FAST FOODS

Fast foods
by:Renelyn R.Cuambot

Before people are just used to start their day with a cup of coffee and a piece of bread, takes their lunch with a plenty of rice and the usual native soup and for dinner they'll have rice and some healthy soups and meats. But this routine has been changed by time and modernization. Due to the influence of affordable and fast serving food chains, people have entertained and have practiced this habit, eating in fast food chains oftenly especially if he's in a hurry or tired of cooking at home.

But what has been so alarming is that even the young ones are fund of demanding to their parents to eat outside making this situation as the route cause of unhealthy eating,obesity and some heath problems. Even if a parent says thathe or she doesn't bring heer or his child oftenly to fast food chains it is still bad to the health for even in moderation, eating a diet consisting largely of fast food could cause your waistline to bulge more than eating the same amount of fat from healthier sources.

Although very few people will admit to eating fast food, the number of golden arches in any town or city indicates that some of us are not telling the whole truth. Fast food outlets have always been targeted as sources of food that contain calories and little else - so-called empty calories.
To their credit, and in this day of online information, companies are making available nutrition information about their products so customers can know better what they are buying, and what they are eating. It make take a little research, and some intelligent choices, but it is possible to eat a nutritious meal and avoid the calories when eating at a hamburger joint.
A comparison of two foods offered by McDonalds serves as a good example. The Quarter Pounder is a popular hamburger sold at McDonalds that contains a beef patty, sesame seed bun, ketchup, mustard, pickles, onion, and grill seasoning. The garden salad is listed as containing lettuce, shredded cheddar/jack cheese, chopped egg, chopped tomato, and green onions. The table below, showing the nutrient content provide by McDonalds for these two foods, shows that the burger contains more of the nine nutrients than the garden salad. However, beef just because it is beef contains more fat and calories etc. than lettuce. The table shows that even when you are forced by your children to go to McDonalds, you can still find food that is low in fat, calories and salt if you choose the salad.
The nutrient value of an individual food should always be compared to your daily intake requirements. If the stop at McDonalds is just to buy a snack to tide you over until dinner, you should look very carefully at what you are eating and what nutrients it contains.
Good to know that the fast food chain owners had become observant in their offered meals, making an option to the consumers if they want to eat in the fast food chains where healthy meals are now available.