By who, and by what authority, has November 16 been declared fast food day? I do not recall an act of Congress to this effect. And why would anyone, other than the fast food industry, want a day devoted to crappy and unhealthy food?
Studies have shown that over the past four decades, consumption of food eaten away from home has also risen alarmingly. It is well known that eating out may lead to excess calorie intake and increases the risk of obesity because of large portion sizes and increased energy density of foods.
Fast foods fall into this category of food. Fast foods are typically:-
high in calories
high in fat
high in saturated and trans fat
high in sugar
high in simple carbohydrates
high in sodium (salt)
Fast food and BMI
Fast food is associated with higher body mass index, less successful weight-loss maintenance and weight gain.
Fast foods reduce the quality of diet and provide unhealthy choices especially among children and adolescents raising their risk of obesity.
Fast-food consumption costs were nearly $164.8 billion in 2010. This was a 3% rise from 2009.
Fast food and childhood obesity
Fast foods affect children and youth often worse than adults. This is because most of the fast foods are targeted towards children and there is a sustained pattern of eating fast foods and eating out.
Children with a sustained excess energy imbalance intake of approximately 2% result in the development of obesity over time.
A 2% imbalance could mean an excess of only about 30 kilocalories per day. This corresponds to two-thirds of a chocolate cookie, fewer than two French fries or one-fourth of a can of soda.
Eating out is another major contributor to childhood obesity. Studies show that calorie content of out-of-home meals that children consumed was 55% higher than that of in-home meals.