Thesis: While Taco Bell’s Fresco menu advertisement claims to be a “drive-thru diet” and can help someone lose weight for a cheap price, there are many flaws to the ad such as deceiving the consumer into presuming that the food is low in all aspects of the dieting such as calories, fat, and sodium, not showing the consumers the way a fast-food diet can affect someone’s lifestyle and the negative health effects of only eating fast food. Body Paragraph:Even though Taco Bell’s Fresco ad suggests that the menu items are low in fat and calories, which can help with weight loss, the ad does not tell the consumers that the menu items are high in sodium and lack vitamins and other nutrients someone needs. The Fresco menu contains nine items-including tacos and burritos-that are indeed low in calories. According to the book, The Fast Food Diet by Stephen T. Sinatra, “Ordering tacos “fresco” style means they dress them with salsa instead of cheese and sauces”(Sinatra). Without the cheese and sauce, the calories and fat content go down. All of the menu items contain under 400 calories and under 9 grams of fat. What the ad does not tell the consumer is that the food is stuffed with sodium because while people desire to lose weight, they want the food to still taste good. Taco Bell saw that desire in people and decided not to sacrifice the taste so they stuff nearly three-fourths of the recommended amount of sodium. This is an extreme put back from a “dieting” perspective. In order to lose weight, you must balance everything. According to an article by Abby Ellin, “Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a cardiologist in Manchester, Conn., agrees and states, “With fast food you get the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said. “It’s like weaving your way through a minefield. You can step on a mine and blow up”(Ellin). The Fresco ad is simple and attractive, using the food that looks exactly like the normal Taco Bell menu items to make it seem more attractive to those dieting. Besides the extreme amount of sodium, the menu items also lack vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Fiber. These vitamins and nutrients are necessary to maintain a healthy weight and healthy diet. A diet that lacks these vitamins could never be deemed healthy by any doctor, but that doesn’t stop consumers from falling into this advertisement’s trap about this being a “diet.”
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you are saying about the Taco Bell Fresco menu. You provide a solid argument by stating that the menu may have items low in fat and calories, but they are still unhealthy due to the sodium content. You also make the point that the menu items lack vitamins and fiber and that these are essential to a balanced diet. Just from this short paragraph I learned a lot about what the Fresco menu has to offer.
ReplyDeleteI really like your thesis, it lets me know exactly what you are about to argue about. Then your body is wonderful. (Please don't take that the wrong way) I like how you included quotes from people who are professionals in this area. Good job on letting people know how they compensate for the calories, they imput tons of salt. Its very eye opening.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, very informative! I am wondering, though, where you are coming from with the statement that the Fresco menu items are completely lacking in nutritional value. While they are indeed loaded with sodium, the meat and pico de gallo must have some nutritional value (protein and vitamin C, if nothing else). With that said, I ran a quick search for that info, and I came up empty.
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