Fast food restaurants, also known as quick service restaurants, sell food that can be quickly cooked, assembled and eaten. Fast food has moved out of restaurants and is also readily available at convenience stores. Even grocery stores often serve their own versions of fast food in prepackaged sandwiches and salads. Although fast food costs little and tastes good, much of it isn't good for you, at least in the long run, but 25 percent of Americans eat at least one meal a day at a fast food restaurant, Fast Food Nation reports.
Calories
It's hard to eat a fast food meal that's not high in calories, but refusing to supersize definitely helps cut the calories. A triple burger, large fries and a 16 oz. soda can top out at more than 1,700 calories, compared to a small single burger with small fries and water, which would add about 500 calories to your daily intake. One extra crispy chicken breast contains about 440 calories and that's before you add the biscuits. But removing the skin cuts your calorie intake down to 140 calories. A taco salad is about 330 calories, but that's only if you don't eat the shell, sour cream or cheese, HelpGuide reports.
Trans Fats
One of the biggest concerns with fast food is the saturated and trans fat content. Trans fats are the fats most responsible for raising bad cholesterol levels and increasing heart disease. At some fast food companies the fries no longer contain trans fats, but the burgers and some desserts and shakes still do. Trans fats should be limited to less than 1 percent of daily calorie intake, according to the American Heart Association, which for an average 2,000-calorie diet would be about 20 calories. Since fat contains nine calories per gram, you should consume less than 2.2 g of trans fat daily. A large double cheeseburger contains 2.5 g of trans fat.
Sodium
Fast food contains large amounts of sodium--that's one of the things that makes it taste good. The recommended daily amount of sodium is less than 2,300 mg, and the American Heart Association recommends closer to 1,500 mg per day. A double cheeseburger and medium fries supply 1,400 mg of sodium in one meal. Sodium can raise blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease.
Obesity
Studies show that teens who have a fast food restaurant within one-tenth of a mile from their houses have a 5.2 percent higher risk of obesity, the University of California at Berkeley reports. Previous information showed a 2.5 percent increase in obesity during pregnancy when women lived within a half-mile of a fast food restaurant.
Other Health Risks
Fast food can not only make you fat--it can also make you sick. Today's burgers contain meat from dozens or even hundreds of different cows, increasing the risk of getting sick from a sick cow when you eat a burger, CBS Healthwatch reported in 2001.
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