Fast Food restuarants and chains have recently been making a massive effort to clean up their tarnished image by marketing so called healthier foods.

In fact one American fast food company (not trading un the UK) has recently launched their ‘Drive Through Diet’ and they have claimed that one of their customers lost an astounding 23Kg in just under 24 months by following this diet.

What we are asking here is should you really trust what these companies are saying to us via their advertisments? Or is this just a feeble attempt for them to cash in on the current rising levels of obesity that they are potentially responsible for?

To help you make up your own mind we have come up with six compelling reasons as to why we think you should avoid the marketing advances of thes companies

Fast food is highly processed and generally contains the following pretty unpleasant ingredients that you should avoid at all costs:

• Trans Fatty Acids - trans fats are a hidden killer and the main cause of heart disease in the western world as well as bein a cause of high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
• Artificial additives – Sweeteners & flavour enhancers such as Aspartame and MSG have been linked to certain cancers. These are found in drinks, sauces and many toppings. Chinese food especially is high in MSG.
• Reconstituted meat – Just because your burger says it contains 100% beef does not mean the best lean cuts of beef are used. Usually it is the high in fat cuts that are otherwise wasted that are minced to make up your burger.
• Processed carbs – French Fries, white burger baps and baked goods use highly refined flours with added fat, salt & sugar that have little or no nutritional value and willleave you feeling hungry again in no time.
• Processed sugars – Loads of highly processed sugars are found in milkshakes, soft drinks and desserts. These have little or no nutritional value whatsoever and are also high in calories
• High in Calories – The main cause of obesity is taking in more calories than you burn over an extended period of time. Fast foods are some of the most calorific foods available. So our advice to you is that if you want to lose weight, you need to avaoid fast food.

If your diet mainly consist of fast food, you will not only be sabotaging your fitness goals, but also your long term health.

Our advice here at NorthWest Personal Training Manchester is to follow a sensible eating plan consisting of mostly fresh lean cuts of meat, fresh fish (not canned tuna), dairy produce, whole grains and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cook your meals from scratch and steer well clear of fast food and ready made supermarket meals.

Tags: bodyfat, diet, fast food, healthy eating, Nutrition, organic food, Weight Loss

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Nutrition, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.