Fast food is convenient when you're busy or don't feel like cooking, but it's not healthy. Some fast food chains have introduced healthier options, such as apple slices instead of french fries or apple slices instead of potato chips. These are healthier choices, but you still have to be careful of the foods you order.
Fats
Fast food restaurants tend to cook in butter and grease. Both of these are unhealthy fats and contain saturated fat, which can clog your arteries, make you gain weight and contribute to heart attack and possibly death. Consuming too many unhealthy fats, such as saturated fat, can cause you to become overweight and lead to other obesity-related conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and gallbladder disease.
Sodium
Most fast food contains an abundant amount of sodium, or salt. Salt makes your body retain water and acts as a diuretic, which affects your kidneys and bladder. Sodium helps bring out the flavors in your food, enhances the color of the foods you eat and binds ingredients together. Your body needs very little sodium, yet it's found in processed foods, prepared foods and some natural foods, such as carrots and celery. Sodium helps regulate bodily fluids, transmit nerve impulses and help your muscles contract and relax. Too much sodium can be hard on your kidneys and cause kidney stones.
Sugars
Many foods contain sugar, especially at fast food restaurants, such as desserts, soda and other foods. Consuming too much sugar can give you a temporary energy burst to get you through part of the afternoon or evening, but it can also make you crash --- which is really bad when you still have the rest of the day to finish working. All the sugar in fast food meals can also be a recipe for disaster for diabetics. High sugar spikes for a diabetic can severely impact glucose levels, which can be dangerous.
Considerations
Plan meals ahead of time. If you know a day or two before that you won't have time to cook Tuesday night dinner, prepare something in advance, such as soup, and freeze it or place it into an airtight container to keep it fresh in the refrigerator. When you're on the run and need a quick bite to eat, choose grilled chicken menu items or opt for lean cuts of meat for the main course. Choose a fresh fruit, if possible for a side dish, and water or unsweetened juice or decaffeinated coffee as your beverage.
References
- HelpGuide.org: Healthy Fast Food: Tips for Making Healthier Fast Food Choices
- MedlinePlus: Fast Foods
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose; Feb. 15, 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Sodium: How to Tame Your Salt Habit Now; May 22, 2010
- American Heart Association: Sodium (Salt or Sodium Chloride)
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