Is there a relationship between fast food and obesity? I feel that there is.

To really answer the question does fast food cause obesity we only need look as far as the calorie and fat content of standard fast food fare. For example a McDonald’s Big Mac has 540 calories 29 grams of fat and only 3 grams of fiber if you do Weight Watchers that’s about 13 points. Now I thinks it is pretty safe to say this is indeed fattening food. Also be advised that salads are not always a healthy choice, a Wendy’s Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad is 490 calories 24 grams of fat and 9 grams of fiber (11 WW points) a little better than the Big Mac but still not very good for your diet. There are however some healthier choices like the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken with Newman’s Own low Fat Family Recipe Italian Dressing is only 380 calories 12 grams of fat and 9 grams of fiber or about 9 Weight Watchers points. My point is that while fast food can cause obesity there are choices. The best choice is to not eat fast food at all. If you must eat it then try to choose the healthiest alternative you can.

Another question that must be raised are fast food companies to blame for the rise in obesity? It is a bit difficult to definitively answer this question. I do feel that the lawsuits against the fast food companies are a bit of a stretch. I don’t feel that people should generally profit from their own poor choices. I do believe however that fast food companies should be held somewhat accountable for the link between fast food and obesity.. There are a couple of solutions that if implemented correctly could both stem obesity to an extent and lower the burden on an already struggling healthcare system. First perhaps the companies could be nudged a bit to provide more healthy fare in their establishments. Second fast food companies could be forced to submit a certain percentage of their profits to research on obesity and obesity education. After all I think it is safe to say the majority of fast food profits come from obese people.