Did you ever stop to think about what you are really eating?
I grew up on fast food. I know, now that you know me, that’s hard to believe, right? It was a “quick fix” for a dinner time meal. I can even remember what a “frozen tv dinner” box looked like. Whatever it took to make dinner easy. But fast food is loaded with bad unhealthy ingredients. Let’s tackle the ever popular french fry. You would think that it’s pretty healthy. I mean, what can be harmful about a potato with a bit of salt. But, fast-food fries often have more than 15 ingredients, including sugar and artificial coloring. They also have tons of preservatives like sodium acid pyrophosphate and tert-butylhydroquinone (can you even pronounce these words?) which in high doses has been linked to vision problems.
Next, let’s look at a hamburger. Oh oh! Ground beef that is loaded with growth hormones and antibiotics, which can end up in your system.
What about a “breakfast sandwich”? I am not being a snob, but they don’t even look real. The eggs are usually modified corn starch, soybean oil, medium chain triglycerides, propylene glycol, artificial flavor, citric acid, xanthan gum, and -- oh yeah -- egg whites and yolks (listed separately).
What preschool child doesn’t love chicken nuggets. But, do they even contain chicken? Well, yes there is meat in there, but there are also bones, blood vessels, nerves, connective tissue, and skin. And they have loads of salt and fat, which are linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Do I need to say more?
So, what do you do to eat better? You don’t have to go to culinary school to cook healthy. It just takes a bit of thinking ahead and the will to eat healthy. Click on the links for healthy “fast food” options!
1. Crunchy baked french fry
2. Healthy hamburger
3. Healthy egg sandwich
4. Healthy chicken nuggets