Obesity - Fast-food culture

Obesity

Modern fast-food culture

People often blame modern fast-food culture for obesity. These days, it's easy to overeat or eat too much fatty or sugary food. The sight of food can make us want to eat. So we eat because food is there and tastes good, not because we feel hungry. And when we eat in this way, we put on weight.

Source:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.
Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines (accessed 20 April 2009).

Source:
Kopelman PG.
Obesity as a medical problem.
Nature. 2000; 404: 635-643.

Source:
Flier JS, Foster DW.
Eating disorders: obesity, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.
In: Wilson JD, Foster DW, Kronenberg HM, et al (editors). Williams textbook of endocrinology. 9th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 1998.

Fast-food outlets and convenience stores are everywhere. So it's easy to eat even if you aren't particularly hungry.
Servings are often large. And everything seems to come with "extras": extra cheese in your double cheeseburger, extra relish, extra fries. Even healthy-looking options like salads often come with dressings that are high in fat.
Processed food often contains a lot of fat or sugar. Fat and sugar have a lot of calories. So if you eat this kind of food, you're more likely to put on weight. Even a small portion, such as a cookie, is likely to have a lot of calories.
Most of us don't count the calories we eat.
We're also eating more processed foods and snacks at home. These often have a lot of calories.

Source:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.
The practical guide: identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.
October 2000. Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf (accessed on 20 April 2009).

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Sources for the information on this page:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines (accessed 20 April 2009).

Kopelman PG.Obesity as a medical problem.Nature. 2000; 404: 635-643.

Flier JS, Foster DW.Eating disorders: obesity, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.In: Wilson JD, Foster DW, Kronenberg HM, et al (editors). Williams textbook of endocrinology. 9th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 1998.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.The practical guide: identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.October 2000. Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf (accessed on 20 April 2009).

This information was last updated on May 01, 2009

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