Fast food
Fast food... do you know what is the main definition of fast food on Wikipedia?
"Fast food is food that can be
prepared and
served quickly".
Really? That's not exactly what comes to my mind when I think about that type
of food. When I think about it, I think of
"Super Size Me", Morgan Spurlock's
documentary about
McDonald's restaurants. Basically, his goal was to eat
every
meal at a McDonald's during a
month. At the end, he gained
25 lbs and it took him
14 months to lose his
weight.
No American would eat
every meal at a McDonald's, but a lot of people eat often
at a fast food restaurant... So, what is my definition of fast food? "Fast food
is one of the
biggest industry in North America that causes various
diseases
including heart problems, because people are
dependant of it."
Honestly, when I go to McDonald's, which doesn't happen often, I try to choose
what's better for my
health. I usually pick a
Deli Sandwich and a
medium ice tea.
The best choice would probably be a
salad and a glass of
water, but
I want to have
some
energy too... I don't know if you ever heard this, but McDonald's allows you
to see the
composition of what you eat there. It might not be that
bad
if they allow you to see the nutritious facts, doesn't it? Certainly not! Let
me explain my point. Let's take a typical example of a lunch at this restaurant:
a
Big Mac,
French fries (medium) and a
Coca-Cola (medium).
The Big Mac contains
29g of fat, which represents 45% of your daily value! There is also
1020
mg of sodium, so 43% of your daily value. The French fries contain
360 calories,
almost the same as the Big Mac that contains
540 calories! The Coca-Cola is not
better:
56g of sugar! I'm accusing McDonald's, but it's not the
only one!
Subway is not really
better if you consider the quantity of sodium
in a sandwich, but the fat amount is really
inferior. There is also a lot
of vitamins, especially vitamin C!
The major consequence of eating fast food is
obesity. You need to understand that
there is a difference between a
little overweight and obese. Obesity can lead to
various
diseases and
problems: high blood pressure, diabete, heart attack,
cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, cancer... If you're a little overweight,
you can start now to change your
habits. Prefer fruits, cheese, milk, whole grain
bread, yogurt, nuts and meat. They contain much more
proteins and
vitamins than
your favorite snacks (chips, cookies). You can build your
own food guide here:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/myguide-monguide/index_e.html
You can also do some more
exercise. There are a lot of
fun activities
in winter too: ski, hockey, ice skating... Even on some video games, you can find an exercise
mode, like on Dance Dance Revolution! You have no
excuse.
Copyright © Laurence, 2008, coded using
Coffee Cup
