Fast foods are contributing to obesity in America. Highly available and affordable, they may seem attractive to anyone hoping to save time and money, but ultimately fast foods slow you down. They offer too many easy calories and unhealthful ingredients that contribute to being overweight.
Fast Foods are Too Prevalent
According to the CBS report "Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity," 15 percent of teens and 33 percent of adults are obese. Fast foods provide easy-access calories but offer very little nutritional benefit--yet they are consumed every day by one-third of all American kids, a five-fold increase since the 1970s. This has contributed to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and malnutrition. When essential nutrients are gone from your diet and replaced by empty calories, your health suffers.
The American Diet is Too Fast
If your diet is big on fast foods, you short-change yourself on the beneficial nutrients found in whole foods and homemade meals. Fast food tends to be highly processed and contain too much sodium, sugar and preservatives; these ingredients help with quick preparation and immediate serving. When speed counts most, cooks won't take the time to prep fresh vegetables or fruit or to create highly nutritious meals. Fast food's convenience means corners have to be cut.
Too Many Fats and Sugars
High-fat, high-calorie items such as fried dishes and super-sized sandwiches give fast food its bad name. Frying increases fat calories and is one of the fastest ways to cook anything, whether meat, bread or desserts. There's too much frying in the American diet. High-carbohydrate foods are also a problem, because their ingredients are cheap and they're easy to eat in quantity: ice cream, doughnuts, sugary cereals, pies, cakes, candy and cookies. Reducing fried and sugary foods is a major step in getting your eating habits under control and improving your weight.
Too Many Calories
Extra calories cause weight gain, and the simplest way to overindulge in calories is to eat fast food every day. If you eat fast food at all, be aware of how high in calories certain entrees and sides have become. As listed by "The 272 Fast Food Items Highest in Calories," McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast (with large biscuit) has 1,140 calories--nearly a full day's worth of calories for a sedentary adult female--and that's not counting the added-on breakfast syrup and margarine. White Castle's chocolate shake has even more calories, averaging 1,400, and Hardee's Monster Thickburger has 1,420 calories.
Look For the Healthier Stuff
Try to choose healthier, lower-calorie items. Many fast food chains are trying to improve their menus and offering entrees that are freshly assembled, and baked or broiled rather than fried. Healthier Fast Food Choices has helpful listings; take a look and choose sandwiches made with lower-fat meats (turkey, chicken, fish) and ask for salads without heavy dressings, croutons or bacon. Avoid full-fat milkshakes and desserts; ask for low-fat milk or tea, and a piece of fruit. Small changes like these can lead to great health benefits.
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