Some randomness today…fast food facts. I don’t think I have ever quite looked at fast food the same way since seeing Super Size Me a few years ago, but I will admit that there are a few foods I love and that I definitely miss living overseas where fast food is anything but fast. This weeks UNdigi is a link to some interesting fast food facts such as:
- Television greatly expanded the ability of advertisers to reach children and try to develop brand loyalty early in life. Today the average American child sees more than 10,000 food advertisements each year on television.
- Burger King’s Double Whopper with cheese contains 923 calories. A man would need to walk for about nine miles to burn it off. Adding french fries and a large cola brings the total calories to an amazing 1,500 calories (2/3 of an adult man’s recommended daily caloric intake).
- McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes and the second largest purchaser of chicken in the world. Its annual orders for french fries constitute 7.5% of America’s entire potato crop.
See HERE for a lot more facts. French fries, anyone?
We only have take-out food once a fortnight-ish. My big thing with the kids is fizzy drinks (soda). It’s a leading cause of tooth decay in kids here, so I just don’t let mine have it at all. They have either water or milk, and as a treat when we have take-aways, they are allowed diluted orange juice.
Mmm. I know it’s so bad for you, but every once in a while, I just have to have Mcdonalds. I try to make it a treat for my kids rather than an all the time thing, I don’t want them eating there regularly! I also saw on Oprah why people are so much heavier now, portions are so huge! They showed portion sizes of fast foods from years ago (at least 10) and the sizes now are more than double, it’s insane!
Go look at Red Robin’s menu…oh my gosh! One day’s calories in one meal on many, many items! It’s ridiculous! Even things you’d think were okay. I had to go there for a lunch last month and really had a hard time trying to figure out what to get before I went. Finally found a salad under 700 calories but it would not have been my first choice flavor-wise. At least McDonald’s salads are reasonable in the calories department.
thx for sharing. I may be crazy but I protect my kids from advertisement. So that means we have no cable and are strictly PBS people. I think advertisement towards children should be illegal. But I am teaching them that when they see a cartoon character involved with a food display then we are looking at junk food. I make it a point to pick up the culprit item and read the ingredient list and then compare it to the ingredients in similar healthy food we enjoy. You should have seen the drama when I brought home those pickles with the little girl on them. lol!!