Food: My Take on Fast Food

Food Shopping
Articles
Seafood Articles

Cheeses
Chocolates, & Candy
Coffee & Tea
Desserts
Fruit
Gift Baskets
International Foods
Meats
Nuts
Seafood
Specialty Foods
Complete List
Home

Article List
Directory
Resources

Articles/Resources:
Beans
Breakfast
Budget
Cheese
Chinese
Comfort Foods
Dessert
Diet
Eating Habits
Everything Food
Fast Food
Food Gifts
Food History
Food Shopping
Food Traditions
Foods and Events
Foods and Holidays
Foods and Places
French
Fruits
Gift Baskets
Healthy Foods
Italian
Lunch
Mexican
Recipes
Restaurants
Treats
Vegetables

Archives:
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006

Have New Articles E-Mailed To You!

My Take on Fast Food
Thursday, April 13, 2006

We are, by and large, a health-conscious society. While not everyone can afford organic meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, we have all been taught since we were very young that there are certain foods which are good for us, and other foods which are not. Most of us can remember the food pyramid placed strategically on classroom and cafeteria walls in our elementary and middle schools. We remember studying the affects on our bodies of proteins, sugars (now called carbohydrates) and fats when we were in high school biology class. We were encouraged by our teachers, by our mothers, by our doctors, and by Mr. Rogers to eat properly: to have three square meals a day, to limit snacks to fruits and vegetables, to drink plenty of water each day, and to avoid eating too many sweets. I believe the words printed on the food pyramid, regarding sweets, were to limit our consumption.

The other exhortation we were soon given was to avoid fast food. Fast food meant anything from a restaurant that was prepared in advance, or that involved something deep-fried or cooked in oil. This included hamburgers, French fries, fried chicken, fried fish, milk shakes, sodas, and fried desserts. While our parents might have spent their weekends and afternoons after school at the local malt shop or hamburger drive-in, we were told to avoid McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, and all the other multitudes of fast food establishments. We were told that these foods and their sugary drinks would rot out our teeth and make us fat.

Today, we understand better why many fast foods are not good for us. Yes, the sugar, as well as the carbonated soda, is not good for our teeth; and while fast food can make us fat, the bigger concern, as we understand it today, is clogged arteries. Oddly enough, the fast food restaurants of today have evolved to fit into our newer, more health-conscious society. Now, not only are salads, juices, fruit, and whole grain breads available, but the fast food industry has also begun to address the issue of trans fats. The oils are cleaner and healthier and the burgers and fries are now better for us.

And this is important, because regardless of the newer, healthier foods at the fast food restaurants, let's face it: the kids are not going to order salads and fruit cups. Sure, some of them might, but most teenagers still want burgers and fries, sodas and milkshakes, fried apple pies and ice cream. In fact, many of their parents want the same thing. These days when I take my children to a fast food restaurant, it is usually at a time when we are tired and unable to get home in time to prepare a healthy lunch or dinner. Often we will have spent the day at a museum, at the beach, or doing work at the local library. Some days we plan ahead and pack a healthy lunch to bring along, but often times, we leave the house early in the morning and by lunch time, we decide to eat out. While some sit-down restaurants offer full-course, healthier meals, they can be very expensive and time consuming. Most of the time, we simply want to get our food, eat, and be on our way. Those days when we are exceptionally tired and hungry, even for me, a salad just doesn't cut it. I'm craving carbohydrates and a burger and fries are the only things that sound good to me.

So rather than opposing and fighting the fast food industry, let's be realistic. Let's encourage our children (and ourselves) to eat healthy most of the time. And on those days when we are hungry, tired, and need to get something quickly, let's thank the fast food restaurants for making their food healthier and so easy and available to us. We can eat the salads, fruit cups, and bottled water, if we so choose, or we can opt for the less healthier foods like burgers and fries, as long as we eat them in moderation. After all, isn't that the way we should be with anything we like that may not be best for us - be wise, enjoy it, and use it in moderation.

3:27 PM Comments:
Post a Comment

<< Home