When it's 5 p.m. and you haven't decided what to eat for dinner, the bright sign in front of the burger shop down the block could be screaming your name.
A short trip via the drive-thru may seem to be a terrific alternative, but there are some drawbacks. Many fast food businesses prioritize procedure and efficiency above offering high-quality, nutritional meals in order to provide food quickly, inexpensively, and reliably.
According to dietician Nancy Geib, RD, LDN, an occasional fast food lunch is nothing to be concerned about. It may be your only choice in certain cases.
"You can certainly go to a fast food restaurant if that's all you have if you do your study and seek for the best alternatives," she adds.
However, if burgers, French fries, and fatty breakfast sandwiches become staples in your diet, they may negatively impact your health. Unhealthy eating habits raise your risk of depression, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.
What does it mean to eat fast food?
Fast food has a long history, but in the 1940s and 1950s, the idea — and some of America's most well-known fast food restaurants — truly took off. Fast food has become such a cultural staple that one in every three Americans consumes it on a daily basis.
Fast food is highly processed, mass-produced food that is cooked rapidly – commonly on a grill, in a fryer, or in a microwave. Fast food businesses use highly particular preparation techniques to ensure that you always receive the crispy, oily fries you expect.
Why is fast food so unhealthy?
Varied meals have different effects on different people, but here are a few of the things that eating fast food often may do to your body:
Your blood pressure will rise.
Many fast food products are high in salt, which serves as both a preservative and a flavor enhancer. "Sodium is in everything that's processed, packed, or boxed," Geib explains.
The issue is that high-sodium diets are known to raise blood pressure, putting your cardiovascular system under stress. High blood pressure may harden or constrict blood vessels over time, increasing your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
According to the American Heart Association, most persons should strive to limit their daily salt consumption under 1,500 milligrams, while current guidelines allow for up to 2,300 mg. Because salt is so common in our diets, it may rapidly mount up.
One bacon cheeseburger, for example, may get you dangerously close to the daily salt limit of 1,500 mg. A huge piece of fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy may do the same thing. Even apparently healthy alternatives, such as an Italian-style sub sandwich, may add up to over 1,000 milligrams to your daily consumption.
Make you feel bloated
High-sodium, high-fat, or high-refined-carbohydrate meals (such as bread, buns, or breading) may all make you feel bloated. If you drink a beverage with your meal, the carbonation may aggravate the problem. Bloating should only last a few hours, but if you're wearing tighter-fitting jeans or attempting to get rings on or off your fingers, it might be inconvenient.
Boost your cholesterol levels
Food that has been cooked in oil has a lot of fat, including saturated fat. When you consume too much saturated fat, your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol rises, putting you at risk for heart disease. Saturated fat should account for no more than 6% of your daily calories, according to the American Heart Association. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, you'll consume roughly 13 grams of fat, which is equal to one bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich.
Contribute to gastrointestinal issues
Although bagels, muffins, and anything breaded seem tasty, they are all processed carbs with no fiber. Fiber (25 to 35 grams per day) is important for keeping things moving in your digestive system. It minimizes your risk of diverticulitis and other diseases like hemorrhoids and hernias that are caused by straining or constipation.
Dietary fiber also keeps you full by promoting the growth of beneficial intestinal flora. If you eat a lot of fast food, you'll have a hard time getting the required quantity. A coffee shop blueberry muffin, for example, will provide roughly 20% of your daily carbohydrate requirements but just a gram or two of fiber.
Result in weight growth
If you go to the drive-thru for supper and order a value meal, you're likely to consume a larger piece (and higher-calorie items) than if you cooked at home. All those additional calories might add up to extra pounds if this becomes a habit. When those calories come mostly from highly processed carbs, you may find yourself hungry again within a few hours, leading to — you guessed it — even more calories.
Then there's the issue of sugar. Sugar is a significant contributor to the obesity pandemic. It may be found in a variety of dishes, including beverages and sauces. Estimate the amount of sugar in your morning café coffee. Weights of up to 25 grams are possible. Or in that vanilla milkshake, for that matter? If you make it a big, it will weigh more than 80 grams. That's about 20 teaspoons of sugar!
Use up all of your energy
A rapid blast of refined carbs and sugar raises your blood sugar, prompting your body to release a flood of insulin to swiftly lower it. This up-and-down cycle might leave you exhausted and irritable.
Meanwhile, your body takes longer to digest and absorb a balanced meal rich in protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs. This inhibits the absorption of sugar into your system, resulting in long-lasting energy without the crash.
Have an impact on your mood
You're not only receiving too much saturated fat, salt, sugar, and processed carbohydrates when you consume a diet heavy in those things, but you're also losing out on a number of other vital nutrients. Beyond the iceberg lettuce and tomato slices seen on fast food sandwiches, fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that fuel your body and boost your mood.
Processed food consumption has been linked to an increased risk of depression.
Making better fast food decisions
It is possible to consume fast food without jeopardizing your healthy diet, but it will take some effort.
Avoid supersized meals in favor of those containing lean meats, vegetables, and fiber.
"Doing research to find out the nutritional makeup of a certain fast food item might help you make an educated decision," Geib explains. "If you ask, all of the larger restaurants should have such information on their websites or be able to offer it to you at the restaurant."
