Fast Food and Your Health

You are what you eat and if you eat fast food, you are running a risk. Eating lots of fast food is a good way to get fat and do a number on your body.
If you are looking to better your health, you should look beyond your local McDonald’s or Burger King. While they both have healthful alternatives to their signature burger, fries and a soda staple, many of their menu items can be detrimental to a healthy diet.
A lot of items on a fast food menu are extremely high in fat, calories, cholesterol and sodium. Those are all things your body needs, but only in seriously limited quantities. The average adult should have a caloric intake of fewer than 2,000 calories and less than sixty grams of fat per 24 hour day. A McDonald’s Big Mac contains over six hundred calories, thirty grams of fat and over one thousands milligrams of sodium (over forty five percent your recommended daily allowance). If you add a large order of French fries to your meal, you add another five hundred and forty calories, twenty six grams of fat and over three hundred and fifty grams of sodium. Add a soft drink to that and you have over half of your daily allowed caloric intake and almost your entire allowable fat intake completely consumed in one meal.
While some fast food choices are unhealthy, it is important to note that not all fast food menu items are bad. If you make simple changes in your selections at these restaurants, you can actually consume fever calories than you would at a high end restaurant. Many fast food restaurants offer grilled chicken salads. They are low in calories and high in nutrition. Choose broiled or grilled foods over fried foods and you can cut the calories and fat content nearly in half. Skip the French fries and opt for a diet soda or water instead. Instead of using high fat mayonnaise, use ketchup or mustard to top off your burger. If you crave those fast food French fries, go for a small size and cut down on nearly sixty percent of the calories. Eat your burger without a bun or choose a whole wheat bun instead. Instead of the double cheeseburger, go for a single!
In order to please a growing number of consumers who are concerned about their health, many fast food restaurants are converting to using none or very few trans-fats which have been determined to be harmful to our health. You can check with the restaurant to see a listing of their nutritional information.
While fast food generally has a bad reputation with health conscious people- and with good reason- most restaurants are making great strides in making more healthy food choices available. Always ask for nutritional information before you bite into that double cheeseburger.