by Heather Tomasello

Created on: February 02, 2009   Last Updated: February 07, 2009

Moving away from home to live on your own involves hundreds of small transitions. You may never have needed to make your own meals before. Even if you did your own cooking, chances are your refrigerator was always well-stocked. And your mom was there to remind you to "eat your vegetables."

Now, between school, work, studying, and a social life, you may think you're too busy to go to the grocery, make healthy meals, or exercise regularly. And that fast food habit is particularly tempting.

FAST FOOD FACTS

There are more than 300,000 fast food restaurants in the United States, making that burger and fries ("supersized," of course) a convenient, predictable, and cheap meal on the go. Unfortunately, fast food meals are often high in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol. Why is this so bad?

Salt helps to form the stomach juices that to digest foods, however too much salt over a lifetime can contribute to high blood pressure. According to C. Everett Koop, former US Surgeon General, most of us get twice as much salt as we need in our diet.

Eating too many high-fat foods can contribute to high cholesterol. High cholesterol has been linked to coronary heart disease, strokes and some types of cancer.

QUICK FACT-According to the McKinley Health Center for students at the University of Illinois, most Americans get 40% of their daily calories from fat, while the ideal intake is 20-30%.

Much to-do has been made in the news lately about "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol, and of course, even foods that contain "no" cholesterol can have enough fats to convert into cholesterol in your body.

Short of getting a degree in Dietary Sciences, how can you tell which foods are "good" are which are "bad?" The key is to aim for a well-balanced diet and educate yourself so you can make informed decisions. Having that burger and fries once in a while isn't going to kill you. Every day, on the other hand, may set you on the road to high cholesterol.

PLAN AHEAD

Is it worth fifty-one grams of fat to have that quarter-pounder with cheese? (That's basically your entire recommended daily intake of fat on a bun.)

Kick the fast food habit by planning ahead. If you know you're going to be out at a meal time, pack a lunch (this will have the added benefit of saving you a few bucks.) Keep snack-sized bags of pretzels, crackers, or peanuts in your car. Carry a bottle of water with you.

Fast food is convenient, and if you're craving a burger and nothing else will do, by all means have the burger. But if

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