Is fast food really so bad for you?

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  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Over indulgence of fast food is bad for you. The extra fat grams, sodium, sugar, etc, are bad for you if you EAT TOO MUCH OF IT.

    Does this topic's question really need to be explained? I mean, come on, I think we all know the answer to the question.

    Could you not say that about any food? How much extra fat, sugar, sodium is too much?
  • teenhamodic
    teenhamodic Posts: 43
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    The great thing about fast food is that virtually all the nutrition facts are online. That makes it quite easy to plan a meal that fits your goals for the day.

    The nutrition facts about everything are available online??

    "oh I know, I'll have a mcdonalds instead of a home cooked meal because the nutritional breakdown is more easily accessible online"

    That makes no sense.

    making it seem like everyone has time to have a home cooked meal everyday, makes no sense lol
  • Rachaelluvszipped
    Rachaelluvszipped Posts: 768 Member
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    Oopsie
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,713 Member
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    you can still be malnourished if you eat plenty of protein and cals.

    if i have a nandos chicken in pitta, or a chicken kebab from the local takeaway, i'm eating chicken breast served in a pitta with salad. that's got a lot more in than protein and cals! not all fast foods are equal.
  • rvidil
    rvidil Posts: 1
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    I think it depends quite a bit on the particular foods themselves. As some others have pointed out, one plus about the larger fast food chains is the easy access to nutritional information online.

    For example, consider Wendy's: I could enjoy a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe with 7g saturated fat and 350 calories -- and that's including mayo, which they'll gladly omit if you request it. A much worse choice would be a Baconator with 23g saturated fat and 970 calories -- that's too much for a single meal on most reasonable diets. Instead of fries as a side, a small chilli without cheese added is only 180 calories with a nice 4g of fiber. At McDonald's, I can get a classic grilled chicken sandwich, no mayo, with only 1g saturated fat and 300 calories with 3g of fiber.

    Unfortunately, as with most processed and/or prepared foods, sodium levels are quite high with fast food, so it's best not to eat it very regularly, even if you can fit the calories and fat into your program.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Over indulgence of fast food is bad for you. The extra fat grams, sodium, sugar, etc, are bad for you if you EAT TOO MUCH OF IT.

    Does this topic's question really need to be explained? I mean, come on, I think we all know the answer to the question.

    Could you not say that about any food? How much extra fat, sugar, sodium is too much?

    EXACTLY. Fast food once a month isn't "bad for you". Fast food 5 times a week IS bad for you. Ice cream twice a month is not bad for you. TOO MUCH Ice cream every day of the week for months IS bad for you. Same with bacon. Which is sad.
  • taytay9955
    taytay9955 Posts: 23
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    Fast food is a personal choice, but to me it is right up there with smoking, it is full of chemicals, unhealthy, and for many people addictive. There are some fast food loop holes like subway or moes where you can customize what you are eating and make it fairly healthy. But as a whole the food is bad for you and just like smoking if you do it often it will most likely lead to some serious health issues.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    No food is inherently bad or good. Eat it. You can achieve your goals with it.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Over indulgence of fast food is bad for you. The extra fat grams, sodium, sugar, etc, are bad for you if you EAT TOO MUCH OF IT.

    Does this topic's question really need to be explained? I mean, come on, I think we all know the answer to the question.

    What's too much?
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    Generally speaking it's easier to put together a diet that meets your nutritional needs (macro and micro, though micro can be covered for the most part by having some variety in your food choice and eating your veggies). Once that is accomplished, adding whatever you may fancy that would still keep you under your calorie target is fine.

    Taking that into account, no, fast food isn't bad for you. Just make sure your diet is in order before you worry about it.
  • just_fur_luck
    just_fur_luck Posts: 141 Member
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    Sodium, cholesterol, and grease... it's a heart attack waiting to happen... :smile:

    Sodium, cholesterol and grease (by which I assume you mean saturated fat) are all necessary and not "a heart attack waiting to happen" unless you already have issues with these things. But it's very easy to keep an eye on how much of these things you are consuming and make fast food part of your regular diet if you wish.

    I personally prefer to make my own stuff out of higher quality ingredients but sometimes I've got an itch that only Taco Bell will scratch and I just make sure I can fit that Doritos Taco Loco into my calories/macros for the day and have at it.

    Nothing is off limits - just pay attention to what you're doing.
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
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    i eat subway most days because it's healthier than other places and it's portion controlled. as a result, i've maintained my weight loss pretty well. some people prefer to cook every meal; i'm ok with that, too. i think it's all about nutrients, and nutrients don't know where you bought them.

    that being said, if you get burgers and fries twice a day, you're likely to be less healthy.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    i eat subway most days because it's healthier than other places and it's portion controlled. as a result, i've maintained my weight loss pretty well. some people prefer to cook every meal; i'm ok with that, too. i think it's all about nutrients, and nutrients don't know where you bought them.

    that being said, if you get burgers and fries twice a day, you're likely to be less healthy.

    Look up the nutritional facts about Subway. It might surprise you to learn that what they market as "healthy", really isn't. HOWEVER, you are right that it's healthier than other places.

    I have my students doing a fast food restaurant research project where they are comparing all these things. It's been eye opening for MANY of them, and they're in 6th grade.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    i eat subway most days because it's healthier than other places and it's portion controlled. as a result, i've maintained my weight loss pretty well. some people prefer to cook every meal; i'm ok with that, too. i think it's all about nutrients, and nutrients don't know where you bought them.

    that being said, if you get burgers and fries twice a day, you're likely to be less healthy.

    Look up the nutritional facts about Subway. It might surprise you to learn that what they market as "healthy", really isn't. HOWEVER, you are right that it's healthier than other places.

    I have my students doing a fast food restaurant research project where they are comparing all these things. It's been eye opening for MANY of them, and they're in 6th grade.

    So you're spreading propaganda in school? Public school?
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    s fast food really so bad for you?In general and in moderation, no. Are there better choices, yes. I don't do fast food much at all, but when i do I try to pick places that are making strides to offer healthier choices, sustainable products, and organic stuff - Less processed and more natural.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    Yeah it probally is but why do we tend to think it is the worst thing in the world if it was so bad then why don't we shut it down ever ask that question, but we still should not eat too much of it but alittle should be good because at least we are getting in our daily protein and calories. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    "We" don't shut it down because that would be nannyism to the extreme. Besides, everything in moderation.
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
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    Fast food is really bad for you. Not a lot of vitamins, not a lot of variety. High in fats. Mcdonalds has started putting the calories of all their foods on the menu so you can see it when you order. It makes me realize that even a kid's meal has 600 calories. (But does the kids meal come close to filling you up?) Six hundred calories is half of many kids caloric intake. Should that be mostly sugar and fat? Then why not shut down all fast food restaurants? Why not shut down alcohol, cigarrettes, and anything else that can harm a body? We are expected as adults to use our own judgement and make our own choices. I really don't want the government telling me what I can and can't eat.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    i eat subway most days because it's healthier than other places and it's portion controlled. as a result, i've maintained my weight loss pretty well. some people prefer to cook every meal; i'm ok with that, too. i think it's all about nutrients, and nutrients don't know where you bought them.

    that being said, if you get burgers and fries twice a day, you're likely to be less healthy.

    Look up the nutritional facts about Subway. It might surprise you to learn that what they market as "healthy", really isn't. HOWEVER, you are right that it's healthier than other places.

    I have my students doing a fast food restaurant research project where they are comparing all these things. It's been eye opening for MANY of them, and they're in 6th grade.

    So you're spreading propaganda in school? Public school?

    I work in a private school AND it's not propaganda, it's called "health" and "nutrition". With a lot of common sense, truth and realism thrown in for good measure.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    So you're pushing your own personal views of health and nutrition. At least it's not public school, so there's no accountability or teaching credentials required for any curriculum tought there. It really sounds like you're on a personal vendetta against food. There is no bad food.

    I understand you may mean right, but teaching people that "fast food is bad" is just a villification of food. You're implanting obtuse ideas into very impressionable minds. Taking a polar extreme isn't helpful to anyone. Like I said, it's private school so no vetting of curriculum is required and they're paying to be there, so good luck to them.

    You may want to update your knowledge base regarding sugar, fats, & sodium. It seems very outdated. I only point those out because I see you preaching against them daily in the forums. All are required and none are in herently bad. You can get just as obese, unhealthy, and at risk for whatever medical conditions you want to point out by eating only 100% of whatever it is you consider "healthy".
  • just_fur_luck
    just_fur_luck Posts: 141 Member
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    Fast food is really bad for you. Not a lot of vitamins, not a lot of variety. High in fats. Mcdonalds has started putting the calories of all their foods on the menu so you can see it when you order. It makes me realize that even a kid's meal has 600 calories. (But does the kids meal come close to filling you up?) Six hundred calories is half of many kids caloric intake. Should that be mostly sugar and fat? Then why not shut down all fast food restaurants? Why not shut down alcohol, cigarrettes, and anything else that can harm a body? We are expected as adults to use our own judgement and make our own choices. I really don't want the government telling me what I can and can't eat.

    Fats are not bad for you. Fats are a necessary part of your diet. Even saturated fat is not bad for you.

    If it meets your caloric and macronutrient goals then you aren't hurting anything. If it doesn't or you can't make it fit then skip it but everyone has different requirements for those things. My fat macro goal is a minimum that I try to hit each day. If I go over then that's fine with me.

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