Fast food in every town is a fact of American life. We love hamburgers, pizzas, donuts, fancy coffees, ice cream, those grab and go quick foods we can mostly eat with our hands. Adding to fast food options are the ultra-processed foods available in any grocery store or gas station. Bluntly speaking, it all contributes to making roughly 73% of us a bit fat and unhealthy.
Fast food is big business. As of 2022 the US fast food industry has had a market share of $332.41 billion and continues to grow. Globally the industry is worth $907 billion.
Why We Like It
- Good Taste. We are wired to enjoy sugar, fat, and salt found in much of the ultra-processed, Standard American Diet (SAD). Processed foods are designed to appeal to our “wired” appetite for foods made with these ingredients as they feed the pleasure centers of the brain. You probably prefer a slice of pizza over a bag of crisp brussel sprouts. However, if the brussel sprouts are lightly steamed and tossed with melted butter and salt, they suddenly have more appeal.
- Consistent and Available. Mass-produced fast food is dependently consistent in flavor, texture, appearance, and cost across each business. No surprises from store to store and no worries about what you order. Automatic eating. This works for approximately 50 million people or 37% of Americans who enjoy fast food.
- Nutrition Information. Most of us are unaware of the calories in our favorite choices. Since 2018, fast food chains and restaurants of 20 or more locations are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide calorie levels on menu items and make nutrition information available on request. Consider this information extremely useful in making food choices.
- Advertising. We fall for “the message” and so do kids. Flavor is everything, nutritional value, not so much. The food industry knows our brains, and it wants to make money. Visualizing food stimulates the pleasure and reward of eating. Think of TV commercials. Our brains are primitively wired to seek food. Images of a juicy burger or cheese piled on a pizza stimulate a need to reward that primitive desire.
Rethink Your Fast-Food Habit
- Calories Matter. It starts with how much you value your health and that of your children. Read the menu. You may need to go online for nutrition details if your fast-food place of choice can’t provide it at the counter. You will be surprised at how many calories sugar and fat add to a food.
- Choice Matters. Surprise. You may be eating most of your calorie allowance for the day in one meal. For example, a McDonalds Double Cheeseburger with fries is 1,559 calories. A Burger King Whopper Sandwich with Cheese with a small serving of fries is 1,060 calories. A 12-ounce sugar-sweetened soda has 150 calories or 10 teaspoons of sugar. The average moderately active adult needs 2,000 calories per day. It’s easy to understand one of these meals is almost enough for the day.
- Lost Nutrition. Fast-food choices replace valuable nutrition from fruit and vegetables. Unless you order a salad, you don’t have many options for the missing nutrition. You are basically overnourished and undernourished all at the same time.
- Health Risk. If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure, a fast-food diet significantly compounds your health risk. Short-term reward: the food. Long-term reward: better health.
Action Steps
- Read menu nutrition information to cut calories and make healthier choices.
- Avoid sugar-sweetened soda.
- Smaller servings of everything are better.
- Help your children make healthy choices. Offer milk instead of soda for more nutrition.
- Gradually cut back on fast-food frequency.
- Take fruit with you as a snack.
RECIPE TIP
Quick Healthy Salad
Mix 1 bag of chopped mixed salad (or portion desired) with a variety of healthy protein options like garbanzo beans, seeds or nuts, sliced chicken pieces, tuna chunks, hard cooked egg slices, or grated cheese.
Add chopped tomatoes, spinach, peppers, cucumber, carrots, broccoli pieces and add to the veggie mix.
Lightly dress with Italian dressing or add salsa to a high calorie creamy dressing to reduce calories. Dress the salad just before eating.
HEALTH TIP
The medical system uses Body Mass Index calculations to predict weight risk. But a simple, better approach is measuring your waist circumference and abdominal obesity with a tape measure around the belly button. Men should be less than 40 inches and women, less than 35 inches.
Written by: Mimi Cunningham, MA, RDN, CDCES
Mimi is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and diabetes care specialist helping people learn to manage their diabetes and achieve good health. She believes food definitely is good culinary medicine.
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