FAQ - Is Fast Food All That Bad?

Though this may seem like an obvious question, with a simple answer, there are more dangers to eating fast food than you might think. Here are some nutritional facts to think about the next time you are craving that cheeseburger and fries.

All fast foods are:

High in fat, sodium, and cholesterol.
High in calories, yet has little nutritional value.
"Super-sizing" means larger portions as well as weight gain.
Drinking large quantities of soda has been linked in children (and adults) to Type II Diabetes.

Here is a sample meal and the breakdown of its calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium content.

Quarter-Pound Cheeseburger, Large Fries, 16 oz. soda (McDonald's)

This meal: Recommended daily intake:

1,166 calories 2,000-2,700 calories

51 g fat No more than 50-80 g

95 mg cholesterol No more than 300 mg

1,450 mg sodium No more than 1,100-3,300 mg

Besides the basic nutritional contents of fast food, there are also other reasons to resist:

Food poisoning (E. Coli).
Chemicals used to flavor food.
Sanitation of facilities producing food.
Environmental damage caused by the mass production of crops such as potatoes and old growth and rainforest clearings for cattle grazing pastures.
Convenience can lead to laziness and other bad habits.
Obesity!

If you are a parent, this information should be a red flag on what not to feed your children. Though it is simple and convenient, your children will thank you later for not letting them bite into the fast food trend. The current recommendation from dietitians is to limit eating fast food to once a month. To find out more, please take a look at the links below as well as the recommended books/films. Also take a look at what Neat Solutions has to start your child on the right path.

Articles about Fast food

Awesome articles with current information about fast food.
http://www.fastfoodwarning.org/

Eating fast food twice a week has been connected with the rise of obesity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3210750.stm

Fast food has been linked to type II Diabetes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4133099.stm

More on Fast Food and Type II Diabetes.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/healthconcerns/a/fastfooddiets.htm

Eye opening facts and other great information.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff/fastfood/

Find out what you are really eating at McDonalds. Detailed nutritional information:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

Recommended Reads/Films

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
On Google Book Search

Super Size Me Directed By Morgan Spurlock
Super Size Me on IMDB

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