Fast Food Causing Obesity Problems

Fast food can be appealing if you're short on time, and the tasty foods that are low in cost can make buying fast food even more attractive. However, fast foods are generally flavorful because they contain many added unhealthy additives and inexpensive because they are prepared with lower quality ingredients.

The Problem

Fast foods are often high in sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat, trans fats and added sugars. Foods such as hamburger, ice cream shakes, cheeses and creamy salad dressings and soups are rich in heart-unhealthy saturated fat, which also happens to be high in calories. Foods such as fried chicken and french fries are high in trans fat, which is also rich in calories and even more harmful for your heart than saturated fat. Other sneaky culprits behind weight gain are sugary beverages such as soda. A 12 oz. serving of soda may contain 150 calories from added sugar and it won't fill you up, which means you are likely to eat the same amount of food despite having added the liquid calories to your diet. Fast foods are also usually low in fiber, which means you are less likely to feel satisfied with a healthy serving size and you are more likely to eat more calories than you need.

Frequency and Obesity Risk

You are more likely to gain an unhealthy amount of weight and develop insulin resistance if you frequently eat fast food. A 2005 study in "The Lancet" confirmed this by periodically interviewing and physically examining more than 3,000 people over 15 years. Those who ate fast food more than twice a week gained about 10 more pounds more than those who ate fast food less than once weekly. They were also twice as likely to develop insulin resistance than those who ate fast food less often.

Proximity and Obesity Risk

Simply being in close proximity to a fast food restaurant on a daily basis may increase your risk of obesity, according to 2009 research by the University of California - Berkeley. In the study, economists calculated that California ninth graders were more than 5 percent more likely to be obese if their school was within 1/10 of a mile of a fast food restaurant. They also assessed that the ninth graders whose schools were closest to fast food restaurants ate an average of 30 to 100 more calories each day when compared with the non-obese students. Still, researchers didn't find a connection between obesity and fast food restaurants that were within ¼ mile of high schools. Pregnant women, also a part of the study, were at a slightly higher risk of being obese if they lived close to a fast food outlet.

Healthy Tips

You may still enjoy the occasional fast food treat, but balance it by eating other nutritious foods such as fruits, whole grains and vegetables throughout your day. Avoid eating fast food more than about once per week and make healthier meal choices when you do decide to eat fast food. For instance, choose grilled and broiled foods instead of fried foods, order the smallest entrée size, drink water or low-fat milk instead of soda and ask for dressing or sauce on the side and only use a small portion of it, recommends the Center for Young Women's Health.