Fast Food And Obesity Got Connection? Yes And No.......

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Fast Food And Obesity
Any Connection Between The Two?

Fast Food and Obesity, any Connection Between the two?

Yes and No. Why?

Yes, fast food is a major culprit because of its notoriously high calories, high fat, high carbohydrates and high sodium levels.

No, because other foods may be high in calories, fat, oil and carbohydrates, like fast food, hence culprits to obesity too.

So, both fast food and other foods (so to speak) are responsible for increase in obesity. Not just fast food.

But of course, between the two, fast food jumps out prominently due to the fact that teens are especially "addicted" to it.

And look at the huge airing of fast food commercials targeting the teens (and young kids, 3-9).

For teens, fast food is the "in-thing", the "rave" and the "rage".

A quick bite of a food on the go.

Easy, convenient, fuss-free.

And they're cool - taste good and smell wonderful.

But do you know the menus, say at McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King, contain 65% more calories per bite than your standard meals, causing you to eat more calories than you'd like to?

The average calories is 263 calories per 100 grams (4oz).

This means that if you eat a Big Mac plus fries, you would literally eat almost double the calories compared with your friend who eats the same weight of pasta and salad.

Your appetite also behaves funny - you would eat a similar portion, regardless of the calories in it.

If you're a fast food regular, you could end up as victim of "accidental" obesity, meaning you could grow fat eating portions you don't consider as large.

By the time you feel full, you've already overeaten and over-shot your calories.

It's quite a frightening fact here - a single meal of fast food can contain enough calories equivalent to your entire day's caloric intake!

Seems right that many teens have weight problem.

You see the "clear" connection between fast food and obesity?

Fast food does increase the risk of obesity. To a certain extent.

The Ingredients in Fast Food

Besides the high, high calories, fast food also:

Contains high levels of saturated fats, trans fats and over refined carbohydrates which add on the calories that cause overweight or obesity

Contains high levels of sodium (salt) and sugar, which are harmful to your health

Produces acidity and indigestion. The over-refined carbohydrates lack fiber which can lead to constipation and erratic bowel habits

Because of obesity, you would face higher risks of health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and certain cancers.

So, you see, fast food and obesity are not far off in relationship, in this sense.

But like I said earlier, fast food is only one of the contributors to obesity.

If you eat excessively other foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar, cholesterol and sodium and don't eat enough fiber, fruits & vegetables, they increase your risk of obesity and these mentioned diseases too.

Don't put all the Blame on Fast Food

Well, fast food and obesity has connection, no argument there.

But you can't put all the blame on fast food.

The gist of the matter is that you can't pinpoint one single food, like in this case, fast food, as the cause of obesity.

It all depends on how much of fast food you are eating, how frequent you're eating it and the final buzz, what else you're eating for the day!

I can't tell you how much fast food you can eat; there's simply no "safe" number of fast food meals you can take in a week or month.

You can however follow the healthy eating guidelines here.

My advice?

Just be a little bit more disciplined in your eating, eat in moderation and go for variety.

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