Americans get an estimated 11% of their total calorie intake from fast food. The total spending on fast food in the US is more than $110 billion US Dollars (USD) annually. Non-Hispanic black males typically eat the highest percentage of fast food, with more than 20% of their calories coming from fast food, on average. The prevalence of quick-service restaurants in the US is thought to contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity. More than one-third of all Americans are obese, it is estimated, and obese people consume more of their calories from quick-service restaurants. From 2007 to 2010, individuals of normal weights consumed less than 10% of their calories from fast food, compared with 13% by obese people.
More about fast-food consumption:
- In 1970, the annual spending on convenience food in the US was $6 billion USD, compared with more than $110 billion USD in 2010.
- American chain restaurants' food servings are about 25% larger than the same chain restaurants' servings in France.
- China ranks second among all countries in fast-food consumption, but the Chinese still spend only about half of what Americans spend on it.
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More Info: cdc.gov
Discussion Comments
Because fast food can be cheap with the dollar menus, they are so convenient. As a working mother whose husband left because he couldn't stand the strain, I worked 10 to 12 hours per day to support the three children we had.
The first was disabled, requiring surgeries, therapy, and doctor appointments, the second was bi-polar and also required therapy and the last is just suffering emotionally. With all that, I had little time to cook, so the drive-throughs got us through.
My daughter and I also have pco and ptc, and we are both obese. However, both my sons are very, very thin. I think being female and the pco and ptc contributed to our being overweight. However, I was heavy before the drive-through portion of our lives.
I dieted frequently following doctors' orders. I would actually not eat for a few days at a time. When I was the proper weight and just beginning to gain, he told me, "When you weight goes up 3 pounds, just don't eat until you've lost it." That method worked for a while, but then it didn't anymore. I held tremendous amounts of water, gaining 10 pounds in a day. I did not understand about salt and water retention.
I have pit edema, and have had it since age 18. If the doctor would give me a shot to help get rid of water, I would drop 8 or 10 pounds in a matter of hours. I always thought the 2 or 3 pounds I could gain in a day was actual fat, and would give up and just eat whatever.
If I could go back 40 years with the knowledge I have today, things would probably be different.
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