Toxic Table

I think by now that its common knowledge that fast food is bad for you. After the movie "Super Size Me" came out, fast food restaurants were scrambling to try and add healthy choices to their menus. Recently however, researchers provided concrete scientific proof of just how detrimental to health fast food really is.

A University of Minnesota study published in the British-based journal The Lancet documents some of the health consequences of a fast food diet. The study examined the regular eating habits of 3,000 people between the ages of 18 and 30. After 15 years, they found that those who ate a fast food meal at least twice a week were at least 10 pounds fatter than those who ate fast food less than once a week. The study also showed that a regular fast-food diet raised the risk factors for type two diabetes, which is linked to obesity. Other studies have shown that fast food can lead to certain types of cancer.

Even more alarming is that fact that obesity rates for children have doubled over the past 20 years, and overweight children are being diagnosed with obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes, sleep apnea and respiratory illnesses. It is estimated that kids get up to 40 percent of their meals from fast-food chains.

Fast food chains do not alert their customers to the hazardously high calorie and fat content of the food they offer and the portions served by fast food chains are far larger than the recommended portion size for most foods. The high caloric content of these large servings leads to weight gain, obesity and other dangerous health problems.

Nutrients from the food we eat allow us to burn fat and be healthy. To say fast food has a “nutritional value” is an oxymoron. There is absolutely nothing nutritional about fast food. Fast food simply feeds hunger and/or your immediate craving. Fast food does not feed your body in the form of usable lasting energy or building materials, the essence your body thrives on for life itself. Stay away from fast food. Your body will thank you. Thanks for your ear and keep reading!