Fast Food Nation

Our modern pace and way of life means more and more people look to the nearest fast food restaurant to fill their daily eating needs. What possibly starts out as an occasional visit to our nearest burger joint, soon takes on the form of a regular, even daily trip for all the family. No doubting that most fast food is tasty, but where does the taste really come from ?

Typically, most foods served at fast food outlets will include one or more of the following:

• Acidity regulators 
• Anti-caking agents
• Anti-foaming agents
• Food coloring
• Color fixatives
• Color retention agents
• Emulsifies
• Firming agents
• Flavor enhancer
• Flour treatment agents
• Food acids
• Gelling agents
• Glazing agents
• Humectants
• Improving agents
• Mineral salts
• Preservatives
• Propellants
• Seasonings
• Sequestrants
• Stabilizers
• Sweeteners
• Thickeners
• Vegetable gums

In most developed countries were fast food outlets have become mainstream, the numbers are mind boggling. Approximately 5% of the populations of these countries visit a fast food outlet daily and close to 20% eat some type of fast food.

But highly processed foods go beyond the meals served at fast food joints. Have a little think about the shelves at your local supermarket. How many of these shelves are stocked with packaged, boxed or canned foods ? If my local supermarket is anything to go by, I would answer “almost all”.

The fact that these food products are packaged or boxed or canned points towards them being highly processed and probably full of preservatives. One of the most common is Monosodium Glutamate, for which several side-effects have been reported such as:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Increased heartbeat rate
• Breathing difficulties in asthmatics

Another additive widely used in the packaged food industry and known to contribute to heart disease is salt. Next time you relax with a tasty cup of canned soup for example, think about the salt content. One cup = 74% of the recommended daily intake !!!

Fast food also contributes to the rising numbers of obese people around the globe. Having artificially flavored foodstuffs available easily and cheaply means more and more people use these foodstuffs as part of their daily eating regime. These foods however, provide on average and extra 130 calories per serving over more traditional cooked foods. Factor in the frequency at which we eat these types of foods and the overall effect could be as high as an annual 12 pound weight gain just from fast food alone.

Most fast food also contain Trans Fatty Acids, which according to the American Heart Foundation cause an increase in “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and a decrease in the “good” cholesterol (HDL).

Another threat comes from Acrylamide, which forms when foods are heated to high temperatures, during frying for example. Processed foods like fries or potato chips show increased presence of this carcinogenic substance, which is responsible for large numbers of cancer cases every year around the globe.

As with anything in life, these side effects will vary from individual to individual. One fact is present though. Most forms of fast food contain additives which can cause health issues or varying degrees.