Operation Fitness
By Michael Torchia

Is Fast Food The Cause Of Obesity?

It’s common knowledge that most fast food contains additives and preservatives that are unhealthy.  We all know it’s healthier to purchase fresh, natural food and prepare it at home. How, then, can a diet that contains some or all fast food be considered healthy in any way?

Americans are well-versed in the idea that some foods are healthy and some aren’t.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy.  Trans-fatty acids, sugary foods and excessive saturated fats are not.  However, nutritional studies clearly indicate that the majority of Americans don’t understand the role that excessive food portions play in determining their health.  The result?

American health has been steadily declining since the early eighties. Rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease have disproportionally increased, and the medical community now recognizes that a primary cause is obesity. Why are we fatter now than we were twenty years ago?  Are we eating more fat?  The answer is no.  In fact, Americans eat less fat.  More specifically, in the 1970’s, 40% of American calories came from fat; now approximately 33% come from fat.

Two key factors in the American diet have increased significantly over the past two decades, paralleling our increasing waistlines and ensuing health crisis:

(a)   the size of our plates, and

(b)  the portion sizes of our carbohydrates.

In other words, obesity and the major health problems now attributed to obesity – cancer, diabetes and heart disease – are directly related to the American love of huge portion sizes and an excessive amount of carbohydrates.

This is true for avid fast food consumers and heath-food enthusiasts alike.  For example, say that a fast food lover eats the typical fast food meal of a hamburger, fries and a soft drink.  They would be consuming approximately 1500 calories, about 800 of which come from carbohydrates.

By contrast, the health-food enthusiast eschews the burger meal and instead eats a large plate of rice with beans and vegetables, a glass of juice and a large organic cookie.  They eat approximately 900 calories, about 800 of which are carbohydrates.  The fast food junkie is eating more calories than the health food enthusiast, but they are both eating the same amount of carbohydrates.

 

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