Fast food calorie counting
The world has become faster and faster and appropriately the demand for fast food is also increasing. Consumers should check the calorie content of such foods before tucking into a burger or a nice coffee though as the count can often be higher than you think. Many people are unaware that even if you just eat these two items you might have used up half of your recommended calorie intake for an entire day. Add a few more items from the coffee shop menu, like a muffin, and you are well on your way to expending the entire amount.
There is not clear enough labelling on some items and that makes it very easy for us to unknowingly consume a vast amount of calories in very little time. The government is encouraging us to be more careful about what we choose in an effort to reduce obesity levels.
Helen Bond, a dietician, has said, “The government wants to see fast food chains put the number of calories of each product in a clearly visible place in each establishment. McDonald’s is already doing this, in every restaurant there is a board that lists the calorie content of all their items. Starbucks has also recently signed on with this government programme. This lack of labelling means that people don’t know how much they are consuming and it is causing a real problem. This is especially true for liquid, such as fancy coffees which contain many calories.”
Bond says that the best way to keep within the recommended limits is to know which are the right choices to make. She uses Starbucks coffee as an example, “Choose an americano,” she says, “and you will be consuming less than 20 calories. Have a hot chocolate with cream and you are going to be consuming well over 500.”
“The Fairtrade chocolate shortbread at Starbucks contains a staggering 1000 calories, half the recommended daily allowance for women. If you go for lunch at McDonald’s and have a milkshake with a Big Mac and fries you are going to be taking in nearly 1,500 calories. If you choose a salad and coffee, you will only be taking in around 300. It is all about what we choose.”
It is not just the calories we should be looking at in our foods. We must also consider how much salt and fat we eat as well. While calories are calories, when we consume them in the form of fats we are more likely to put on weight from them. What is important for people is that they realise that fast food can be part of a healthy diet, the diet just has to be balanced.
