Nutrition In Fast Food

3 Pages 853 Words

Despite the best intention of Americans, many families find that the convenience of fast food is the easiest choice. Home cooked meals seem to quickly disappear with the high demands of school, work, and commitments. With so many demands on the shoulders of Americans it is easy to see how a drive through would be a quick choice. But when you sit in the drive what goes through your head? Do you think about the nutritional value of the meal? Do you determine if the exercise you will do that day is enough to work off the meal? Do you think of what you are teaching your children by bringing dinner home? These are many concerns that come with the ease of fast food and are hard to see when you need to feed the family now! While we discuss the concerns of fast food visits you will discover the costs for the convenience of fast food and what it will take to keep nutrition involved when you drive through.
There are many concerns to take into account when evaluating how fast food has become so unhealthy. In the 1970’s the only serving size offered by McDonalds was the 2.6 oz small size now only offered in the kids meals (Consumer Reports, 2004). The Super Sizes offered now are over 4 times the size of the original portion. According to the Consumer Reports survey, 48% of customers are willing to upsize their combos. However, half of those willing to upsize went up to the biggest size (2004)
As a concern to customers, McDonalds has publicly announced that they plan to eliminate the options of Super Sizes by the end of 2004. With Super Sizes eliminated, the next size down is still two and a half times the size of the small. Portions tend to be one of the leading causes of obesity in America. McDonalds is located in numerous countries all over the world, but the portions offered are dramatically smaller. To eliminate portions choose smaller fries or bring some fruit from home to fill the meal.
Another concern lies within ...