IT'S CALLED FAST FOOD!
It's called fast food for a reason. It is designed to be eaten fast and on the go! Without getting into the whole biology of the digestive system etc. it takes approximately 20 minutes (may vary from person to person) before stomach sends a message to the brain and the brain shuts things down and says we are full. Fast food like burgers, fries, burritos and so on are designed to be handled easy, eaten on the go and get this... easy to chew and swallow! Yep, the less we chew the faster we swallow, the faster we swallow, the more we can eat before the message is sent that we have eaten enough! Thus in turn, we have the illusion we need to buy more food to be full. Very tricky eh?
SERVING SIZES ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM!
Most places don't offer a small meal! Go through Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King even my favourite place Chipotle and ask for a small when ordering a meal. Medium and large is what you are offered. In fact the medium is essentially a large serving. Our portion sizes are way out of control. We are conditioned to want to get more for our money. They will offer deals such as 4 for $4 or 2 for the price of one. So we will buy 2 sandwiches when we only want/need one. They make money because they are literally "up selling" you! You are now eating a lot more calories than you need or intended! In fact, McDonald's just unleashed THREE SIZES OF THE BIG MAC! Wendy's has always had the single, double and triple cheese burgers. Ever order pizza from Piezonie's? They are huge! Don't get me wrong, I love Piezonie's cheese calzones!!!! So why are restaurants so generous with their serving sizes? It's simple math actually. Their food cost to mass produce these meals are a lot cheaper than you'd expect. They literally spend pennies on the dollar to give you your pizza, burger, or other quickly made unhealthy food! If we perceive we are getting a deal, we will return time and again and order large quantities! They are in it to make money. Believe me, they aren't using high quality, nutrient dense, free range meats and GMO free veggies. That bargain meal we are buying not only adds a ton of calories to our diet but is also not nutrient dense!
THIS IS GROSS!!!!
I used to work at Wendy's when I was in grade 8. In fact it was my first job. I enjoyed working there actually, it was fun! However, I know for a fact we weren't too concerned with the cleanliness of your food. I mean come on, I was a 15 year old pimply faced, kid who didn't care or even understand food safety. Yeah, we were "monitored" by a manager and there were inspections occasionally. But at the end of the day when we closed, we rushed to get out of there! Ice machines are notorious for high bacterial counts. The nozzle which the soda comes from which usually are cleaned at closing can have bacteria as well.
Let's look at the meat we eat at a fast food place! The FDA which regulates food safety has many special interest groups which influence them. Don't believe me? Look at the whole Monsanto situation! The FDA allow chemicals such as ammonium hydroxide to be used to clean meats. This is designed to destroy e-coli and other harmful organisms. They help destroy harmful pathogens by lowering the acidity of meats as well. This sounds good right? Although the FDA says it's safe, I wonder really how consuming large amounts of fast food infused with these types of chemicals can be healthy for us? Hmmm wonder why certain types of cancers have been on the rise for the last 20 years or so?!? Chef Jamie Oliver has been speaking about the dangers of many of the processed foods we ingest. I recall reading that chicken nuggets are simply left over pieces infused together which include pieces considered as waste! Add a bunch of proprietary "goop" for flavouring and to create and maintain their shape and colour and there you have it... chicken nuggets!
"In 2010, New York photographer Sally Davies put a McDonald’s hamburger and fries in a jar. Five months later, the food still looked edible while KFC fries bought and stored on the same day were white and furry with mold. Marion Nestle, chair of NYU's food studies program, told Salon that McDonald's would have to use "a lot of sodium propionate to prevent bacterial or mold growth." Davies continues to take photos of the same meal and post them on her website; as of July 2015 it has not noticeably disintegrated."
So you skip the burgers and fries and instead order an egg sandwich? Welp, in many cases, the eggs aren't just eggs! Forbe's writer David DiSalvo found there's sodium phosphate used to preserve the egg and monosodium phosphate added to give the egg that nice bright white and yellow colour.
Well, let's grab a salad... that's healthy right? Believe it or not, many chains add a chemical called propylene glycol to keep the lettuce crisp and fresh looking. The FDA says it's safe for consumption. However, it's a chemical found in antifreeze and intimate lubricants.
We have become a nation who eat SYNTHETIC FOODS!!!! For the sake of convenience... for the sake of economic growth... for the sake of flavour... we have bought into overly processed foods! We ingest growth hormones and antibiotics in high doses and many times are either unaware of just don't care! The chemicals injected into the animals to get them ready for your fast food restaurant in mass amounts quickly is passed to us through the meat!
I eat at fast food places frequently due to my schedule. I am now considering my choices! I have researched many of the articles, watched many documentaries and have only discussed just a few of the horrific things we put in our bodies when we eat fast food. Whether it be a fast food sandwich shop, burger place, doughnut shop or favourite pizza place, the practices and unhealthy foods they serve in mass quantities for the sake of profit is absolutely mind blowing.
Hippocrates said it best - "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." The healing properties of food have been documented for centuries. Eating WHOLE FOODS, unprocessed seems to be the best route for a healthy body and mind. The food you choose to eat WILL either make you sick or healthy. Believe me when I tell you, I am no where near where I should be. In fact I was kind of "scolded" in Instagram the other day for drinking Diet Coke! It's almost impossible to avoid processed, chemical laden foods. But, being aware of what is in your food and choosing wisely can not only help you stay healthy but may actually reverse some sickness such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease etc. Let's do our research and choose nutrients that will add life to our years!
*Some information compiled from: http://www.eatthis.com/things-fast-food-chains-d ont-want-you-to-know