Fast Food Nation: Why Do We Eat Fast Food?

It is no secret the fast food industry continues to be one of the nation's most wealthy investments. No matter how in debt the economy may be overall, you can guarantee that people will always manage to scrape up enough dollars and change to fill the void for food in their stomachs. Food is something we cannot live without. We will go to great lengths in order to obtain the desires of our heart and our stomachs. Even though food can be a bit expensive, restaurants, especially fast food restaurants, continue to find ways to make it more affordable for the American citizen. Take the infamous dollar menu, for example. Many fast food locations have adopted this idea by making some menu items easily attainable due to their cost. We are all aware that these dollar menu items are not the most nutritious selections, hence the reason why fast food locations are able to sell these items for a dollar or less.

One of the reasons nutritious foods are more expensive than the greasy, high-calorie dollar menu items is because it takes more time and effort to prepare healthy items. Even with this in mind, we still choose to fill our stomachs with unhealthy, fatty foods containing high amounts of sodium, cholesterol and carbohydrates. From early childhood we are taught that a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad is a more nutritious food selection than a fatty burger and greasy fries, so why do we continue to have such negative eating habits? Does money play such a large role in why we choose to make unhealthy food selections?

For the average adult, various servings of fruits, vegetables, bread/grains, dairy and protein must be consumed on a daily basis combined with exercise in order to maintain a healthy regime. Some of these items include whole grain bread, eggs, grilled chicken, tuna, lima beans, salmon, 2 percent milk, kidney beans, corn, cheese, yogurt and brown rice. Unforunately, many of these items are not found in the selection available at fast food locations. Instead, items such as greasy hamburger patties, pancakes, eggs, deep-fried french fries, chicken tenders, bacon and buttery sesame seed buns generate selections on the menu at fast food restaurants that contain anywhere from 100 to 750 calories of fat.

Just looking at a select few items from Burger King and McDonald's it is obvious that fast food items can add many calories to our diets. For example, a Big Mac at McDonald's contains 770 calories (260 calories from fat). 75 mg of cholesterol and 1040 mg of sodium and a Whopper with cheese from Burger King contains 540 total calories (432 calories from fat), 100 mg of cholesterol and 1450 mg of sodium! Not to mention, the menu item at Burger King with the largest calorie intake is the Triple Whopper with cheese, containing 1250 calories (756 calories from fat), 225 mg of cholesterol and 1600 mg of sodium. The daily intake of total calories for an adult is 2250. By just eating a Triple Whopper, this goal is already more than half way achieved!

In traveling to three fast food restaurants -- McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's -- customers and managers were asked about their selection of fast food items and why they chose to eat there. Of 30 customers interviewed at these fast food locations, 20 stated that they ate fast food because it was a convenient and cheap choice; seven said it was because they had a craving for one of the menu items; and three said it was because they didn't feel like cooking at home.

"I'm a college student with no job. My parents give me about 30 bucks a week for leisure. I can't afford to eat healthy all the time," said Sierra Hollis, a customer at McDonald's. "When I need a break from cafeteria food, I usually come to McDonald's or Wendy's because it's affordable for me. Plus I like McDonald's chicken nuggets."

Even Manager Eric Vibber at Wendy's stated that he definitely chooses to eat at fast food restaurants because of the cheap price and convenience.

"I admit, sometimes I don't want to spend lots of money on lunch or dinner. Fast food is a very convenient choice," Vibber said.

Brandon Longnecker, an employee at Wendy's, agreed with his manager about eating fast food for convenience.

"Now-a-days cheap is always better, even though it may not be the healthiest. But not all the items on the dollar menu are greasy and fatty. A baked potato can be healthy … well, I guess it depends what you put on it."

On the other hand, some people do have alternative motives for eating at fast food restaurants. Assistant manager, Karen Joyner, at the McDonald's on 10th Street claimed she ate fast food not because of the price, but because she did not feel like cooking at home.

"You pay for what you get when you eat at fast food restaurants. I don't think a greasy burger will ever taste better than a grilled chicken sandwich or a fresh salad, but they just take more effort to put together."

"I honestly just came here on my study break," said McDonald's customer, Corenzo Horne. "If I could've gone some place else really quickly, I probably would've, but since I only had a few minutes I decided to come here."

For many of the customers that dine at fast food restaurants, the main objective is its convenience and cheap prices. Especially now that the economy is suffering, people are always looking for the cheapest and fastest ways to get what they want. In the case of fast food, it even means sacrificing our healthy eating habits in order to save five or six bucks in our wallets. In today's society, it's evident that money is the key factor in getting what you want and everyone wishes they had more of it. What better way to save money on the most basic essential than going to eat a nice, greasy, juicy meal for less than $5? It doesn't get much better than that.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.