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Does Fast Food Cause Obesity?

By Russ Nagamori

About seven years back, I went on

McDonald’s binge. I ate McDonald’s every

day for over 30 days, three times a day.

What was the result? To be honest - I lost

weight.

Hard to believe?

I was working at a retail store stocking

shelves. My level of physical activity never

changed in the time I went on the McDiet.

For breakfast I ate two sausage and egg

McMuffins with 2 hash browns and a coffee.

For lunch and dinner I had their signature

burger – the Big Mac! (Also added fries with

that.)

Now, it wasn’t “what” I ate but how I ate it

and the fact that I was regularly active. The

sausage and egg mc muffins had no cheese

or butter on them. Every time I ate a big

mac, I had either water or a coffee. I would

also order without the sauce and the cheese

and only have the mid-sized fries and not the

super-size fries (downsized). The odd time I

would order a hamburger (or two or three or

four) I would order them with no cheese and

no ketchup or mustard.

The small stuff does count over time.

Yes, I was still consuming high calorie and

carbohydrate food, but the point I want to

make to you is that by changing just the

quality and quantity of the food, you will

have different results. The exclusion of the

sauce and cheese meant less saturated fat

and less calories with better digestion. The

small fries were obviously in less proportion

than the super-size fries. Smaller portions

mean fewer calories/carbs.

Fast food could attribute to obesity but it is

only one of the issues involved.

When ordering fast food without sauces or

any other condiments like ketchup, mustard

or mayonnaise, you shave off those extra

calories. Usually sauces that go into burgers

and salad dressings have mayonnaise in

them. Mayonnaise is a spoonful of

saturated fat, just like margarine or

butter. Catsup tastes great with fries or

burgers but catsup is also filled with sugar.

Don’t get this wrong. The fact of the matter

is that McDonalds or other fast food

restaurants will not make you fat. Another

reality of fast food is that, in the end, it’s not

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really good for you period. The reason

being; fast food is packed with so many

calories and saturated fat. The fat will clog

arteries which can trigger a stroke or heart

attack – cardiovascular disease – which is

also associated with obesity.

Other long term and unhealthy side effects

are also possible. Processed foods in general

are not good for consumption. Processed

foods are always found in all fast food

restaurants. Processed food is basically food

that is prepared and packaged for

convenience or to ease consumption.

Sausages are processed food. So are ice

cream and all those other packed goods like

microwavable meals.

People who claim that they are immune to

saturated fat and clogged arteries are also at

risk. It doesn’t matter if the person is Mr.

Universe or a fitness expert. Eat enough

crap and your body will break down die

from the abuse. It doesn’t matter how well

you build your body or how lean you are.

We as humans are all the same in that

respect.

“So can I eat fast food?”

If you dine out at a classier restaurant, try to

order something other than pasta (unless it’s

available in whole grain). Maybe order a

grilled chicken breast with some vegetables

on the side – with no sauce. Whatever it is,

we should eliminate the habit of eating take-

out or dining out.

Eating at home gives you the opportunity

to cook your own food and take control of

what goes in the cooking. If you don’t

know how to cook then you can learn!

Cooking is a habit – a habit that can be

learned by anyone.

Conclusion:

Fast food is not the “cause” of obesity – it is

only a small factor. I personally will not go

on the McDiet again and I don’t recommend

it if you want a long and healthy life. We are

the ones that decide what we eat – we are

also the ones that will decide if we are obese

or not. Saying fast food makes us fat means

we are giving away our responsibility and

blaming someone else. If you are overweight

and enjoy fast food, have it no more than

once every two weeks and order small.

The choice is yours…