regularly.

While fast food is convenient and tasty, it’s important to eat it in moderation due to its potential health risks.

250 Words Essay on Fast Food

Fast food, a term that has become synonymous with contemporary urban lifestyle, is a phenomenon born out of our fast-paced lives. It refers to food that is prepared and served quickly, often in a packaged form for take-out.

The Allure of Fast Food

Fast food chains, with their convenience and affordability, have become a ubiquitous part of our global landscape. The allure lies in their ability to cater to our increasingly time-pressed lives, providing quick, tasty meals at the click of a button or a short queue at the drive-thru.

However, this convenience comes with a price. Fast food is often high in calories, saturated fats, sugar, and salt, leading to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases. The ease of accessibility and the addictive taste of fast food can lead to overconsumption, creating a vicious cycle of poor dietary habits and health problems.

Environmental Impact

Fast food’s environmental footprint is another concern. The industry contributes significantly to deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions due to its high demand for animal products and reliance on single-use packaging.

In conclusion, while fast food provides a convenient solution to our fast-paced lives, it is essential to be mindful of its health and environmental implications. Striking a balance between convenience and health, and making sustainable choices, is the way forward in our relationship with fast food.

500 Words Essay on Fast Food

The rise of fast food.

Fast food has become an integral part of modern society, with its influence stretching across the globe. The fast food industry originated in the United States during the early 20th century, with the advent of assembly line production methods. This revolutionized the food industry, making it possible to serve large quantities of food quickly and efficiently.

The Appeal of Fast Food

The impact on health.

Despite its convenience and affordability, fast food has a profound impact on public health. It is often high in calories, unhealthy fats, sugar, and salt, contributing to a range of health issues including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The World Health Organization has recognized the consumption of fast food as a major factor in the global obesity epidemic.

Societal Implications

Fast food also has broader societal implications. It has reshaped our eating habits, contributing to a culture of convenience that often prioritizes speed and ease over nutrition and health. This has implications for our relationship with food, our health, and even our social interactions. Fast food restaurants, for instance, have become common gathering places, influencing our social dynamics.

The Environmental Impact

The future of fast food.

The future of fast food is uncertain. On one hand, the industry continues to grow, driven by increasing demand in developing countries. On the other hand, there is a growing awareness of the health and environmental impacts of fast food, leading to calls for change. Many fast food chains are now offering healthier options and making efforts to reduce their environmental impact.

In conclusion, fast food has undeniably shaped our society and our lifestyles. While it offers convenience and affordability, its health and environmental impacts cannot be ignored. As consumers, we have a role to play in shaping the future of this industry, through our choices and our demand for healthier, more sustainable options.

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19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food

Because of how busy the modern lifestyle happens to be in the developed world, many families find themselves taking a trip to their favorite fast food restaurant more often than they would care to admit. According to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 45% of a family’s food budget goes toward eating out somewhere. In 1977, that rate was at just 38%. That means the average household is spending upwards of $6,000 per year just to eat outside of the home.

Although the occasional evening of fast food products will not adversely impact your health, having a habit where you eat burgers and fries constantly can be problematic in a very short period. People who eat fast food products regularly often suffer from headaches, experience dental distress, carry extra weight, and have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

There are also issues of insulin resistance, blood sugar spikes, and high salt intake that can become problematic when embracing the offerings of the fast food industry. That’s not to say that every product offered by a restaurant is bad for you. It just means that the individuals who tend to eat items made by this industry consume about 190 calories more than those who do not.

There are several advantages and disadvantages of fast food to consider if you need to have a quick meal. These are the key points to consider.

List of the Advantages of Fast Food

1. Fast food gives you the option to eat something instead of skipping a meal. Although intermittent fasting has become a popular way to manage a person’s weight in recent years, skipping meals is rarely a good idea unless you have a specific purpose in doing so. According to NHS UK, the best way to lose weight and then keep it off is to reduce the number of calories you consume while increasing the number that you burn through exercise. Skipping a meal can cause fatigue, end it may mean that you lose some essential nutrients.

Choosing a healthy fast food meal that includes no fried foods, fruits, and vegetables can help you to gain what you need to finish your day without snacking on high-sugar or high-fat foods to satisfy your cravings in the future.

2. Eating fast food items helps you to manage a schedule more effectively. The average family in the United States is spending about two hours in the evening managing their afterschool activities. That means there could be very little time to cook at home. Because the fast food industry is available in almost every community, you have the option to manage your schedule without going hungry in the process. Choosing a meal like this takes 50% less time than it would if you were to try to make lunch or dinner at home. It may not seem like much, but 15-30 extra minutes in a tight schedule can be quite valuable.

3. Fast food products make it easier to reduce hunger problems in the community. Fast food items are one of the most affordable food products that you can find in the world today when you compare its cost to the number of calories that you receive. Although you wouldn’t want to eat three fast food meals every day, having a couple of bucks can get you enough food in one meal that your body can use to produce energy. Most fast food restaurants average about 300 calories for every $1 spent in the U.S. on food items.

That rate is four times higher than what you would find with healthy grab-and-go items at the grocery store. If you were to stick to organic and fresh produce for your calories, then it could be ten times higher in price when compared to fast food. For a family living paycheck to paycheck, eating out really could be the cheapest option.

4. You can have an expectation of excellent service with every order. When you choose to eat at a fast food restaurant, then you have an expectation of familiarity with the products that are on the menu. Although there are some regional and international variations that you will find with global chains like McDonald’s, you can also expect to find specific items on the menu at every location. That means you know what your food should look like when served, how it will taste, and what your expenses will be.

Fast food restaurants often work with the same vendors across their entire chain of restaurants, including franchises, so that you are essentially eating the same item. That means it can be easier to manage food allergies, expenses, and hunger expectations.

5. The fast food industry provides you with the nutritional information of each item. One of the most significant complaints about the fast food industry is that the menu items they serve are high in calories. Although there is some truth to this issue, most restaurants offer a clear calorie count on their foods so that you can make a smart decision about what you choose to eat. The entire catalog of nutritional information is available to you upon request as well. Most providers also publish this data online for you to review at any time.

That means you have access to all of the information needed to make a good choice about what you choose to order from the fast food industry.

6. There are more healthy choices at fast food restaurants today than ever before. You don’t need to go on a calorie binge if you decide that a fast food meal is your best choice today. There are several restaurants which provide you with healthy options on the menu so that you can meet your health and wellness expectations. Good Housekeeping reviewed all menu items from 2018 to list the best 31 items that you can order from American restaurants, with these choices as their top options.

• The Chicken Cool Wrap from Chick-Fil-A contains 360 calories and 13g of fat, giving you lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, chicken, and cheese in a flaxseed flour flatbread.
• Papa John’s offers a Mediterranean veggie pizza that comes in at 180 calories and 7g of fat per slice, featuring black olives, onions, mushrooms, and banana peppers.
• Denny’s provides a loaded veggie omelet if you want more of a sit-down experience, giving you 490 calories for breakfast with 14g of fat with an English muffin and fruit.
• Burger King’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich without mayonnaise gives you 360 calories, 7g of fat, and 26g of protein without breaking the bank.

7. You can order a complete meal with smart choices for less than $10 each. The problem with fast food ordering is that many people tend to go with the cheapest or easiest option because of the demands of their schedule. If you take the time to plan your order in advance, then you can make smart choices that are still very affordable, including premium or custom food items. Remember to order sandwiches without mayo and take away the processed cheese for the best benefits here.

If you decide to order from the value menu, then it is possible to come away with a sandwich, a side, and a beverage for under $5.

8. The fast food industry provides a significant economic boost to most communities. The BBC asks an important question: how could a fast food chain ever make money from a burger that costs $1? When you start looking at the scale of sales for the industry, especially in the United States, then you will see a lot of foot traffic contributing to plenty of service options. If customers buy lots of discounted items, then the sales of add-ons creates a profit margin that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

This advantage can sometimes backfire, as it did for Burger King in 2009. Franchisees sued the company because of a required promotion that forced the independently-owned companies to sell a double cheeseburger for $1 even though it cost $1.10 to make – but the courts ruled in favor of Burger King because of the verbiage in the franchising agreement.

9. It is an affordable way to experience new or different food choices. When Americans start thinking about fast food options, then they are typically looking at burgers, sandwiches, and fries. Different cultures have a unique perspective on what a quick meal should be. You’ll find noodle dishes, soups, grilled pork, and plenty of other food options to consider if you explore the various quick-service restaurant options in each community. You will find Chinese, Mexican, and Italian items are routinely available at the same speed that a burger joint offers.

List of the Disadvantages of Fast Food

1. Fast food can have an adverse impact on the cardiovascular and digestive systems. Most fast food products, which include the sides and drinks that you order with the main meal, are usually laden with carbohydrates and have very little, if any, fiber. When the digestive system breaks down these foods, then the carbs release as glucose into the bloodstream. This process creates a higher sugar level, which then causes the body to release more insulin.

Insulin is responsible for transporting sugars throughout your body to the cells that need it for energy. When your body uses or stores the glucose, then your blood sugar levels return to normal. Eating fast food products will create spikes of sugar intake that can create problems with the insulin response, increasing your risk of diabetes, weight gain, and insulin resistance.

2. You will eat more calories when consuming fast food frequently. Most fast food meals contain high levels of added sugar. Not only does this mean that you will consume extra calories with your meal, but it also means once you’re eating will contain less nutrition. The American Heart Association recommends that all people should have 150 calories or less of added sugar per day, which equates to about 9 teaspoons. If you were to consume a fast food beverage, then you’d hit that recommended limit without eating anything else.

There are high levels of trans fat found in fast food as well. There is no amount that is considered to be healthy or good for your body. It increases your bad cholesterol levels, lowers your good ones, and increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Pastries, pizza dough, cookies, and fried items all contain this fat.

3. People who eat at fast food restaurants underestimate their calorie intake. Even when consumers are trying to watch what they eat, dining at a fast food restaurant can cause someone to underestimate their calorie intake by over 20%. This data includes individuals who choose healthy items from the menu and make conscious efforts to avoid trans fat, sugar, and sodium from the menu. Although more calories is less damaging than more unhealthy fats or high salt numbers, it can still promote weight gain if you are eating fast food products on a regular basis.

4. Eating fast food can lead to issues with edema, bloating, and swelling. When you decide to eat a fast food meal, then the combination of salt, sugar, and fat can lead to problems with water retention, which is known as edema. This disadvantage is what causes some individuals to feel bloated, puffy, or swollen after they are finished eating. It can also promote higher blood pressure numbers, which could be dangerous if there is an issue of heart disease developing.

About 90% of adults underestimate the amount of salt that they consume when they choose a fast food meal over a healthier option. Surveys indicate that the average consumer misses the mark on their sodium intake by over 1,000mg per meal. Since the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300mg of salt per day, you could have half of your daily recommended intake by eating just one meal.

5. Regular fast food consumption can lead to problems with obesity. If you are eating too many calories from your fast food meals, then a common outcome is to see an increase of weight. Without moderation, this disadvantage can quickly lead toward obesity. People who are severely overweight have a higher risk of experiencing respiratory problems, including shortness of breath and asthma. Extra pressure is placed on the heart and lungs, making the symptoms show up even if there is very little exertion.

If you notice a change in your breathing when all you were doing is walking, climbing stairs in your home, or performing household chores, then it is time to take a closer look at your health and your overall eating habits.

6. There are adverse effects on the nervous and reproductive systems. When you decide to eat fast food products, then you can satisfy your hunger for a short period. The long-term results from this choice are usually less than positive. Individuals who eat processed foods from this industry are 51% more likely to develop depression or depression-like symptoms at some point in their life compared to those who eat fast food in moderation or avoid the items entirely.

The ingredients which are found in the fast food industry items could also have an impact on adult fertility. Many processed foods contain phthalates, which are chemicals that can change or interrupt how hormones act in the body. High exposure levels to them are known to create reproductive issues that can even lead to birth defects in extreme cases.

7. Fast food chance change your hair, skin, and nails. Your food choices can also impact the appearance of your skin, but it might not be the foods you expect to cause problems. Pizza, burgers, and chocolate used to bear all of the blame for the problems like acne, but the real problem comes from the number of carbohydrates that you consume. Foods that are rich in carbs will lead to spikes in blood sugar numbers, and it is this sudden jump that can trigger a breakout.

Adults and children who eat fast food products at least three times per week are also more likely to develop eczema. You can also adversely impact the development of your hair and nail grows over time.

8. It can have a negative impact on your skeletal system over time. When you eat fast food products or processed items regularly, then the sugar and carbohydrates in those items can increase the amount of acids which are in your mouth. Their presence can cause your tooth enamel to break down, allowing bacteria to come in and create cavities.

The higher risk of obesity also comes with problems that include muscle mass issues and bone density problems. Individuals who are severely overweight are at a higher risk of falling or breaking bones. Even if you only eat 1-2 fast food meals per week, you must focus on exercising to build muscles so that your skeletal system receives the support it needs. Then choose healthy foods whenever possible to minimize bone loss.

9. Pricing issues can come into play with the fast food industry. The next time you visit your grocery store, go back to the meat section to see what the cost of a small ribeye steak happens to be. Then walk over to the produce section to see what it would cost to purchase a potato. Throw in a bag of frozen vegetables that you can steam in your microwave. There’s an excellent chance that your total cost for that meal would be between $7 to $9.

What consumers fail to realize is that they pay for convenience when visiting a fast food restaurant. It might take more time to prepare a meal at home, but you’re not going to spend more money on those items unless you’re always shopping on the $1 menu. That’s why one of the fastest ways to grow a savings account for many families is to reduce the number of meals that they eat outside of the home.

10. You must review the quality of the food independently. Fast food menu items go through mass-market shipping, production, and freezing processes to reduce the cost of each product. Some companies promote using fresh, never frozen beef and similar products, but that also means you might pay more than you would at another location. All of this processing reduces the quality of the foods eaten, increases calorie counts, and could limit your access to the fiber, protein, and fresh fruits and vegetables that your body needs.

Verdict on the Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food

There are times when a fast food meal is your best option. If you have a busy schedule and no time to make something, then grab-and-go items can provide a cure to your hunger without causing your budget to take a significant hit. As more restaurants add healthier, low-sodium choices that do not impact your health as adversely as traditional items do, then this choice isn’t as problematic as it could be.

The problem that consumers face with the fast food industry is one of moderation. Eating at a burger joint a couple of times per month is a very different health experience then having 3 to 4 meals there each week.

The advantages and disadvantages of fast food must first look at the health impacts before any other concern because of how dangerous these meals can be over time. Almost any other option is a better choice than fast food for your regular eating habits because of the high levels of fat, sugar, and salt found in most items. Use it with moderation, get some moderate exercise every day, and eliminate the sugary sodas from the equation to minimize the impact of this choice.

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Advantages and disadvantages of fast food

IELTS essay Advantages and disadvantages of fast food

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Essay#60 | Fast food

In many cases, when you give your view in the introduction of an opinion essay, your ideas may be more complicated than ‘I completely agree’ or ‘I completely disagree’. It’s a good idea to learn some phrases to explain your opinion in a more sophisticated way.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In some countries, an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food. It is, therefore, necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model answer.

The growth of the fast food industry has, without doubt, impacted the eating habits and the health of many societies around the world. Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart, and respiratory problems are all on the rise due to fatty and sugar-rich food. However, the question is whether a higher tax would improve this situation or not.

From an economic point of view, a higher tax might seem sensible. In countries such as the USA, Australia, and Britain, the healthcare system spends a large part of its budget on people with diet-related health problems. It could be argued that these people have caused their own illnesses because of their choice of food. In this case, why should they expect the state to pay for their treatment? The tax could help fund the healthcare system.

However, we also need to consider which socio-economic group consumes fast food as the main part of their diet. Statistics indicate that lower income groups eat more of this food than wealthier people. One possible reason for this is that fast food is far cheaper than fresh produce. This is because many governments offer large subsidies to farmers who provide products for the fast food industry, such as corn, wheat, and beef. Fruit and vegetables, on the other hand, are not subsidised. Research suggests that many families simply cannot afford to buy healthy food or pay higher taxes on fast food. For them, fast food is not a choice but a necessity.

In conclusion, imposing a higher tax on fast food does not seem to be the answer. If the government chose to do this, it would only lead to greater poverty and families facing further hardship.

(278 words)

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Ielts essay # 1513 - fast food is becoming cheaper and more widely available, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, in many countries, fast food is becoming cheaper and more widely available., do the disadvantages of this outweigh the advantages.

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This Day In History : January 31

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First McDonald’s opens in Soviet Union

The Soviet Union’s first McDonald’s fast food restaurant opens in Moscow. Throngs of people line up to pay the equivalent of several days’ wages for Big Macs, shakes and french fries.

The appearance of this notorious symbol of capitalism and the enthusiastic reception it received from the Russian people were signs that times were changing in the Soviet Union . An American journalist on the scene reported the customers seemed most amazed at the “simple sight of polite shop workers…in this nation of commercial boorishness.” A Soviet journalist had a more practical opinion, stating that the restaurant was “the expression of America’s rationalism and pragmatism toward food.” He also noted that the “contrast with our own unrealized pretensions is both sad and challenging.”

For the average Russian customer, however, visiting the restaurant was less a political statement than an opportunity to enjoy a small pleasure in a country still reeling from disastrous economic problems and internal political turmoil.

The arrival of McDonald’s in Moscow was a small but certain sign that change was on the horizon. In fact, less than two years later, the Soviet Union ceased to exist as a nation, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as leader of the country, and various Soviet republics proclaimed their independence. As the American newsman reported, the first Russian McDonald’s customers “had seen the future, and it works, at least as far as their digestive tract.”

How McDonald’s Beat Its Early Competition and Became an Icon of Fast Food

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For some, it’s an open-and-shut case: She’s not. The U.S. Census Bureau defines baby boomers as those born between 1946 and 1964. Harris was born in 1964. Case closed.

However, generational borders are open to interpretation and, over time, a certain intuitive fluidity. Consider this: Generation X the cohort got its name from “Generation X,” the 1991 novel by Douglas Coupland. (Yes, the novel was named for an existing punk band, but that band had disbanded by the early 1980s.) “Generation X” follows a trio of sardonic, disillusioned 20-somethings — some might call them slackers, another term coined around the same time — and it essentially gave culture-watchers a framework and a vocabulary (e.g., “ McJob ”) to understand a generation that was ascendant in the shadow of the boomers.

Coupland, born in 1961, was 29 when the novel was published. At the time, the novel’s own promotional copy contended it was a “salute to the generation born in the late 1950s and 1960s.” Currently, the book’s publisher offers a slightly revised timeline , calling Gen X “the generation born from 1960 to 1978,” expanding the original parameters but still including Coupland and, of course, Harris.

A more compelling argument for Harris’s Gen X bona fides might be that the boomers are named for a post-World War II boom in, well, babies. A baby born in the mid-1960s hardly seems part of a postwar uptick in ardor or optimism. Not to mention that this baby would have been a child during the most distinctive boomer cultural milestones, such as the Summer of Love (1967) and Woodstock (1969). Now consider that Harris was a 20-something in 1991, the year Nirvana released the Gen X anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Some might argue that Harris is part of Generation Jones — a cohort for the late boomers who don’t logically fit with those born in the 1940s. The problem with this argument is that Generation Jones only comes up in generational-hair-splitting arguments like this one. And if you accept the originalist interpretation, bound by Coupland’s parameters, this argument resolves in a different way. We’ve already had one Gen X president: Barack Obama, born in 1961, the same year as Coupland.

Which leads to the most important point: Generational signifiers are largely an arbitrary parlor game, so they shouldn’t be bound by hard and fast Census Bureau rules. Insofar as Harris’s political narrative might include having once been overlooked and underappreciated, she certainly feels, at least to members of Gen X, like she’s one of us.

Serge Schmemann

Editorial Board Member

The Joyful Release of Evan Gershkovich Came at a High Price

That more than a dozen people unjustly incarcerated in Russia have been released is obviously great news. As a journalist who spent a decade reporting from Moscow, I am particularly elated to know that Evan Gershkovich, a fine reporter for The Wall Street Journal, does not have to spend another day in Russian detention.

The treason charge against him was a pathetic concoction. But the K.G.B. in Soviet days and Vladimir Putin’s mob today are congenitally incapable of distinguishing between reporting, spying and manipulating the public, since they regard all information as the monopoly of the state. Any independent information, especially critical information, is considered an attack on their authoritarian rule.

Seizing Gershkovich secured the Kremlin a hostage. But seizing a reporter for a major American publication also sent a signal to those foreign reporters who remain in Russia that real journalism under this regime is really dangerous, and not just for homegrown media, which has been thoroughly muzzled or driven into exile.

Putin came to power after the domestic and foreign press had thrown off the muzzles of the Soviet era, and he proceeded, especially since the invasion of Ukraine, to deliberately crush it. Many foreign journalists now try to report from outside Russia; Gershkovich tried valiantly to report from within and paid a heavy price.

So welcome home, Evan! Though we will regret the loss of your reporting from Russia. And welcome home, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Paul Whelan and all the others liberated from Russian detention. And profound thanks to the Biden administration, which doggedly pursued the exchange over months and years.

Yet even as we celebrate the liberation of these innocent people, it is hard to avoid the troubling fact that Putin has successfully used their detentions to get real criminals out of the prisons where they belong, most notably Vadim Krasikov, a Russian assassin serving a life sentence in Germany. Biden was right to do everything he could to bring back wrongfully imprisoned Americans, but the readiness of authoritarian states like Russia to seize innocent foreigners as hostages is galling. It’s why they are known as “abductor states” in Washington parlance.

With time, the details of how the complex exchange was arranged may come to light. One question that may never be answered is whether Putin calculated the pros and cons of concluding the exchange while Biden was still in office or waiting to see whether Donald Trump would be back to garner the garlands. Perhaps he concluded that with Trump’s changing political fortunes, such a complex deal was best done now.

Another question is why another American being held in Russia — Marc Fogel, a history teacher in a school for foreigners in Moscow — was not included in the exchange. Fogel was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for carrying less than an ounce of marijuana, which he said he needed for medical purposes, but the State Department has never classified him as “wrongfully detained.” Why not?

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Zeynep Tufekci

Opinion Columnist

To Challenge Trump Directly, Give Him a Platform

When the National Association of Black Journalists announced that Donald Trump had agreed to a question-and-answer session at its annual conference, several members of the group criticized the event organizers for “platforming” the former president. Karen Attiah, a columnist at The Washington Post, even resigned her position as co-chair of the convention, saying she had not been involved in the decision “ to platform Trump in such a format.”

But inviting him was the right decision, and that was clear even before the tough-but-fair questions were asked during a highly informative session.

The idea of deplatforming, or refusing to extend a high-profile public forum to people with potentially harmful views , is not without merit. But it should not be seen as some universal response to all political figures people may find distasteful or all unpopular ideas.

It makes sense to deprive a platform to marginal or extremist figures who thrive on provocations to try to attract attention and stay relevant . Alex Jones, for example, who falsely portrayed the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a government-crafted hoax, generally should not be handed opportunities to spread his malicious brand , even in combative settings.

And there was a time the concept may have been appropriate for Trump: in 2016, when he was able to suck up national attention on traditional and social media while being incorrectly treated as an entertainer and given a lot of time to express his views while not being properly challenged for them. Attention is a key resource in the 21st century, and Trump excels at dominating the national conversation, with skills honed from decades of grabbing publicity to enrich himself.

But as soon as Trump became president and, later, the Republican nominee for president again, the media lost the power to deplatform him. Like it or not, he could be president again, in part because of greater support among African American voters than other recent Republican candidates, and the idea that he could be deplatformed out of his advantageous position rather than challenged and exposed makes no sense. Trump is the one with the power here, and ignoring him just adds to it.

The N.A.B.J. journalists, who have invited many past presidents and candidates to their conventions, also invited Vice President Kamala Harris. I hope Harris accepts, too, and I expect moderators to be tough but fair with her, as well.

Most voters have made up their minds, but the few who will likely determine the fate of the country — so-called low-information swing voters — need to be pressed to make informed comparisons between the candidates. Neither avoiding Trump nor treating Harris with kid gloves would help provide that.

Jamelle Bouie

Trump Ventures Into the Real World, and Can’t Handle It

Trump can’t handle the real world, donald trump faced adversarial questioning, and he didn’t take it well..

Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

Trump’s Plan for K-12 Schools Is Absolutely Bonkers

There’s been a lot of reporting this week about how Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s proposal for a conservative takeover of the U.S. government. On K-12 education, Project 2025 suggests that “ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated” — a call echoed by the Republican Party’s 2024 platform . But while Trump’s own plans for education , which he published on his website and pushed out in a newsletter, don’t explicitly propose eliminating the Department of Education (though he has said before he would abolish it ), they might actually be more bananas and less pragmatic than Project 2025’s goals.

There’s nothing in Trump’s plans about test scores, STEM, school safety, work-force readiness or really anything that concerns most normal parents. It’s pure culture-war red meat about cutting “federal funding for any school or program pushing critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto our children” and ranting about “Marxists” and “pink-haired Communists teaching our kids.” Both the G.O.P. platform and Project 2025 contain panic about critical race theory, though they include fewer colorful references to pinkos.

But it’s also filled with bizarre promises that the executive branch doesn’t have the authority to fulfill, including a commitment to “implement the direct election of school principals by the parents.” This is a vow Trump has made before. Last year, Libby Stanford at Education Week asked : “Can he do that?”

The answer: “As president,” she wrote, “Trump would have little recourse to incentivize local communities to elect school principals and no ability to require it,” because neither the president nor Congress has the power to make local districts elect principals. The idea would be costly, unpopular and impractical to pull off. There is also no grass-roots support for it.

Trump also promises that he “will create a new credentialing body that will be the gold standard, anywhere in the world, to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values, support our way of life and understand that their job is not to indoctrinate children but very simply to educate them.” The teacher pipeline is already so busted — because of low pay, a lack of respect from their communities and the aforementioned culture war vitriol — that we don’t have enough teachers to go around. It’s absurd to think that a new credentialing system with a politically motivated “patriotic” litmus test would solve any problem.

Trump claims to want to put parents “back in charge and give them the final say.” If he really meant that, he would pay more attention to what parents say they want. In the words of an opinion essay from The 74 , an education website, “Forget Hot-Button Ed Issues — Voters Want Safe Schools and Kids Who Can Read.” It’s really that simple.

This Is What Happens When Black Women Challenge Trump

One reason Donald Trump may be afraid to debate Kamala Harris is that apparently all it takes to knock him off his game is a few tough questions from a Black woman.

This is exactly what happened in Trump’s 35-minute interview with three women journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Clearly rattled by the audacity of Black women tossing him sharp questions, Trump let his facade crumble and slipped into the racist, misogynistic tropes of his native tongue.

“I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said of Vice President Harris, who is Black and Indian American. “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t. Because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.” This is false. Harris has always embraced her Blackness and even attended Howard University, a historically Black school.

The journalists at the event did the country a service. Much of that work was done by Rachel Scott of ABC News. Her first question was tough, factual and fair — a model of accountability journalism — and deserves to be repeated:

A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today. You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States; that’s not true. You have told four congresswomen of color who are American citizens to go back to where they came from. You have used words like “animal” and “rabid” to describe Black district attorneys. You’ve attacked Black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they ask are stupid and racist. You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you are asking Black supporters to vote for you: Why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?

Rather than answer the question, Trump launched a personal attack on Scott, calling her “rude” for doing her job. “First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” he spat at Scott. “The first question. You don’t even say hello, ‘hello, how are you?’ Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network.”

He then said he loves “the Black population” of this country — a curious term that sounds like it was drilled into him by a political consultant to replace his usual, “the Blacks.”He also declared himself to be the “best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” to which Scott quickly replied, “Better than President Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights Act?”

To win the White House in a razor-thin race, Trump lately has strained to do an impression of someone who likes Black people and respects women. The persistent problem with this strategy is that it doesn’t hold up to reality. When he is challenged, the depth of his animus tends to spill out in public and get in the way.

Pamela Paul

Melania Trump Speaks, Indirectly, and It Speaks Volumes

One of the world’s great mysteries is what really goes on inside Donald and Melania Trump’s marriage. For a very public couple, one whose infidelities have played out garishly in court, their relationship remains remarkably opaque, largely because of Melania’s determined silence and Donald’s pervasive mendacity. Thus, the burning questions: What did she think about the jury determination in 2023 that he had committed sexual assault against E. Jean Carroll? His romp with Stormy Daniels, a porn star, that led to his felony conviction for business fraud? His comments about women bleeding or, say, grabbing women by the “vagina”? Why does she stay?

Melania has remained eerily silent on such matters, which has led only to endless speculation about her beliefs. Every dismissive flick of her wrist has been analyzed. Each tiny permutation of her resting mew face. Her occasionally startling fashion choices. The anti-Trump public’s desire for a whiff of rebellion has been so palpable, it’s tempting to believe that she was secretly on board with his felony convictions , as “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” suggested .

Of course, what happens inside any marriage is a mystery. Political marriages , whether it’s Hillary and Bill , JD and Usha , JFK and Jackie , Barack and Michelle are a constant fascination because we necessarily remain outside of them.

But Donald Trump just offered some unintentionally sad insight into how Melania really feels. In an interview last night on Fox News, in which Trump talked at length about the assassination attempt (yes, he told the story again ), Laura Ingraham asked, “What was Melania’s reaction, if you don’t mind my asking. I know this is very personal, when she learned about what happened on that field in Butler?”

“I asked her that,” Trump told Ingraham. “I said, ‘So what was your feeling?’” He went on to say that Melania can’t really talk about it. But then came a very uncharacteristic moment for Trump. He leaned far forward, exhaled abruptly and said in a rush of words, interspersed with nervous laughter:

“Which is OK because that means she likes me. Or she loves me. I mean, let’s say she could talk about it freely that wouldn’t be … I’m not so sure which is better. But, uh, she either likes or loves me and that’s nice.”

This may have been the most revelatory statement Donald Trump has made about himself or about Melania. He says she either likes him or she loves him. He’s not sure, but surprisingly and jarringly, he seemed to care. Who knew?

Jeneen Interlandi

Arrests of Drug Kingpins Won’t Solve the Addiction Crisis

It was a plot twist made for Netflix. Ismael Zambada García, a founder of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel , was tricked ( or forced — the details are still muddy) onto a plane in Mexico and brought to the United States to face drug conspiracy charges — and hopefully justice. He had evaded capture for decades and had a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head.

Zambada García was brought in not by U.S. or Mexican authorities but by his own godson and fellow drug trafficker, Joaquín Guzmán López (son of the infamous El Chapo ), who surrendered himself to authorities upon landing.

In the short term, the arrests could produce more violence and instability in Mexican communities that have already seen far too much of both, as rivals of every sort jockey to fill the void left by the newly captured.

They could also shake up already strained relations between the United States and Mexico, especially if Zambada García decides to offer up whatever dirty laundry he has on leaders there in exchange for some kind of leniency here.

What the arrests will not do, if history is any lesson, is stem the flow of illicit drugs out of Mexico or into the United States.

The United States invested billions of dollars in a sustained effort to stop the flow of cocaine out of Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s. Among other things, that effort helped bring about the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993 and led eventually to the waning of the notorious Colombia cartel, which was responsible for a vast majority of the global cocaine trade. Today, cocaine production is soaring, not only in Mexico (where experts say U.S. efforts in Colombia led directly to the rise of the Sinaloa kingpins) but in Colombia , too, in some of the same regions that the United States targeted so diligently for so long.

Pursuing and punishing drug traffickers is both necessary and worthwhile. These are bad people who have done terrible things. They have destroyed countless lives, both through the trafficking of fentanyl (now a leading cause of overdose deaths among American adults) and through the extreme violence that they have all made such common use of.

But arrests of drug kingpins are not the key to solving the nation’s addiction and overdose crisis. For that, we need to look within our own borders — at things like treatment , prevention and harm reduction .

Nicholas Kristof

Israel Can Still Avoid Regional War and Pursue a Cease-Fire

One of the great risks for the world in the latter half of this year is a wider war in the Middle East involving Iran, Lebanon and Israel. That possibility has just become more likely.

None of the parties want such a war. But each feels obliged to respond to strikes by the other in a way that ratchets up conflict and risks miscalculation and a cycle of escalation.

Today’s crisis results from what appear to be the assassinations just hours apart of Fuad Shukr, a senior member of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, and Ismail Haniyeh, a top Hamas leader who was visiting Iran. Israel claimed responsibility for killing Shukr, although his death was not confirmed, and Israeli agents were widely presumed to be responsible for the killing of Haniyeh.

For all the danger in the coming days and weeks, there is an offramp. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel could use the double assassinations to proclaim victory and then agree to a cease-fire in Gaza. Such a deal, assuming it is still achievable, would end the slaughter in Gaza, bring some hostages home and offer a path to de-escalate the conflict in Israel’s north with Hezbollah, allowing Israelis to return to their homes near the Lebanon border.

“The best way to bring the temperature down everywhere is through the cease-fire in Gaza,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, and he’s exactly right.

But first, prepare for a Lebanese and an Iranian response to the assassinations.

Some Israelis are celebrating the killing of Haniyeh, and it’s certainly preferable to target leaders of Hamas rather than to level entire civilian neighborhoods in Gaza. But I doubt that killing Haniyeh does anything for Israel’s security. He had a reputation for being a bit more open to deals than other Hamas leaders, and he may be replaced by someone like Khaled Mashal, who approved of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Israel had already tried to assassinate Mashal back in 1997.

Israel feels that it has to re-establish deterrence after the Oct. 7 attacks, and Iran likewise feels it must re-establish deterrence when it suffers an assassination on its soil. The upshot is that some counter-strike on Israel by Iran or its proxies is likely soon. If we’re lucky, it won’t cause many casualties and perhaps negotiations on a cease-fire can resume; if a school or other civilian site happens to be hit, then we may see more escalation and find ourselves not on a path to a cease-fire but to a wider war.

Such a war would be devastating, far more so than the Oct. 7 attack. Hezbollah is well armed and barrages of its rockets could cause countless casualties in Israel, while Israel could in turn devastate Lebanon.

Iran, along with the Houthis in Yemen, while farther away, could add to the strikes on Israel. There could well be disruptions to oil production and to the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, raising global oil prices significantly. That would probably hurt Kamala Harris’s electoral prospects while helping President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

So let’s hope Netanyahu seizes the opportunity to declare victory and at long last fully embraces a cease-fire. But, sadly, I wouldn’t bet on it. Brace yourself.

Michelle Goldberg

Opinion Columnist, reporting from Atlanta

In Atlanta, Harris Has Dance-Party Energy

The first person I met in the long line for Kamala Harris’s rally in Atlanta on Tuesday was Tomorrow Wright, a pre-K teacher who hadn’t been planning to vote when Joe Biden was still the Democratic candidate.

“Biden and Trump, I wasn’t with neither one of them,” she said, adding that Biden had disappointed her by not doing more to cancel student loan debt. But Harris had electrified her, and she’d queued at noon for a rally — her first ever — that wouldn’t start until evening, shading herself from the brutal southern sun under a pink umbrella.

Most of the other people I met at the Georgia State Convocation Center, where around 10,000 people packed the stadium for Harris, said they’d intended to vote for Biden. But with the energy on the ground moribund, many told me they couldn’t rouse themselves to do much more for him, like go to events or volunteer.

“I’ve campaigned since ’08, and I couldn’t go campaign,” said Tammy Clabby, a longtime Democratic activist who worked for Hillary Clinton in 2016. “How could I tell a young person to vote for Joe Biden when he couldn’t finish a sentence in that debate?” Harris’s ascension, however, changed everything. Clabby compared the vibe to Barack Obama’s first electrifying run.

It was an analogy I heard over and over at the ebullient rally, which often felt like a dance party, and not just when the Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion was performing. All the Democrats’ fervent yearning for a fighter to take on Trump, their desperate hope for hope, has converged on a woman who until just weeks ago was regularly overlooked and underestimated.

Some conservatives, seeming discombobulated by their sudden change in political fortunes, appear to think that the explosion of Democratic enthusiasm for Kamala Harris is a media psy-op.

“Is it possible to completely manufacture a cultural phenomenon by taking a vapid, leftist San Francisco Democrat and turning her into something that she’s not through nonstop gaslighting?” Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida wrote on social media.

They should keep telling themselves that.

Are Israel and Hezbollah Headed for a Dangerous Escalation?

A rocket lands on a playing field on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers. Israel vows a “severe” response, and the United States and other Western leaders urge restraint. The response comes on Tuesday: a strike on a dense residential neighborhood in southern Beirut, which Israel says was targeted against the Hezbollah commander responsible for the rocket attack. The suspense is tangible: Is this it?

Is this the next war that has been a threat to Israel and its neighbors through all the nine months of the conflict with Hamas? A war that would be far deadlier than the one in Gaza, with the Israeli Defense Force pitted against the most heavily armed militia in the Middle East, one wielding a vast arsenal of attack drones, rockets and missiles far greater and more sophisticated than anything Hamas has?

This may not be the moment. Hezbollah, the political party and militia that controls southern Lebanon, has denied that Saturday’s attack was its doing, though that may be intended more to deny responsibility for killing members of the Druse community, a small offshoot of Shia Islam who have lived on the Golan Heights since before Israel seized the area 57 years ago, and who have tried to stay clear of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Neither Israel nor the United States doubt that Hezbollah was responsible, especially given that tit-for-tat rocket attacks have been constant since the Gaza war erupted last Oct. 7. Saturday’s missile was most likely intended for a nearby Israeli base, not the Druse youngsters. Still, a strike on a non-Jewish community in Israel also put pressure on Israel to show that it cares about the security of all its citizens. In the Middle East, nothing is ever simple or binary.

The intended target on Tuesday, Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah official, was killed in the attack , according to the Israeli military, and there were reports that 35 people were wounded.

It’s not clear whether Israel’s strike on Beirut, if the response ends there for now, will provoke Hezbollah to escalate the duel. But even if none of the actors involved want an all-out war at this juncture, the conditions for one to erupt will remain. Hezbollah has vowed to continue popping rockets into northern Israel so long as the fighting continues in Gaza, leading to retaliatory Israeli strikes and to the evacuation of thousands of residents from both sides of the border — 60,000 Israelis and a far greater number of Lebanese.

According to Amos Harel, a defense analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, writing recently in Foreign Affairs (before the latest exchange), there is a strong longing in Israel to deal with Hezbollah “once and for all.” And in the north, Harel wrote, Israel is far better prepared for a major clash than it was in the south. In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, when confusion reigned along the Gaza border, three Israeli divisions were rapidly deployed to preclude Hezbollah from opening a second front.

For President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, whose reaction to a dangerous crisis will be closely scrutinized now that she is the probable Democratic candidate for president, preventing a dangerous new war, one that would reverberate across the Middle East, is a critical challenge.

Farah Stockman

It’s Not Too Late for Change in Venezuela

The Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro wants the world to believe he won Sunday’s presidential election . But nobody should believe that until he releases precinct-level vote tallies and submits to an independent audit. That authorities have failed so far to do that “tells you everything you need to know about the election,” Geoff Ramsey, a specialist on Latin America at the Atlantic Council, told me.

Maduro has done everything in his power to tilt the election in his favor, from barring rivals to arresting their campaign staff members. But even that doesn’t seem to have been enough. Now he appears to be faking the numbers and declaring victory. It’s already being called the “ mother of all stolen elections .”

Luckily, the Venezuelan opposition anticipated that Maduro would try to rig the vote, and dispatched volunteers to collect precinct-level tally sheets from voting centers across the country. The opposition says it has collected some 70 percent of such tally sheets , enough data to prove that voters overwhelmingly rejected Maduro.

And why wouldn’t they vote him out? He has presided over the worst economic collapse of any country not at war . Since 2014, the country’s economy shrank by roughly three-quarters , and about 20 percent of citizens have left, thanks to Maduro’s corruption, mismanagement of the oil industry, and U.S. sanctions brought on by his policies. Who would vote for six more years of that?

Every country in the region has suffered from Venezuela’s collapse and would benefit from its recovery. Leaders around the world — and those who prop up the Maduro regime — should ask themselves how much more Venezuela can take and insist that Maduro come clean with the precinct-level results.

“There is a lot of consensus even among governments that have been traditionally friendly to Maduro —Mexico, Brazil, Colombia — that there has to be transparency around the results,” Francisco Rodríguez, a Venezuelan economist at the University of Denver, told me.

This is far from the first time that Maduro has been accused of rigging the vote. But the ability of the opposition to collect such compelling proof of it is a testament of the incredible bravery and surprising unity of the opposition under the leadership of Venezuela’s “Iron Lady,” María Corina Machado , an opposition front-runner who was barred from running.

Undaunted, Machado rallied behind Edmundo González Urrutia, a little-known former diplomat who was allowed on the ballot. Exit polls and opinion surveys suggest that he won in a landslide. Anger at Maduro’s attempts to claim victory has led to mass protests and even the toppling of a statue of Hugo Chávez . The Venezuelan people deserve better, and they know it.

Frank Bruni

Contributing Opinion Writer

Trump vs. ‘America’s Border Czar’

“Border czar.”

If Donald Trump and his campaign staff could tattoo that epithet onto Kamala Harris’s forehead or dress her in a sandwich board bearing only that phrase, they would. So it’s not surprising to encounter it at the start of the first major ad that the Trump campaign has released since Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee.

“This is America’s border czar,” says an unseen narrator, in an ominous voice, as the words “Border Czar Kamala Harris” appear onscreen, just to hammer home the designation. They’re superimposed over video of Harris, in a kaleidoscopic blouse, dancing at an unspecified celebration. Message: She’s not just out to lunch. She’s out having a blast while the country implodes.

On a scale of 1 to someone screaming that Harris is an agent of the apocalypse, the ad rates about a 9. It’s as subtle as Trump. And like him, it doesn’t play fair — in tying illegal border crossings to terrorism and in assigning her ultimate responsibility for those crossings. She was charged not with fortifying the border but with the vaguer task of working with Central American countries to deter migration by identifying and alleviating its causes.

But the ad is smart, and it’s a clear signal of what will be a main theme, possibly the main theme, in Republicans’ attacks against Harris in particular and Democrats in general. Americans are much more concerned about illegal immigration than they were in the past, and polls show that they trust Trump more than they do Democrats to hold back the tide.

That’s a big reason that Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is on Harris’s short list of potential running mates: He represents a border state and has spoken forcefully for greater border security. Harris must persuade voters that she’s concerned about and focused on that issue.

But Trump must take care, too. The ad — which is scheduled to appear in the six top battleground states — underscores that. The colors in Harris’s blouse, the lightheartedness of her dance moves, a carefully selected snippet of remarks she made to Lester Holt of NBC News: Those details and others combine to suggest that Harris is frivolous, different, even other, especially because there’s an image of Trump in the ad, too, and he’s striding purposefully in a suit and red tie outside what appears to be the White House.

Serious man. Silly (and dangerous) woman. That’s the contrast being drawn, and it could turn off many voters.

David Firestone

Deputy Editor, the Editorial Board

Biden Is Right: End Lifetime Tenure on the Supreme Court

House Speaker Mike Johnson was probably right to describe President Biden’s Supreme Court reform proposals as “dead on arrival” in his chamber, but that’s just because Republicans don’t want anything to interfere with their 6-to-3 supermajority on the court. It wasn’t that long ago that many Republicans fully supported the most compelling of Biden’s ideas: term limits for justices.

In 2012, before he was a Republican senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley wrote an article saying that if justices knew they would not serve on the court for life, it would “foster a more circumspect attitude toward the court’s role.” The independence created by life terms, he wrote, breeds “an overconfidence in the justices’ capacity to get constitutional questions right.” (And he was in a position to know, as a former clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts.) Term limits were also supported by Senator Marco Rubio , and Senator Ted Cruz proposed putting justices up for election every eight years.

Now it’s Democrats who want to end lifetime appointments, having seen the six justices in the supermajority trample individual rights and do nothing about shameful ethical abuses within their ranks. But an 18-year maximum tenure for justices, as Biden and many others have proposed, shouldn’t be ping-ponged around by whatever faction is dissatisfied with the current court. It’s a good idea born of a mistake by the Constitution’s drafters, who weren’t able to foresee the problems caused by lifetime appointments.

For one thing, life spans were shorter then. Through the 1960s, the average term on the court was around 15 years; after 1970, it became about 26 years. The founders did not fully anticipate how a justice might become insulated from reality after serving on the court for many decades. They didn’t anticipate the potential for arrogance and corruption, as long-serving justices — like Clarence Thomas — would take lavish gifts from special interests without the possibility of penalty.

And they didn’t anticipate that a president like Donald Trump would outsource his appointment power to fierce ideological warrior groups like the Federalist Society, who scour law schools for the most conservative students, get them clerkships and then promote them at a young age for judicial openings, in hopes of keeping them on the bench for more than a quarter-century.

The United States remains the only major constitutional democracy without either term limits or a mandatory retirement age for judges on the highest court. Almost every American state, in fact, has some kind of term limit for high-court justices. Only Rhode Island has neither a term limit nor an age restriction.

Johnson says the system has worked fine for centuries, but it clearly has not. The time for change is long overdue. Biden deserves credit as the first president to join the call for an overhaul.

The Tradwife Life Is Nothing New

Hannah Neeleman , whose nom de internet is Ballerina Farm, was described as “the queen of the tradwives,” by Megan Agnew of The Times of London this month. Neeleman previously claimed to be “unfamiliar with the term,” which describes social media influencers who often promote traditional gender roles and present idealized domestic scenes.

I believe tradwives when they say they are happy living this way. But getting behind the images of Ballerina Farm confirmed what I already suspected: Being a tradwife is not appealing or aspirational for many modern women, despite how beautiful it looks in photographs.

Neeleman is an ex-Juilliard ballerina who is married to an heir to the JetBlue fortune, and the two live on a farm in Utah with their “8 littles” as she puts it in her Instagram bio . Ballerina Farm’s brand of tradwifery might best be described as internet pastoral: home-schooling children, making croissants, drinking turmeric lattes made from raw milk from the farm. The profile asks: Does Neeleman’s lifestyle represent “an empowering new model of womanhood — or a hammer blow for feminism?”

I would argue that all she represents is an old model of wealthy white womanhood, disseminated by new technology. This model valorizes the performance of motherhood if you act joyful all the time, are buoyed by an ocean of family money and can compete in a beauty pageant two weeks postpartum, as Neeleman did. But it has no material support for the human beings who have more complex feelings than a perfect facade allows.

Pitting tradwives against feminists is a trap . That makes it seem that feminists don’t care about families or hate stay-at-home parents or big families, which is false. Many feminists are stay-at-home parents, but tradwives are a separate category who tend to believe in cultural values like submitting to one’s husband.

Neeleman certainly defers to her husband, Daniel, about basically every major life decision she has made since they met in their early 20s. As Agnew notes: “Daniel wanted to live in the great Western wilds, so they did; he wanted to farm, so they do; he likes date nights once a week, so they go (they have a babysitter on those evenings); he didn’t want nannies in the house, so there aren’t any.”

Hannah Neeleman’s version of womanhood represents an age-old glorification of maternal suffering. Her family has the money to employ nannies and many people to do other household tasks, but she must go without additional child care because her husband doesn’t want her to have it. She sometimes falls so ill from exhaustion that she can’t get out of bed for a week.

While her social media feed makes her suffering appear glamorous, if you take off the pageant sequins, all that’s left is a vulnerable person, worn into the ground.

Thomas L. Friedman

Democrats Could Regret Calling Trump and His Supporters ‘Weird’

For a few days this last week I started to believe that Kamala Harris and the Democrats could come from behind and beat Donald Trump. But then I started to hear Democrats patting themselves on the back for coming up with a great new label for Trump Republicans. They are “weird.”

I cannot think of a sillier, more playground, more foolish and more counterproductive political taunt for Democrats to seize on than calling Trump and his supporters “weird.”

But weird seems to be the word of the week. As this newspaper reported, in a potential audition to be Harris’s running mate , Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said over the weekend of Trump and his vice-presidential pick, Senator JD Vance of Ohio: “The fascists depend on us going back, but we’re not afraid of weird people. We’re a little bit creeped out, but we’re not afraid.” Just to make sure he got the point across, Walz added: “The nation found out what we’ve all known in Minnesota: These guys are just weird.”

As The Times reported, Harris, speaking at a weekend campaign event at a theater in the Berkshires, “leaned into a new Democratic attack on the former president and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, saying that some of the swipes the men had taken against her were ‘just plain weird.’” The Times added: “Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, said Mr. Trump was getting ‘older and stranger’ while Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, called Mr. Vance ‘weird’ and ‘erratic.’”

It is now a truism that if Democrats have any hope of carrying key swing states and overcoming Trump’s advantages in the Electoral College, they have to break through to white, working-class, non-college-educated men and women, who, if they have one thing in common, feel denigrated and humiliated by Democratic, liberal, college-educated elites. They hate the people who hate Trump more than they care about any Trump policies. Therefore, the dumbest message Democrats could seize on right now is to further humiliate them as “weird.”

“It is not only a flight from substance,” noted Prof. Michael J. Sandel of Harvard, the author of “The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good?” “It allows Trump to tell his supporters that establishment elites look down on them, marginalize them and view them as ‘outsiders’ — people who are ‘weird.’ It plays right into Trump’s appeal to his followers that he is taking the slings and arrows of elites for them. It is a distraction from the big argument that Democrats should be running on: How we can renew the dignity of work and the dignity of working men and women.”

I don’t know what is sufficient for Harris to win, but I sure know what is necessary: a message that is dignity affirming for working-class Americans, not dignity destroying. If this campaign is descending into name-calling, no one beats Trump in that arena.

Jonathan Alter

Harris Should Pick Walz, and Then Put Shapiro and Kelly to Work

While Kamala Harris could easily make a surprise pick, I’m assuming the accuracy of reports that the short list consists of Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

My suggestion is that for the next 100 days, she should effectively choose all three.

At first glance, Kelly or Shapiro might seem to help more by joining the ticket. While Harris is now comfortably ahead in Minnesota, she’s behind or dead even in Arizona and Pennsylvania polls.

But this assessment doesn’t take into account what the V.P. nominee will actually do in the 14 weeks before the election: Lambaste Donald Trump, spearhead fund-raisers in big cities, back Democratic Senate candidates in close races and campaign in battleground states when Harris is elsewhere.

That’s not the best use of Kelly’s and Shapiro’s time. Kelly’s priority should be to help nail down Arizona, where he has great credibility on the border issue that threatens Harris. Likewise, Shapiro should stay put in Pennsylvania. By helping Harris reposition herself on fracking, Shapiro, who is surprisingly popular in rural Pennsylvania, can cut Trump’s margins there and help Democrats carry the state. And by not putting Shapiro on the ticket, Harris avoids splits in the party over the war in Gaza.

If Harris visits both Arizona and Pennsylvania once a week for two or three events, as she should, that’s a whopping 28 to 42 joint appearances in each state with these popular figures.

Walz, meanwhile, would spread his nimble Midwestern charm as the actual V.P. nominee. He has a résumé that looks as if it was designed in a lab: raised in a Nebraska town of 400; geography teacher and coach of football state champions; 24 years as a noncommissioned officer of the Army National Guard; moderate Democratic House member from a deeply red Minnesota district; highly effective governor with crowd-pleasing wins on cannabis, paid family leave and mandatory gun background checks, among others. He connects culturally in rural America, which would provide critical balance on a ticket headed by a member of the coastal cultural elite.

Walz last week launched the creative “they’re weird” talking point about the Trump/Vance ticket, now taken up by the whole Democratic Party, and there’s more where that came from. Vice-presidential nominees are meant to be attack dogs, a role that political consultants in Arizona and Pennsylvania say neither Kelly nor Shapiro is especially well equipped to play. Walz is already embracing that task with relish, a happy warrior who stays light and upbeat on TV.

Selecting Kelly, Shapiro or Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina would reassure moderate voters — a critical task for Harris as she faces a fierce assault for being too liberal. But there are other options for doing so. One good way to start: Harris should announce that Mitt Romney will be her secretary of defense or homeland security.

Patrick Healy

Deputy Opinion Editor

The Important Unanswered Question About Kamala Harris

Every Monday morning on The Point, we kick off the week with a tipsheet on the latest in the presidential campaign. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:

For all the Democratic defections from President Biden and euphoria over Vice President Kamala Harris, there’s an important unanswered question about whether Harris can do something that Biden got very, very right in 2020: Be appealing to independent, undecided and swing voters with a centrist message emphasizing normalcy and uniting the country.

I think that message won Biden victory in the Electoral College. And a lot of Democrats are telling me two things right now: Harris will win the popular vote in November (thanks to strong margins in blue states), but it’s far from clear if she will win the Electoral College vote. She’s got to prove herself to those independent, undecided and swing voters in battleground states, or else she’s not going to win the presidency. And for all the record fund-raising and meme excitement, Harris hasn’t started indicating how she plans to do so.

Blue America is undoubtedly fired up and closing the enthusiasm gap fast against Donald Trump, and that’s a big deal — it’s what Democrats needed to do in Week 1 of the 15-week Harris presidential sprint. As we enter Week 2, I’ll be watching today for signs of a swing-voter message from two star governors and possible Harris running mates — Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan — who are jointly campaigning for Harris in the Philadelphia suburbs. And I’ll be keeping an eye on new Harris campaign ads and her next big event, in Atlanta on Tuesday.

So far, Harris has mostly been talking to friendly Democratic audiences. She is leaving it to surrogates to make her case in more challenging venues, as Pete Buttigieg did Sunday on Fox News , or speak most pointedly to swing voters and small-town Americans in purple and red areas, as Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota has.

Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton won the presidency because they made real attempts — through policy ideas, speeches, campaign travel and, sometimes, criticism of their party or allies — to show that they had a measure of independence, thought for themselves and, yes, were looking out for all Americans, not just team blue. Both Bushes broke with some in the G.O.P. too (most notably on taxes and then immigration). Now that Harris has fired up the base faster than perhaps even she expected, what will she do to go beyond that base?

I’m really curious about what she says at her Atlanta event and where she plans to campaign in the days and weeks to come. And I’m also curious to see if she can really put Trump on the defensive over debating her ; she could reach a lot of those swing voters through debates, as well as prosecuting the case that Trump is unfit to lead the country again. Making a serious proposal to Trump that they meet for one debate a week starting in September would take this historic election to a new level.