- Raising Vegetable Eaters
- The Reasons We Eat
- Seafood Choices for Your Health & a Healthy World
- Five Ways to Green Your Kitchen on a Budget
- What a "Natural" Label Really Means
- Cutting Grocery Costs without Cutting Nutrition
- Reduce Food Waste by Eating Smarter, Not Clean Plate Club Membership
- Is Fast Food the Problem?
- Whole Grains: More Than You Think
- Probiotics for Cancer Prevention?
- What's Your Vegetable-to-Meat Ratio?
- Nutritional Gatekeeper: How Big a Role?
Walking the Talk of Good Nutrition
Is Fast Food the Problem?
Research links frequent eating at fast food restaurants to greater weight gain and an increased tendency to be overweight. Although eating fast food doesn’t make weight gain inevitable – this depends on your food and drink choices, as well as portion sizes –studies show that most fast food items provide a higher concentration of calories. In other words, if you’re concerned about your weight and you dine regularly at fast food restaurants, the statistics aren’t on your side.
According to a federal dietary survey of more than 9000 Americans, an increase in fast food consumption yielded not only higher calorie intake among participants, but also a decrease in the concentration of vitamins and minerals in their diets. Moreover, men and women who reported eating fast food on at least one of two survey days had higher average BMIs (a measure of body fat) compared to participants who did not eat fast food on either day.
A study published in the Lancet in 2005 also looked at the impact of fast food restaurant use. The study surveyed more than 3000 young adults at baseline and again 15 years later. People who ate fast food more than twice a week at both survey times gained 10 pounds more over the study period than those who reported visiting these restaurants less than once a week. These findings were echoed in another study published last year in the Journal of Adolescent Health, which reported on the fast food habits of more than 9000 adolescents; data from this study showed a correlation between frequency of consuming fast food and greater weight gain five years later.
Why is it so easy to consume too many calories at fast food restaurants? For starters, fast food menus contain lots of energy-dense foods – think fatty meats, full-fat cheese, creamy dressings and fried anything. These selections pack a high concentration of calories into a relatively small portion of food. While a modest serving of energy-dense foods is okay occasionally, the portions served at most fast food restaurants are anything but. Many chains classify relatively large amounts of food as a “medium” serving, only compounding the impact of energy-dense foods on our weight.
Despite the many studies linking fast food dining frequency to weight and weight gain, the problem may not be the fast food restaurants themselves. If people in these same studies had avoided these restaurants altogether, but still indulged in large amounts of high fat meat, fried foods and sugar-laden soft drinks elsewhere, the results would likely have been no different. In the Pound of Prevention study, a trial of almost 900 women aimed at preventing weight gain, people who ate at fast food restaurants more often displayed fewer low fat eating behaviors in general and lower physical activity. Personal responsibility clearly plays a strong role.
If you are a frequent fast food patron, consider limiting visits to fewer than once a week. Before you go, review the menu and nutrition information online or ask for handouts at the restaurant to help identify more healthful options. Look for choices that provide a small portion of lean protein plus a vegetable or fruit. Also, skip the French fries and choose water or other zero-calorie drink options.
Much of the data linking weight gain and fast food use was collected roughly a decade ago. Recent years have seen the availability of more healthful options on many chain menus. Today, it is not impossible to eat at fast food restaurants and maintain a healthy weight, but you will likely have to work harder to do so.