About Fast Food

Hello everyone, it´s been a while since my last post.
I have been sick since late January with a viral infection and haven´t blogged much. My English blogs are not my top priority so when I´m sick they´re the ones I leave behind. Now that I´m feeling a bit better I´m back to the blogosphere.
As some of you know I have a few different blogs, not only about food but also personal, mixed bag and about Personal Finances. In this context, I came across the image bellow in a Personal Finances website and thought about re-posting it. This website main focus is providing information about Personal Finances topics and Coupons. It has different sections but you can find different types of coupons and discounts such as Walmart Coupon Codes, airtran discounts, Lush Coupon Codes and Jetblue Coupon Codes. These two last are travelling coupons from US brands so if you like using coupons and reading about this kind of topics, check it out.


Mc Donnalds is one of the biggest Fast Food chains in Portugal and probably in the whole world. It´s present in all shopping malls and has many drive-in shops, which are opened all day and at night, spread all over the country.
Obesity in general and specifically among children has become a big problem and a public health issue in Portugal too. The main concern about fast food is it´s low nutritional value and the presence of saturated fat specially in fries and burger´s sauces.
Kid´s favorite "Happy Meal" (and I would risk saying it´s the top meal sold for kids because it offers a toy) does not provide any vegetables. Although fast food industry insists it bears no responsibility for this epidemic, people are starting to realize the relation between obesity and the frequent intake of fast food meals.
A research team led by David Ludwig, MD, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program, published a study in the journal Pediatrics that strengthens the scientific footing of that link.

By examining data from surveys of 6,212 children and adolescents, the researchers found that children who ate fast food consumed more total and saturated fat, more total carbohydrates and added sugars, less dietary fiber, and more calories per gram of solid food than children who did not eat fast food. Not surprisingly, they also consumed less milk, fiber, fruit and non-starchy vegetables.
Thirty percent of the children in the survey ate fast food on any given day during the survey, and they ate an average of 187 calories a day more than those who did not eat fast food. These additional calories could account for an extra six pounds of weight gain per year, according to Ludwing.
Data from the Optimal Weight for Life program.
The graphic bellow provides information about the biggest fast food chain. Just to think about:

Source: http://frugaldad.com