n o u r i s h

Five Reasons Why I Hate Fast Food

11 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment

by Christine Scarcello in Calories, Nutrition Tags: Convenience Foods, Environment, Fast Food, Portion Control

As a Registered Dietitian-to-be, I do not promote fast food. Sure, I’ve eaten it… I’ve eaten a lot of it. But in the last few years I have barely had food from fast food restaurants for a lot of reaons…. and not all of them are nutrition-related.

Sure, fast food packs a lot of calories for not-a-lot of nutritional value, and that will be discussed here. But also, we as a society have to remember that these places are companies just like Target, BP, or Toyota. They are out to make money. They don’t care about anything else other than their bottom line. While many restaurants hire RDs to accurately calculate nutritional information and brainstorm about “healthy” options, these places are not where you should be turning for any kind of advice on eating. However, more people than ever get their food from fast food restaurants.

Ridiculous new statistics revealed that Americans eat at fast food locations 3 times per week or more!! What happened to cooking or bringing your own lunch to work? The issue nowadays is convenience and economics… where else can you get a cheeseburger (a double-cheeseburger, at that!) or 3 chocolate chip cookies for less than $1? Only at McDonald’s of course. And when you’re strapped for cash, where would you go – McDonald’s or Whole Foods?

The following are just 5 reasons why I hate the fast food industry, and some of my strange reasons may surprise you… but think about it, and think twice before rolling through Taco Bell for a late night snack.

1. Promotes Excess Portions

As mentioned above, the fast food industry is, like any other industry, concerned about it’s bottom line and how much money it can make. One of the lastest inventions in the last decade and a half is the invention of “super sizing” or upgrading a meal, side, or drink to a larger size. The restaurant will always advertise how cheap it is to do so (upgrade to a large fries and a drink for only 99 cents!), making customers feel as though they are missing out if they don’t take this offer.

Another way in which fast food restaurants will promote excess portions is through the use of combination meals. Every time I’ve ever gone to Jimmy John’s or Subway (and I know, most of you don’t consider these places to be “fast food” but they are), the cashier will ask if I want to add chips or a drink with that. Many like to promote these items. Why? Not because they are concerned about how tasty your lunch is, but because they will make more money off of it. Sure, chips and a drink, even a cookie – those go great with sandwiches. But when you thought about your lunch had you considered these items? Just as a waitress tries to upsell the most expensive entree to hopefully get better tips, so too do restaurants when they plant the seed in your head about “chips and a drink” or “do you want fries with that?” Be weary of this, and don’t let the person behind the counter influence you to eat more than you normally would have. If all you want is the sandwich, stick to the sandwich.

2. Promotes Late Night Eating

I am so sick of hearing about Taco Bell’s “Fourth Meal.” It is not the concept of having four meals – because, actually, you should eat between 5-6 small healthful meals per day, about 2-3 hours apart – but rather the time in which they promote this Fourth Meal: super late at night!

Don’t get me wrong… in college it was a bad habit of mine to roll through the TB drive-thru around 2:30 after the bars closed to pick up greasy, disgusting fake Mexican food. So I can’t really blame anyone for eating late at night because I’ve been there. But having learned a thing or two about nutrition throughout my dietetics education, I now discourage any kind of eating late at night before bed. At night your body is preparing for rest, when the normal bodily processes will slow down while you sleep. This includes your metabolism. Even though it’s still working, it is barely moving and can hardly handle a heavy load of food right before bed – especially if it is chock-full of fat, sodium, and other food additives.

I am also discouraged with a recent promotion by Wendy’s for 99-cent Frosty’s with meals bought after 9pm. Again, this is straight-forward promotion of late night eating. Many fast food chains now offer drive-thru windows open past midnight, some as late as 3 or 4 am! Avoid any kind of eating super late at night, and stick to the general rule of eating no less than 2 hours before bedtime.

3. Promotes Excessive Fat, Sodium, and Sugar Intake

Fast foods are not healthy foods… and even the “healthy” options are quite misleading (more on that in a moment). Many fast foods are convenience foods that are loaded with Trans and saturated fat, sodium, or lots of sugar.

However, some states are standing up to these chain restaurants and the ubiquitous fat content found in their foods. You may have heard of New York State’s ban on Trans fats, which forced many chain locations to re-create menu items without the Trans fat. California also recently banned the use of Trans fats or is in the process of doing so.

Trans fats are fats that are man-made through a process known as “hydrogenation” in which hydrogen atoms are added to carbon chains, changing the consistency and stability of the fat. Take for instance margarine – which has a creamy texture all the time, unlike it’s counterpart (butter), which is hard when refrigerated and then melts if left out too long. Trans fats operate in the body in the same way that saturated fats do – clogging up arteries – but there are additional concerns with Trans fats and possible links to cancers and other issues. Most of the research I have read hasn’t proven anything other than the fact that it is just as bad for you as saturated fat and you should generally avoid eating much of it. In order to avoid Trans fat, your best bet is to avoid anything that is fried or that contains ingredients such as “hydrogenated” or ”partially -hydrogenated” oils.

4. Promotes “un”Healthy Options

Many fast food locations scramble each year to come up with the newest healthy item for their restaurant. Some do a very decent job, I must admit. Take for instance the addition of fruit in children’s meals at McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s and Subway’s “Healthy Fit” Meals that include apples, carrots, and water with your sandwich. Also, McDonald’s is introducing oatmeal for breakfast at stores starting in January 2011.

However, even with the “good” versions of healthy foods, there are also many bad ones. The first is the BK Veggie Burger, which is made by MorningStar Farms. As a former vegetarian, I loved that BK offered something that wasn’t meat! However, I soon learned how many calories this burger contained, I was disgusted! At 420 calories, this burger also has 16 grams of fat (2.5 saturated) and 1100 mg of sodium!! The newest recommendations from the USDA for sodium intake are 1500mg… so this is pretty close to 75% of your recommended sodium intake for the day!! If you’re going to opt for this – and I always promote vegetarian entrees as opposed to meat entrees – try ordering it without the mayo (which will reduce a ton of the fat) and don’t be tempted to order cheese. While this item is probably better in the long run than some of the other items at BK, it might be healthier to microwave your own MorningStar Farms veggie burger at home.

Another healthy food item that is very misleading are the baked potatoes at Wendy’s. I myself am guilty, again, of indulging in this item when I was a vegetarian under the assumption that it must be healthy. But then I realized what I was adding to this thing: sour cream, buttery spread, and cheese! Definitely not healthy, huh?! At over 400 calories, this baked potato has a ton of fat and a ton of salt, too. However, I did like the recent recommendations for healthy eating as seen on the Wendy’s website. For meals under 550 calories, they suggest the following:

• Ultimate Chicken Grill (hold the sauce) with a Side Salad and fat-free dressing
• Grilled Chicken Go Wrap (hold the sauce) with a small Chili
• Large Chili with a Side Salad and fat-free dressing
• Plain Baked Potato and a small Chili

Not bad, huh? But notice that the baked potato had to be “plain” – hold the cheese, bacon, sour cream, and butter! – and the chicken sandwich and wrap had to be “sauce-less.” Wonder why they aren’t promoting the “Baconator” for a healthy meal choice…

5. Promotes Waste and Degrades Our Environment

Nothing is more wasteful than a fast-food meal: dirty napkins, styrofoam coffee cups, paper cups and straws, that thin paper burger wrapper or french fry holder, paper bags, and cardboard drink-carrying crates. With the exception of the cardboard, not much of this can be recycled. And if the garbage contains a certain percentage (over 5%, I think) of food on it or in it, it will not be recycled by the plant once it has been received. So, in my humble opinion, fast food is just another waste. It’s all garbage – both for your body and the environment. Just sayin’.

So those are 5 reasons why I would encourage you to stray from fast food and think more consciously about what you eat. Take a few extra minutes in the morning to make yourself lunches and snacks. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel and how much money you’ll save! And, if you need any extra incentive, check out this article from Grist… apparently McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets contain the same silicone-like ingredient that is found in Silly Puddy! What is that doing in our food?!