Fast Food Good or Bad

Are you asking youself the question, “Is fast food good or bad?” Then you’ve come to the right place.

Fast Food Good or Bad?

Fast food might look good and even taste good, but once it hits your digestive system, that’s where it all goes downhill. Most scientists agree that fast food is very bad for your health; you only have to eat fast food two or more times a week to put yourself at risk for all sorts of chronic health problems. (Pereira, et al)

Sodium

For years doctors have been telling us that too much sodium is bad for our health, as it causes kidney problems, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. A high sodium diet can also increase your chance of stroke by as much as 90 percent.

Did you know that fast foods are notoriously high in sodium? For example, a standard fast food hamburger can have as much as 1000mg of sodium in it, equal to 42 percent of your daily intake. If you want a large fries with that, count another 728mg, or an additional 30 percent. If you go all out and get a double bacon cheeseburger, it can have as much as 1770mg of sodium - that’s 75 percent of your daily allowance for one burger! Add fries to that and you’ve got a whopping 2500mg of sodium, which is well over your daily allowance. All in just one meal.

Trans-fats Are Bad, Mmkay?

Trans-fats are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid at room temperature. Restaurants like to use trans-fats when frying food because they are cheaper and have a long shelf life. Scientists agree that trans-fats are one of the worst kinds of fat that you can consume; they drastically increase your cholesterol levels and open the door to heart attack and stroke. While trans-fats do occur in very small amounts in foods such as beef and dairy, fast foods are very high in this toxic substance. The American Heart Association recommends that you consume as little trans-fat as possible in order to promote optimal health.

Too Much Sugar

While most people are aware of the presence of high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks, did you know that there is sugar is most fast food menu items? A standard burger at most fast food restaurants contains 10 grams of sugar, which is about as much sugar as you’d find in a couple of cookies. Fast food breakfast items have even more sugar, and that’s without the syrup.

If you think you’re safe by ordering “healthy” menu options, think again: the yogurt parfaits with fruit that restaurants market as nutritious contain 19 grams of sugar, which is almost as much sugar as you would find in a can of soda. All of this sugar greatly increases your risk of developing insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

Empty Calories

Despite its high caloric content, fast food offers very little nutritional value in return. One fast food meal can contain as much as 1,500 calories, which is well over 50% of the daily calories required for a healthy adult. As well, within these empty calories you will find up to 75 grams of fat, and little to no vitamin content.

For example, a Big Mac from McDonalds contains 563 calories and 33 grams of fat. As far as vitamins go, there is 24% of your daily intake of iron, but little else – 8% of your Vitamin A requirement and 1% of your Vitamin C requirement are not much to speak of when you consider how many calories you are consuming with such a meal. If you ate the same weight in pasta and salad, you would be getting far more nutrients and almost half the calories.

Offsetting Good Food

Another problem with fast food is that when you’re chowing down empty calories, you’re offsetting the good food that you could otherwise be eating in its place.

For example, instead of eating a twenty piece chicken nuggets and large fries, you could have something else with actual nutritional content, such as a grilled chicken breast and baked potato. Even if you doused the potato with sour cream and bacon bits, you’d still be eating a healthier meal than you’d get at a fast food place because the meal would not be fried in partially hydrogenated oils (read: trans-fat) and the chicken would be of higher quality. If you added a green leafy salad, you’d have a great meal that tastes great and won’t shorten your lifespan!

Health Risks

Studies have found that folks who consume two or more fast food meals a week dramatically increase their risk of developing serious health problems. These conditions include:

• Weight gain and obesity
• High blood pressure
• Liver disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Digestive problems
• Cardiovascular disease

Learn More!

Are you still asking yourself about fast food - good or bad? Then take a peek at these links for more information.

• Nutrition Data will allow you to search for fast food (or others foods) to see their nutritional content.
• The American Heart Association’s page about trans-fats.
• Five ways to cut back on sodium.
• University of Maryland Medical Center’s article on the effects of high fat foods.

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