From the mid-1970s to the 1990s, the number of fast food restaurants in the United States doubled to a quarter million nationwide, according to Agricultural Research Service. In the United States, there is one fast food restaurant for every 1,200 people. Each day, about a quarter of Americans eat fast food. With numbers like these, there is little doubt that fast food restaurants have a significant impact on Americans' nutritional and caloric intake.
Super-Sized Problem
The growth of the fast food industry mirrors the growth in Americans' waistlines. About 66 percent of Americans are overweight, according to National Institutes of Health. A 15 year prospective study by Mark A Pereira and his colleagues, published in the January 2005 "Lancet," found that those who ate at fast food restaurants more than twice a week gained more weight and had greater insulin resistance compared to those who ate at fast food restaurants less than once a week.
See For Yourself
The problem with fast foods is that the portions tend to be large and the calories excessive. There are options offered at every restaurant, but you must make the calorie-wise choice for yourself. You can review the caloric value of various fast foods by going to an online calorie counter, such as FatCalories.com. This site allows you to select your favorite restaurants and choose the type of food, such as hamburger, chicken, fish, shake or french fries. Click the "search" button, and the online program generates a list of the food items you requested and their caloric ratings, ranked from highest to lowest calories or vice versa.
Hamburgers
Hamburgers are the quintessential fast food. Americans eat about 14 billion hamburgers a year, which means that on average, Americans eat close to 50 hamburgers a year. Fast food restaurants have capitalized on and fed this hunger for burgers.
The calories in a hamburger vary widely depending on the amount and fat content of the meat, and the kind of condiments and extras that accompany the burger. Burger King's Quad Stacker and Triple Whopper with cheese are among the leaders of the fat-pack, providing about 1,000 to 1,250 calories each, with over 60 percent of the calories coming from fat. Double stacked and quarter-pound burgers fill in the midrange of the calorie rankings, containing 400 to 600 calories, with 40 to 50 percent of the calories coming from fat. The lowest ranked burgers in terms of calories and fat are McDonald's regular burger and Wendy's Jr. Hamburger, which both offer 250 or fewer calories, 30 percent of which come from fat. Cheese, bacon and mayonnaise tend to add 50 to 100 calories per item, depending on how much is added.
Chicken
Chicken calories vary vastly, depending on how the chicken is prepared and served. At the high end of the calorie spectrum, the KFC chicken and biscuit bowl has 870 calories, with 46 percent of the calories coming from fat. In the midrange, a KFC original recipe breast has 360 calories. Chicken tenders at the burger chains have 230 to 250 calories. Remove the skin and breading, and the caloric picture improves. KFC's original recipe skinless chicken breast has 140 calories, with a relatively low 20 percent of the calories coming from fat. Add a serving of mashed potatoes, gravy and a biscuit to your chicken and the calorie-count rises by 200 calories.
French Fries
A large serving of fries at a fast food restaurant generally has 500 to 600 calories, with 40 to 50 percent of the calories coming from fat. Medium fries give you 300 to 400 calories, while small fries have 210 to 250 calories.
Shakes
Shakes range in caloric value from 150 calories for Wendy's vanilla Frosty Junior to McDonald's 32 ounce strawberry triple thick shake, which weighs in at 1,110 calories---more than half the recommended daily caloric intake.
References
- Agricultural Research Service: Survey Links Fast Food, Poor Nutrition Among U.S. Children
- CBS News: Americans Are Obsessed with Fast Food: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
- National Institutes of Health: Eating at Fast-food Restaurants More then Twice Per Week is Associated with More Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance in Otherwise Healthy Young Adults
- National Institutes of Health: Weight Control
- The Lancet: Fast-food Habits, Weight Gain, and Insulin Resistance (the CARDIA Study)
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