Fast food facts!

Wow! I came across this today. Quite the scary facts! Join with me in taking this information to heart and putting it into practice.

Pay attention to Portion Size: America has gone nuts with food! Americans are getting bigger because our portion sizes have got bigger. In 1955 when McDonalds was first getting popular, you received a 3 ounce fry, an 8 ounce coke and a 3-ounce hamburger - all totaled about 450 calories. Now your standard McDonalds Big Mac, large fry, big coke is about 1500 calories and contains between 50-70 grams of fat.

We went from a 3-ounce serving of French fries to an 8-ounce serving; from an 8-ounce Coke to 16 ounces; from a 3 ounce burger to half a pound. We increased our portion size. And nobody is any happier because they've increased it; it's just what we've gotten used to eating.

It has happened everywhere. When I was a kid, a 6-ounce coke in a little curved bottle was a big deal. When they came out with an 8-ounce coke, wow! 8 ounces! This is great! I remember when the 12-ounce came out, and before you know it they stopped making the 6 and 8 ounce. You start at 12 oz now. Then, they came out with the 16oz. Now, they have 20-ounce bottles. All they did was sell more and more, and nobody's better off. In the "old days" we were happy with one 6-ounce coke. Now, we are just accustomed to a 20-ounce coke.

A study recently published looked at what happens when people are at an "all you can eat" buffet - they eat more than they would ever normally eat. The more food in front of us, the more we tend to eat. Tip: Don't leave cookies or candy lying around. Do leave whole fruit in visible sight - which you can eat often! Experiment with serving yourself smaller portions - if you are chewing slowly and thoroughly, you will be satisfied.

What to do: If you can, avoid the fast food places; if you can't, then order cautiously. Order a small soft drink, or better yet, an unsweetened ice tea with lemon, or bottled water. You get the idea. Skip the fries. They are loaded with fat; they are cooked in trans-fat (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil), the worst kind of fat - it raises the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowers the good cholesterol (HDL); it is poison for your heart. Order your hamburger or broiled chicken fillet and tell them to hold the sauce. Often, there is more fat and calories in the sauce than in the meat.