If you're you're within walking or a short driving distance from a fast food resturant, your health could be at risk! Statistics show that 64% of American people are overweight while another 27% are classified as obese. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Irrespective of the laws which govern subliminal messages, a host of fast food restaurants know how to lure you to their very doors. Staring at billboards, inhaling the aroma of burgers, fries, spicy chicken, roast potatoes etc, can be a little too much temptation for many. More so when they are almost on your doorstep!
Those in the workforce often find fast foods the only option, and unfortunately the junk style fast foods are all that is available.While it's all well and good to praise the healthy home cooked meal, many of us are running on very limited time. Within this rushed world of ours, finding the time to grocery shop, plan healthy menus, wash, cook, iron, keep house, drop the kids to day-care and so forth, is easier said than done. Therefore we find the fast food stores beneficial if we wish to serve up a meal to our families in a hurry.
From the subway to the car park, the bus stop to home, we are often right in the path of a host of fast food stores. It seems inevitable that our feet will direct us right to their doors rather than stand over a hot stove after being on the go all day. Fast food stores are a convenience which too many of us have become too accustomed to. We have forgotten how to treat ourselves in moderation; fast food has become an everyday commodity.
While the occasional fast food treat is relatively harmless over indulgence can be harmful in many ways. The diabetic, those with heart related health issues, the osteoporosis patient and so many others are placing their health in danger. They forfeit vitamins and minerals for fat laden foods which have no benefit to their health whatsoever. Those with brittle bones need calcium rich foods, not fat laced greasy burgers.
Fats (those deemed as the bad ones,) can increase our cholesterol levels and clog the arteries. Yet when depression, stress and so forth hit home we often need a small binge to lift our spirits. Socializing comes into the equation as well. Fast food restaurants are the popular meeting grounds for teenagers. Yet many teenagers don't often see that what they eat today, sits on their hips tomorrow. Unfortunately they often fail to see that the acne problems many of them face could be alleviated by embarking on a healthy eating regiment.
Fast food restaurants know how to lure you to their stores, offering two for one meal deals, upsizing for an extra 50cents and so forth. But there are alternatives and one need to recognize this fact. Subway is healthier than most fast food restaurants which offer burgers, ice-cream sundaes, apple pies, huge chocolate chip cookies etc. If you must eat and need a meal in a hurry decline the burger and opt for a meatball sub, salami and salad sub or seafood sub, these are much more nutritious.
Unfortunately with the economy the way it is these days, fast foods are often the cheaper option for those watching their budget. Meat prices are almost through the roof and so are grocery costs. In many cases fast food is not an option, it's a must. $5 worth of fatty chips goes much further than $5 worth of steak. Single mothers and those with low incomes have no alternative but to feed their family as cheaply as possible.
Living near fast food restaurants has us right in the path of aromatic smells and these can have us drooling for the greasy chips, pancakes, donuts and so forth. Unless you have something wrong with your sense of smell, you will find it hard to ignore the little finger tapping your shoulder and saying Follow me. You will be drooling until you feed your desire for whatever scent is drifting on the breeze.
But let's not blame the fast food stores for everyone's obesity; the word willpower does exist. Perhaps we should replace that word with won't power. We won't over indulge and risk our health; we won't ignore the need for healthy foods etc. And we won't make a convenience of fast food restaurants when we have all the ingredients at home to make a quick healthy meal. Stir-fries, omelets, kebabs, salads etc can be made in a matter of minutes. Why pay someone else to feed us rubbish when we can save our hard earned money?
We are all responsible for our own health; we can't blame anyone but ourselves for our thick thighs, protruding stomachs, high blood pressure and fatigue. We must all take responsibility for the health of our children as well. Giving them more money than they know what to do with does not help them to make wise choices at all. Healthy eating begins at home, set the right example and your children will make wise choices.
Research what some fast foods really contain, you may be sickened to know exactly what you have been feeding your family for years. Open your eyes and take a good look at the teenagers of today, the majority of them are obese. Now scan the crowds at your local mall, count how many slim people you can see. Not many are there? Now stick your head into the nearest KFC or McDonald's store, yep you've got it in one, the majority of their clients are huge. Do you wish to become one of the crowd or the next person lining up for a heart transplant?
Become an advocate for healthy eating, you have no one to blame for walking into a fast food restaurant but yourself. It may be hard to ignore the smell of burgers and onion rings, deep fried potato wedges and so forth, but a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. If you can detour past the fast food joints do so, otherwise hold your head up, mentally visualize a healthier you, walk quickly past McDonalds, the Pizza Hut, Donut King or whatever fast food restaurant is along your path and pat yourself on the back. You've done it once; it can only get easier in the future.
The answer to the question "can living close to a fast food restaurant impact on your health?" is a definite yes, but only if you lack willpower and allow it to. You are the master of your own ship, steer a course well away from unhealthy fast foods.