THE FOOD WE EAT -- PART 3: FAST FOOD

I have used multiple sources that I believe are reliable in compiling this list of facts. Most of this stuff is quite easy to cross check and corroborate. The scary thing is that one could put together a bullet list as long as Broadway of negative facts about fast food. Here's a sampler:


* In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food. In 2006, the spending rose to nearly $142 billion.

* Fast food is inexpensive because it is usually made with cheaper ingredients such as high fat meat, refined grains, and added sugar and fats, instead of nutritious foods such as lean meats, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

* Children and youth aged 11 to 18 years visit fast food outlets an average of twice a week.

* Most nutritionists recommend not eating fast food more than once a month. (From a poll conducted by the makers of the documentary "Supersize Me")

* Eating fast food can result in high levels of insulin, which has been linked to rising incidences of Type 2 Diabetes. In fact, more than 600,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year.

* Type 2 diabetes is rapidly becoming a disease of children and adolescents. In 2000, it was estimated that 30 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls born in the United States are at risk for being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives.

* On average, diabetes will cut 17-27 years off your life.

* You would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fries and Big Mac.

* 60 percent of all Americans are either overweight or obese.

* Burger King’s Double Whopper with cheese contains 923 calories. A man would need to walk for about nine miles to burn it off. Adding french fries and a large cola brings the total calories to an amazing 1,500 calories (2/3 of an adult man’s recommended daily caloric intake).

* High-fructose corn syrup (which tricks your body into wanting to eat more and to store more fat) first appeared in 1967, and the average American now consumes 63 pounds of it a year. It is ubiquitous in fast foods. (Note: Check the nutrition labels on the food you buy in supermarkets. This stuff is everywhere!)

* The fast food industry has dramatically affected how cattle and chickens are raised, slaughtered, and processed. It also encouraged consolidation in the meatpacking industry, such that there are now only 13 major meatpackers in America. McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef and has great influence over meatpacking practices.

* By 14 years of age, 32 percent of adolescent girls and 52 percent of boys in the United States are consuming three or more eight-ounce servings of sweetened soft drinks daily.

* The rise in the fast food industry has been linked to rising cases of obesity. The CDC estimates that 248,000 Americans die prematurely due to obesity and considers obesity as the number two cause of preventable death in the US (the #1 cause is smoking).

* When a lawsuit was brought against McDonald's by obese children, the company's defense included this: "...it is also a matter of common knowledge that any processing that [McDonald's] foods undergo serve to make them more harmful than unprocessed foods." Yep, they actually said that in their presentation.


If you go to this site http://www.fastfoodfacts.info/ you can use drop-down boxes to see the nutritional info on all the popular fast foods. Pretty interesting.

So eat and drink healthily -- there are people who care about you!
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might want to take a look at THE FOOD WE EAT -- PART 4: FACTORY FARMS and NEWS FLASH: MCDONALD'S IS PROUD TO LET GAYS EAT ITS CRAPPY FOOD.