We all turn to fast food when our days are too long, we didn’t have time to grocery shop or the idea of cooking is just too much. Why not? It’s easy, fast and filling. But as I discussed in my last post on fast food, it’s having a major impact on obesity in this country. Now I’d like to break it down to its actual caloric parts to help all of us better understand exactly what we’re eating and how it can be improved. Especially since we consume so much of it.
About 40% of American adults between 20 and 74 years old are obese, compared to 13% of that age group between 1960 and 1962. Fast food accounted for about 11% of the daily caloric intake in the U.S. between 2007 and 2010. It’s estimated that 37% of U.S. adults consume fast food on any given day.
Once in a while won’t hurt you, but too much of it can cause serious problems. We all know most fast food contains too many calories, salt and artery-clogging cholesterol to eat every day, or even once a week. Exercise levels and current weight can combat these numbers, but the totals of a single meal at the fast food restaurant often adds up to a full day’s caloric needs.
The calorie content at the most popular U.S. fast food restaurants has shot up over the past three decades, according to a new study published March in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In it, they compared food at 10 fast food restaurants: Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr, Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The study looked at the restaurants’ food in 1986, 1991 and 2016.
Researchers found that, on average, the calorie content of entrees went up by 30 calories a decade, while the calorie content of desserts went up by 62 calories a decade. Menu items also had a major increase in sodium content – about a 4.6% daily value increase per decade for entrees. Portion sizes for both entrees and desserts increased from decade to decade as well. The portion size of entrees went up by about 13 grams a decade, while desserts got 24 grams larger. The size of side dishes remained the same.
Customers were also offered more menu options over the period of this research. The number of entrees, sides and desserts increased by 226%, leading to an increase of about 22.9 menu items a year, the study said. On average, the study suggests that new menu items were particularly unhealthy because of the significant increase in sodium, calories and portion size. Given the popularity of fast food, this study highlights how these significant changes are likely a major contributing factor to the increase in obesity, as well as the related chronic conditions over the past several decades resulting in all causes of death in the U.S.
With the obesity endemic, President Obama signed a new law into the health care reform bill that required every big restaurant chain (more than 20 stores) to post calorie information on every menu and drive-thru sign, as well as the amount of calories a healthy person should eat. Restaurants were required to comply by May 2018. The law also requires vending machines to have nutritional information on them too. Fortunately, if they don’t comply you can still find this information for most fast food chains online. Some fast food chains also have special menu options that are healthier. Just remember a salad can be as high in calories as a Big Mac when creamy dressing and fried chicken are added. Consider too, that a can of regular soda can have 12 teaspoons of sugar in it!
Many online sites offer specific information on the caloric, serving size and nutritional values of restaurant dishes. Try this one for example.
Here’s just a quick look at what we are eating daily:
| Pizza: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| California Pizza Kitchen Original BBQ Chicken (whole pizza) | 1136 | 19 grams | |
| Domino’s Medium Ultimate Deep Dish EXtravaganZZa Feast, 1 slice 12″ | 320 | 16 grams | |
| Domino’s Cheese, 1 slice 12″ | 210 | 8 grams | |
| Papa John’s Garden Fresh on Original Crust, 1 slice 12″ | 200 | 7 grams | |
| Papa John’s Spinach Alfredo on Original Crust, 1 slice 12″ | 210 | 8 grams | |
| Pizza Hut Thin n’ Crispy, Pepperoni, 1 slice 12′ | 200 | 9 grams | |
| Pizza Hut Fit n’ Delicious Pizza with Green Pepper, Red Onion, and Diced Tomato, 1 slice | 150 | 4 grams | |
| Hamburgers: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King Whopper (with cheese) | 770 | 48 grams | |
| Five Guys (with cheese) | 610 | 34 grams | |
| McDonald’s Quarter Pound with cheese | 510 | 26 grams | |
| Wendy’s ¼ Pound Single Hamburger | 470 | 21 grams | |
| Chicken Strips: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King 8 Piece Chicken Tenders | 360 | 21 grams | |
| McDonalds Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5) | 660 | 40 grams | |
| Wendy’s 10 Piece Chicken Nuggets | 450 | 29 grams | |
| French Fries: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King Medium Fries | 440 | 22 grams | |
| Five Guys | 310 | 15 grams | |
| McDonald’s Medium Fries | 380 | 19 grams | |
| Wendy’s Medium Fries | 410 | 19 grams | |
| Burritos: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Baja Fresh Chicken Burrito Ultimo | 880 | 36 grams | |
| Baja Fresh Bean and Cheese Burrito | 840 | 33 grams | |
| Chipotle Chicken (with rice, beans, sour cream and cheese) | 950 | 37 grams | |
| Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, Chicken | 390 | 12 grams | |
| Sandwiches: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King Tender Grill Chicken (no mayo) | 410 | 7 grams | |
| McDonald’s Premium Grilled Chicken Classic | 420 | 10 grams | |
| Panera Turkey Artichoke Panini | 750 | 24 grams | |
| Panera Bacon Turkey Bravo | 830 | 29 grams | |
| Quiznos Honey Mustard Chicken Sub, Regular | 830 | 41 grams | |
| Quiznos Tuna Melt, Regular | 1220 | 94 grams | |
| Subway Turkey, 6 inch (no mayo) | 280 | 3.5 grams | |
| Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill | 370 | 7 grams | |
| Salads (no dressing): | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King Tendergrill Chicken Garden | 300 | 10 grams | |
| McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken | 320 | 9 grams | |
| Panera Greek Salad | 380 | 34 grams | |
| Panera Strawberry and Poppyseed Chicken Salad | 280 | 8 grams | |
| Quiznos Chicken Caesar, Regular | 440 | 16.5 grams | |
| Quiznos Raspberry Chipotle Chicken, Regular | 520 | 25 grams | |
| Subway Oven Roasted Chicken, Fat-Free Italian dressing | 130 | 2.5 grams | |
| Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad | 390 | 16 grams | |
| Muffins: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Au Bon Pain Cranberry Walnut | 540 | 25 grams | 28 g |
| Dunkin Donuts Blueberry | 510 | 16 grams | 51 g |
| Dunkin Donuts Honey Bran Raisin | 500 | 14 grams | 48 g |
| Starbuck’s Blueberry | 470 | 24 grams | 23 g |
| Starbuck’s Lowfat Blueberry | 430 | 2.5 grams | 57 g |
| Donuts: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Dunkin Donuts Glazed Donut | 220 | 9 grams | 12 g |
| Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut | 200 | 12 grams | 10 g |
| Starbuck’s Old-fashioned Glazed Donut | 420 | 21 grams | 34 g |
| Bagels: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Dunkin Donuts Everything | 350 | 4.5 grams | |
| Einstein’s Asiago Cheese Bagel | 310 | 5 grams | |
| Einstein Everything | 270 | 2 grams | |
| Starbuck’s Plain | 300 | 1 gram | |
| Other Breakfast: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Burger King Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit | 550 | 37 grams | |
| Dunkin Donuts Egg and Cheese Bagel | 510 | 6 grams | |
| McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg | 450 | 27 grams | |
| Starbuck’s Cheese Danish | 420 | 25 grams | |
| Starbuck’s Banana Walnut Loaf | 350 | 16 grams | |
| Coffee: | Calories | Fat | Sugar |
| Dunkin Donuts Mocha Swirl Latte (10 oz) | 220 | 6 grams | 32 g |
| Dunkin Donuts Coolatta with Skim Milk (16 oz) | 210 | 0 grams | 49 g |
| Dunkin Donuts Latte (10oz) | 120 | 6 grams | 10 g |
| Dunkin Donuts Coffee (14oz), (no milk or sugar) | 10 | 0 grams | 0 g |
| Starbuck’s Caramel Frappuccino, Grande with Whip | 390 | 15 grams | 59 g |
| Starbuck’s Caffè Mocha, Grande 2% Milk, no Whip | 260 | 8 grams | 31 g |
| Starbuck’s Caffè Latte, Grande 2% Milk | 190 | 7 grams | 17 g |
| Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino Light | 110 | 0 grams | 23 g |
| Starbuck’s Caramel Macchiato, Grande | 240 | 7 grams | 31 g |
Let’s face it, with so much to do, it’s hard to eat right on the go. While avoiding fast food may be the wisest and most health-conscious option, it may not be the most realistic. Knowing these facts can help you to make wiser choices.
Sources:
-heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/DiningOut/Eating-Fast-Food_UCM_301473_Article.jsp
-ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list.
-ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26375457.
-time.com/5542516/fast-food-study-calories/
-center4research.org/fast-food-facts-calories-and-fat/