The Perils of Fast Food
Thanks to a spate of films and TV shows about fast food — Supersize Me and Big Medicine come to mind — the perils of fast food have been spotlighted. Since we all lead busy lives, it’s often tempting to stop at the nearest fast food place instead of waiting to get home and cook. They’re fast, inexpensive, have tons of selection, and there seems to be one on every corner. However, next time you’re tempted to stop and pick up something fast, think about how much better home-cooked meals are for your family.
Fast food chains, along with other restaurant chains, make their name by providing the same food (or close to it) at all their restaurants. You know that no matter where you are or what restaurant you go to, you’ll be able to find your favorite dish. By doing this, they keep repeat customers and you get what you want to eat.
The problem with these chains is the steps they take to provide the same product at every store. They do it by mass producing food at factories that are likely very far away from where you’re eating. To keep your food fresh and make it all look and taste the same, they fill it with preservatives, coloring, and flavoring. They then freeze it, sometimes for long periods of time.
The people who make fast food have designed it to be just that — fast. It’s also designed to taste good enough to hook you and keep you coming back. Needless to say, when these chains focus on speed and taste, the customer’s health gets pushed to the side. Fast food is usually low in fiber and high in fat, calories, sugar, and salt.
While recent lawsuits have caused fast food chains to provide more healthy options, they are generally more expensive and still not very healthy. For example, while a salad may seem like a great choice, many salads at chain restaurants use cheese, bacon, high-fat dressing, croutons, and other unhealthy ingredients.
Delicious, low-fat foods like this salad dressing are easy to make at home–and they can be made quickly too.
Fast food chains, along with other restaurant chains, make their name by providing the same food (or close to it) at all their restaurants. You know that no matter where you are or what restaurant you go to, you’ll be able to find your favorite dish. By doing this, they keep repeat customers and you get what you want to eat.
The problem with these chains is the steps they take to provide the same product at every store. They do it by mass producing food at factories that are likely very far away from where you’re eating. To keep your food fresh and make it all look and taste the same, they fill it with preservatives, coloring, and flavoring. They then freeze it, sometimes for long periods of time.
The people who make fast food have designed it to be just that — fast. It’s also designed to taste good enough to hook you and keep you coming back. Needless to say, when these chains focus on speed and taste, the customer’s health gets pushed to the side. Fast food is usually low in fiber and high in fat, calories, sugar, and salt.
While recent lawsuits have caused fast food chains to provide more healthy options, they are generally more expensive and still not very healthy. For example, while a salad may seem like a great choice, many salads at chain restaurants use cheese, bacon, high-fat dressing, croutons, and other unhealthy ingredients.
Delicious, low-fat foods like this salad dressing are easy to make at home–and they can be made quickly too.