Fast Food

Fast food is typically defined as food that is prepared quickly and easily (usually low cost as well) that is sold by restaurants as a convenient meal to be eaten at the restaurant or taken out. This type of food can have very negative effects on the body. Due to the fact that the food is made quickly and cost efficiently, its quality declines as a side effect. Fast food is typically high in sugar, salt, and saturated and trans fats. It may provide some beneficial micronutrients depending on the choice of food but, generally it does not provide any beneficial amount of micronutrients. Some studies have shown that because these fast food meals are high in carbohydrates, specifically monosaccharides or simple sugars, they leave the consumer feeling less full and spikes their insulin which can leave them feeling hungrier and eating more calories than may be required in their next meal. The fact that fast food is very high in salt can have an impact on the consumer’s blood vessels after consumption according to the journal of hypertension. Although, depending on what the consumer wants, the high amount of salt could be beneficial because it aids in fluid retention.

Here is a List of the most popular fast food restaurants in America according to the Business Insider:

1. McDonald’s
2. Subway
3. Starbucks
4. Wendy’s
5. Burger King
6. Taco Bell
7. Dunkin Donuts
8. Pizza Hut
9. KFC
10. Chick-Fil-A
11. Sonic Drive-Ins
12. Domino’s Pizza
13. Panera Bread
14. Arby’s
15. Jack in the Box

Furthermore, Here is a list of the most popular fast food restaurants in Canada according to Statista.com:

1. McDonald’s
2. Tim Horton’s
3. Subway
4. A&W
5. KFC
6. Wendy’s
7. Dairy Queen
8. Burger King
9. Harvey’s
10. Boston Pizza
11. Pizza Hut
12. Swiss Chalet
13. PizzaPizza

As you can see, both the United States and Canada make similar choices when it comes to eating fast food. Some of these choices may not seem very healthy but could surprise some people with the nutrient value of their food. Some of these restaurants could seem very healthy but again, could surprise some when it comes to the nutrition facts about their food.

The unanimous number one fast food restaurant is McDonald’s. Let’s take a look at some of their most popular items and analyze the pros and cons of some of the items. According to spoonuniversity.com the ten most popular item’s at McDonald’s are: Snack wraps, happy meals, egg mcmuffins, baked apple pies, chicken mcnuggets, premium salads, double cheeseburgers, and mcgriddle breakfast sandwiches.

To take a look at the most popular item, the snack wrap, here are its nutrition facts:

The amount of carbs is a fairly standard amount for a snack when looking for a boost of energy. This shouldn’t have any negative effects because, portion wise, this amount is not excessive. Looking at the protein content, it contains 15g of protein which, portion wise, can be considered on the mid to low side of things. It is certainly not bad considering most people don’t consume enough protein daily. The fat/lipids is the macronutrient that is of most concern, portion wise, and is what makes most if not all McDonald’s items detrimental to the daily diet. A single snack wrap contains 19 grams of fat including 7 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of trans fat. The recommended fat intake for adults is 25-30% of daily calories and in the snack wrap from McDonald’s fat accounts for over 50% of its calories. This is not healthy rate of fat consumption and if you were to maintain this percentage of fat in your daily diet, there would likely be some health complications because of it. Saturated fat is the type of fat that is considered “bad” whereas unsaturated fat is considered “good”. It is good that there is more unsaturated fat than saturated in the snack wrap although, the one gram of trans fat is considered unacceptable by Canada’s food guide. The fact is that trans fat raises LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases HDL (good cholesterol) at the same time, this is why Canada’s food guide advises to not consume any trans fats.  

The unanimous second most popular fast food restaurant in Canada and the United States is Subway. Subway is known to provide healthier options for quick and easy meals but, some of their choices may surprise you with how poor they are in their nutrition. My personal favourite sub is the subway club on 9 grain bread. Per the subway website, a footlong Subway Club is 580 calories, 8g fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 82g carbohydrates, 6g sugars, 48g protein. Along with these macronutrients it also provides a good amount of micronutrients from the vegetables included as well. The Subway club may be on the higher side when it comes to carbohydrate intake but follows along with the low fat, high protein, moderate to high carb standard for a healthy meal. It also includes micronutrient value as well.

All in all, depending on the choices you make, fast food can be good or bad for you. Being informed on nutritional value and having a pan for your nutrition is the best way to know what to get when faced with a fast food situation. Choose Wisely!

References

All Sandwiches Subway Club®. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.subway.com/en-US/MenuNutrition/Menu/Product?ProductId=4261&MenuCategoryId=1

Huzar, T. (2019, April 01). How fast food affects the body. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324847.php

McConnell, A. (2012, July 12). RANKED: The Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants In America. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-fast-food-restaurants-in-america-2012-7

Statista Research Department. (2018, October 09). Canada – visited fast food restaurants 2018. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/561036/canada-visited-fast-food-restaurants/

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