Seth Sebastian These days, it seems fast food has taken over our diets, leading many to wonder how eating such food affects our health. Sure, fast food is convenient and delicious, but how much of our health we are sacrificing to enjoy such benefits? As you can already see, fast food makes for a good debatable essay topic.
So if you want to write a convincing paper on fast food that will convince your audience to consider or adopt your stance on the issue, here are some tips that can help.
1. Craft a Solid Thesis Statement
When writing an essay to convince the reader that your stance is the correct one, you need a thesis statement that is strong, debatable and shows the reader that you have taken an active stance for or against the issue. Not only that, since a thesis statement guides your argument, a solid thesis statement goes a long way towards making your essay more convincing.
For example, a bad thesis statement would be something like, “Eating fast food is bad for your health, but it also has benefits as well.” This is a bad thesis statement because it is not debatable and it seems as though you are on the fence and trying to play both sides. A good thesis statement would say something like “Consuming too much fast food has a negative impact on our health and can lead to diabetes, heart disease, depression, obesity, and other serious health problems”.
2. Start With a Hook
No matter how convincing your paper is, you need to make sure that the reader wants to keep reading it. That’s why it’s important to make sure the first sentence of your essay is an attention grabber. A good way is to start with a quote, anecdote, shocking fact or interesting question. For example, you can start with something like “Did you know that fast food is one of the leading cause of serious health problems?”
3. Keep Your Sentences Short
Sentences need to be clear and concise, meaning they have to get to the point. Wordy sentences don’t feel as authoritative as concise ones and you could lose the reader in the process. An example of a wordy sentence is: Researchers believe but cannot confirm that eating fast food increases the risk of cancer. A concise version of this sentence would be: Researchers assume eating fast food can increase the risk of cancer.
4. Refute Arguments Against Your Stance
Not everyone who reads your paper will agree with you, and they may even have counter-arguments against yours. If you want your paper to be convincing, you have to acknowledge that these counter arguments exist and offer a quick refutation. Don’t just tell readers that quitting fast food is the only solution and that is that. Tell the reader that although eating fast food in moderation hasn’t been shown to increase health risks, the addictive nature of fast foods is likely to cause one to increase consumption over time, leading to an increase in health risks.
5. Use Facts and Statistics
To make your argument sound more authoritative, include some facts and statistics. This makes the reader see that you have done the necessary research. You can find plenty of facts about fast food from a variety of reputable websites. Here are a few interesting facts on fast food:
- According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there is twice the amount of fast food restaurants in the USA today compared to 1970
- A study has linked fast food to an increase in Type 2 diabetes
- In a study, researchers confirmed the link between fast food and depression
6. Videos
A video is a great tool for convincing people since they are usually fun to watch and easier to understand than text. Videos are a powerful way to communicate your argument, and you should include them as sources in your essay. One great video on fast food to reference in your essay is the documentary “Supersize Me.” The documentary follows Morgan Spurlock, who also directed the film, over a 30-day period as he eats McDonald's only. The film then goes on to show the effects this had on his physical and mental well-being.
7. Read Sample Papers
If you want to craft a convincing paper, perhaps it will serve you well to see how it is actually done. There are a number of free writing websites that have a variety of sample essays on fast food online that you can download and read. These sample papers will give you an idea of how to persuade readers to adopt your stance.
Also, if you want someone to write a specific essay for you, you can hire professional essay writing services as well. For example, if you want an essay written on how fast food is leading to an increase in obesity rates, these writing services will provide you with a professionally-written custom sample paper.
8. Proofread and Edit Ruthlessly
After you are done writing the first draft, you need to proofread and edit the text to remove any grammar and spelling mistakes. This will ensure that your essay reads well as these mistakes can be distracting and can make your arguments come off as unintelligent. Common grammar mistakes include wrong word usage, mistaking "their" with "there," dangling modifiers, misusing the apostrophe and sentence fragments.
People enjoy fast food every day, but no one can deny that it can impact our health in the long run. You can either be for fast food or against fast food, making it a great topic for an essay meant to convince readers of whatever position you have chosen. We hope the above-mentioned tips help you craft a convincing paper.
