I didn't mean to imply that they planned it, but I've known so many people who prefer to have their food ready-to-eat that they're adding a large component.
I'm in my pedantic mood Didge :) And food, ready to eat is often hollow of all the good bits but we all know that .... I think it's a quantity versus quality thing
Well it's a part of it I think. Personal choices and bad decisions are certainly a factor and many people ( here at least) are overweight who don't eat fast food. However like I heard someone from another part of the world say " If we passed 10+ places in a 1/2 mile that gave quick and easy access to greasy crappy food, we would probably be fat too." It's so cheap and it's always there. Ultimately it comes down the consumer though to see the traps and make better choices. We could do away with all the fast food places but people will still likely over-portion and skip out on exercise.
I think it has played a huge hand in our health and state of mind.
We are the product of our own gluttony. Time has shown, as a race, we are lazy. Convenience and marketing has all fast food joints to be our preference in times of need. We won't go the normal mile, let alone run the extra one to better our bodies. It's sad, but true. I can't think of one person I know who hasn't at least once stopped at a McDonald's or Taco Bell at one point in their lives. It's easy. We don't have to cook and we don't have to clean. We don't care if it has whale fat in the milkshake or kangaroo meat in the hamburgers. What we care about is bringing home the food so our families don't go hungry. Maybe it would be better if they did take that money and do a cleansing of their bodies. Spinach, kale, cucumbers, carrots, all berries, and Greek yogurt all cost about the same as a dinner at a fast food place. Serve it instead of a milkshake and see how your family feels the next morning.
This post was edited by Merlin at February 18, 2017 8:38 PM MST
If your family is like mine there'd be howls of protest at all those vegetables. We have always eaten plenty of veg but -- except for about six months when we went totally vegetarian -- we've usually had meat with it. Hamburgers? Yeah, I like them, but I'd be lucky to average one a year. They're tasty but they just ain't good for you.
You are right Didge! Especially since our taste buds respond much better to salt, sugar and fat. Why they do, I'm not sure. It is true. :( There is always wishful thinking :)
Survival. Fats and sugar are high calorie foods and useful when fighting for survival in the wild. Salt is an essential mineral for cellular function and needed for our bodies to use water. In the natural and wild world salt is somewhat hard to come by so all animals crave it and are drawn to it when it is available. The problem is our natural drives and tastes reward systems are catered to our wild hunter-gatherer days when food was scarce and took a lot of work to get and hasn't adapted to our modern lifestyles where food and salt are readily available and easily gotten.
Thank you Glis :) I had forgotten. I appreciate you reminding me and sharing with others if they had a moment to read. Very cool of you. Two thumbs up!!
I don't think fast food is responsible for fat people. Fat people are responsible for getting fat and staying fat. I've watched a lot of the program My 600 pound Life and it's pretty disgusting the condition those people are in and all the whining and crying they do when they've done it to themselves. If people don't want to get fat, don't overeat. Pretty simple.
Your argument is sound but unfortunately not everybody has the strength of character to say no. When kids are brought up -- as many are in this generation -- with a diet that features a lot of fast food they may become addicted to the stuff through no fault of their own.
I don't disagree with you PC but I don't think it's quite so cut and dried.
Not at all except to the extent the government is forcing it on them. They are fast food places not health food places. Even little kids grasp the fact that 'fast food' equals junk food. Its edible, fast and convenient. And fattening. So? If they want to include healthy stuff it should be their choice not by force and they shouldnt be forced to cut suze ir servings or anything else. The restaurants arent responsible for ibesity, people are. Restaurants provide a service and people should be allowed to choose if they want supersize fries and a giany milkshake if they want without the government taking those choices away. The Government health guidelines need to remain guidelines, not forced policy. Fast food places should not be required to be behind obesity initiatives. That should be each persons choice.
I hear what you say about choice... And in an ideal world is agree with you ... But it's not ideal... The amount of money that FF spends on advertising is always going to win out over health messages ... The end result is people making a bad choice because only half the arguing argument is known to them .... Add the costs of obesity to society and I think free choice is not free anymore
I think they are only partially behind the epidemic. If you look at any food commercial, what you see are highly processed and fatty foods. I think we are a society on the run where many don't do much cooking with healthy, fresh ingredients.
I know when I was growing up, going out to eat or even ordering a pizza was a special event.
Benedict Arnold 