Fast Food in Moderation

Hello,

The message in the media (especially with the spotlight on Trans Fats) has been that fast food is extremely harmful to your health. I find however when they do research or give examples of the fat in fast food, they usually pick the biggest meals and add in a lot of extras. If someone were to eat a fast food meal everyday, yet stay within their Daily Recommended Values for nutrition would it still pose a health risk?

Example me yesterday

Breakfast – simfast shake - Fat 5.3g, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g
Lunch – Health Bar - - Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g
Dinner – McD’s Double Cheese Burger Meal - Fat 39g, Saturated Fat 11g, Trans Fat 1.5g

My RDA for Fat is 66g with 15g Saturated (www.healthcalculators.org) so I’d be under both of those.

Thanks for any input!

[Renee Radenberg]

The recommendation is to have no saturated fat, no trans fats, and only have monounsaturated fats (ex: nuts, seeds, fish, olive oils, peanut oil). Fried foods are not good regardless if fried in monounsaturated or not. Fast food companies have been trying to stop their trans fat use, however, some are substituting Palm oil, which is a saturated fat. Need to be careful on the type of fats they are using. Fast food are ok once and awhile but not everyday. We need fresh fruit and vegetables too, which are not usually on a fast food menu. Variety is the key.
Thank you for your question.