At work, at school, in city centers, at shopping malls, in airports and ground transportation terminals, even travelling by car on country highways, we are seldom more than a few minutes from food, quickly and easily obtainable. We are surrounded by vending machines, street vendors, convenience stores and every kind of restaurant.
That food is almost literally at arm’s reach everywhere we go is both a blessing and a curse in modern society. It is a blessing compared to the way some of our ancestors had to live, and the way a billion or more malnourished people around the world live today. And it is a curse for those of us in the developed world, because so much of that fast food is bad food.
Fast foods are generally high in the harmful food components and additives. Adolescent girls who eat fat food four times a week consumed about 260 calories more per day than those who didn’t. Not only do children eat in restaurants more than ever, they eat more per meal when they eat out than when they eat at home. Since husbands and wives work outside, they rely on fast food and other restaurants have increased last thirty years.
Planning ahead just a little I another good way to optimize both time and diet. Value increases when we spend our money on good nutrition and on food that are high in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber and protein. Fast food franchises use the cheapest ingredients like lard and corn oil, which is usually the unhealthiest. Have the courage to improve the nutritional value, even at the risk of affecting their profits.
