Fast Food Nation

Look around, in almost every single township in the United States of America there is some sort of local fast food joint. In cities they are everywhere. You can get almost anything from burgers, tacos, to ice cream. Its quick, cheap, and very convenient for people to make a stop at a fast food restaurant. Really there is no problem with the occasional stop at the local fast food joint as long as it remains fairly infrequent. The occasional stop becomes a problem when it no longer becomes an "occasional" stop but rather a repetitive action.

Okay, I know what you are thinking, what does an occasional stop actually mean? When does this become a frequent and repetitive action? Well, what it essentially comes down to is this, how healthy do you actually want to be? It is common sense but needs to be said-If you want to be a healthy individual, you need to stray away from "convenient foods" such as candy bars, chips, fries, fast food burgers, chicken, etc.

There has been a period of my life where I believe I had a psychological addiction to fast food. I used to go at least 4-5 times a week to get all sorts of foods. Whether it was burgers, roast beef, chicken, fries, onion rings, tacos etc. In a period of 3-4 months I went from weighing 190 pounds to 220 pounds. I had no concept of nutrition, exercise, or even just being an active individual. I craved the food when I wasn't eating it, and was absolutely in heaven when I was consuming it. It really didn't hit me until I looked in the mirror one day and realized that the hard work that I had done in getting my body in good shape was in vain.

I realized that the blame was solely on my shoulders. I sat down and reflected on how I got to that particular point. I was overweight and out of shape. I still lifted weights on a regular basis and was still physically strong but, I lost all of my definition due to the extra fat that was deposited around my muscles. I had gained very little strength and actually noticed a drop in energy when I was eating fast food frequently. I promised myself that I would change my ways and begin eating a healthier variety of foods.

My words of wisdom in regards to fast food are as follows: Use fast food only as a rare substitute to a meal. Remember that most fast food restaurants offer almost no nutritional value besides calories. I'm not saying that fast food restaurants are to bad or evil. I think that they are a nice way to go out and have a social meal with someone, or even to grab a bite to eat when you are in a pinch. The problem is when people become frequent visitors. So, stop and think, How often do I frequent fast food restaurants. Then ask yourself what are my health goals? If you realize there is a contradiction between those two questions, there needs to be change...

Any questions or comments please e-mail me at JakeSternBower@yahoo.com