Fast food is a breakfast, lunch or dinner choice for many people on a daily basis. It is used as an option to save time, or to satisfy taste bud cravings. But, what about the health consequences? People know that fast food is not synonymous with healthy living, but many forget this thought process when they are at the ordering counter. Unfortunately, eating fast food on a daily basis does have an adverse affect on your health. Awareness of those disadvantages can lead to making healthier food choices.
Calories
Most fast food entrees alone are packed with calories, ranging from about 200 calories for a small hamburger to about 500 or 600 calories for a large hamburger. Adding on cheese, bacon and other fixings could contribute another 100 to 200 calories. Don't forget the sides, like french fries, sodas, shakes and desserts, which can range from 150 calories up to an alarming 1,100 calories. Put them together and you can potentially eat 400 to 1,800 calories in one fast food meal. An average fast food meal with a 4 oz. burger, large french fries, and an ice cream type dessert can be about 1,400 calories. If you are trying to stay at about 1,800 or 2,000 calories a day, you have almost met that amount with one fast food meal.
Fat
Fat grams in fast food accumulate fast. Fat is what provides that savory taste in fast foods. Fat content in a fast food meal can range from 9 to 40g for just the entree. A meal consisting of a burger or chicken sandwich, large fries and an ice cream type dessert can tally your fat grams to about 50 to 60g of fat. The daily recommended fat allowance for 2,000 calories a day is 65g, according to the Daily Reference Values of the Food and Drug Administration. One fast food meal can meet or exceed the daily recommended amount of fat for 2,000 calories a day.
Saturated fat and trans fat
Since fat grams are usually abundant in fast foods, so are saturated fat and trans fat. These fats tend to be solid at room temperature and associated with raising blood cholesterol and risk for heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. A fast food meal consisting of a burger or chicken sandwich, large fries and ice cream type dessert can contain 15 to 20g of saturated fat and 1g of trans fat. For a 2,000 calorie daily intake, the daily reference value for saturated fat is no more than 20g. The American Heart Association recommends that trans fat should not exceed 2g per day for a 2,000 calorie a day eating plan, or no more than one percent of total daily calories. One fast food meal quite easily provides or exceeds the saturated fat and trans fat daily recommended ranges.
Sodium
It is very challenging to find fast food main entrees that are below 500mg per serving. Fast food entrees can range from 500 to 1,200mg of sodium, and one meal can range from 650mg to 2,400mg a day, and adding sauces, salad dressings or other condiments can increase those amounts. Since high blood pressure is a common health problem, and known as a "silent killer," high sodium intake in fast food meals can be unhealthy. Most health organizations advise that no more than 2,300mg of sodium should be consumed daily. The recommended amount is lower at 1,500mg a day for middle aged, or older Americans, as well as for African-Americans, and people with high blood pressure. Eating a fast food meal usually will closely reach or exceed the recommended thresholds of sodium.
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