If you are concerned about a nutritious diet, fast food is usually not a healthy option as it is often low in nutrients and high in calories and fat. But if you are on the go and need a quick snack, sometimes fast food is the only option. Knowing the basics about nutrition for fast food can help you make wise choices.
Features
Fast food often includes processed foods, such as white bread, French fries, onion rings and pre-made baked goods. Processed foods are usually high in sugar and harmful fats, such as saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat. Trans fat comes from man-made foods and can build up in the arteries, causing high blood pressure and even blockage, contributing to heart problems. Processed foods also tend to be high in sodium, which can raise blood pressure.
Identification
With so many choices of fast food restaurants, Americans have a variety of menu options, although many of them are the same foods with slight variations. Many fast food restaurants serve hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, fish fillet sandwiches and salads. The meat options at fast food restaurants are often high in protein, but also high in saturated fat, with the exception of some grilled chicken items. Dressings, such as mayonnaise or ranch dressing, also add a lot of fat.
Considerations
Some fast food restaurants offer healthy options, including sandwiches with grilled chicken or turkey, vegetarian sandwiches, veggie burgers and side items that are healthier alternative to fries, such as fruit, salad, baked potatoes or low-fat yogurt. When searching for healthy fast food options, keep in mind that even if a food is low in fat and nutritious, such as a baked potato, if you add dressing or toppings, such as regular sour cream and butter, your item becomes fattening. Choose low-fat or fat-free dressings and sour cream, or use condiments such as mustard and ketchup.
Effects
Fast food's high calorie and fat content has been linked to weight gain, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart disease. According to a 2008 study of healthy Swedish men and women who went on a fast food diet, fast food also causes liver damage because the liver gets overloaded trying to process excess amounts of fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting fast food consumption because of the high amounts of fat and cholesterol in fast food.
Prevention/Solution
To prevent health problems from eating fast food, limit or even cut out fast food from your diet. If you are in a pinch and have to get some fast food, go for healthy side items, grilled chicken or turkey or veggie burgers. Avoid items with cheese if possible as fast food restaurants usually use fattening cheeses. For instance, although a cheese quesadilla may sound healthy because there is no red meat, at Taco Bell a cheese quesadilla has 18 g of fat, including 9 g of saturated fat, almost half of the recommended daily allowance for fat and saturated fat.
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