10 Shocking Fast Food Facts
Wednesday 16th November is National Fast Food Day and as a healthcare company, it's our job to try to put you off buying a burger this lunchtime! The following article features 10 quite shocking fast food facts.
1) Weight Gain
A 15 year-long study of over 3,000 people found that eating fast food is linked to weight gain. Maybe that isn't much of a surprise, but many people don't know is that it also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.
2) Addictive
The more fast food you eat, the more you crave it. Many experts consider fast food a potentially addictive substance that is most likely to create dependence in vulnerable populations
3) "Egg"
The egg found in many fast food breakfast sandwiches contain ingredients such as glycerin which is found in soap, and dimethylpolysioxane which can be found in Silly Putty!
4) Children's Health
In the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children, and tripled in adolescents. Kids have an amazing ability to remember adverts they've seen on TV, and there is a strong correlation between increases in advertising for fast food, and rates of childhood obesity.
5) Burgers
One study found that most fast food burgers are made up of 50% water and actual meat is only 2.1% to 14.8% of the burger. The rest is chemical fillers and preservatives!
6) Nuggets
At many fast food restaurants, chicken nuggets are even worse than burgers. Many nuggets are made from mechanically- separated chicken which is a slimy mixture that's created from the processed bones and carcass of leftover chickens.
7) Unhealthy "Healthy"
In recent years, fast food restaurants have been introducing salads and wraps in an attempt to cater for those looking for a healthier choice. These options however can be very misleading, at one fast food restaurant, the chicken caesar salad still has almost 500 calories, 28 grams of fat and nearly a day's worth of salt!
8) Inhumane to Animals
In 2012, 9 billion animals were slaughtered in the US with much of that meat finding its way into fast food burgers and chicken sandwiches. Large factory farms are one of the biggest sources of pollution and environmental negligence
9) Soda
It's not just the burgers which are bad for you, the fizzy drinks are filled with sugar. High fructose corn syrup is a cheap sweetener used by most fast food restaurants. This type of sugar has strong links to weight gain.
10) Taste
Although fast food can be cheaper, it never compares to a quality 'grass fed' burgers. Keeping to 'proper' burgers means a healthier you and a more acquired taste!
Content provided by LifeHack