by Barry Marcus

Created on: June 10, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

You smell the aromas that waft into your home from the nearby fast food restaurant every evening. You see the customers streaming in and out at all hours of the day and night. Even if you find these aromas unpleasant and irritating, they will not affect your health. If you are frequently awakened from your sleep by noisy patrons your stress level could rise. But simply living close to a fast food restaurant cannot in itself impact your health.

Not all fast food restaurants serve unhealthy food. There are a growing number of healthy fast food restaurants that serve quality food. It could just be that the fast food restaurant on the corner is one of those. What could be wrong with grabbing a grilled kebab with a variety of salads?

Living next door to a greasy burger bar will not affect you unless there are toxic fumes working their way into your home. If you simply pass the restaurant it just cannot harm you. A fast food restaurant can only impact your health if you regularly indulge in the high fat, cholesterol and sugar offerings. Easy access and convenience may make that indulgence easier and more tempting, but it is not the distance but your choice that makes the difference.

The fast food restaurant next door could even have a positive spin-off. At first the convenience may result in overindulgence, but before long you develop a long term aversion to the food on offer and you simply walk on by.

Fast food restaurants have gained in popularity over the years as more and more people replace regular meals with junk food. Home cooking is on the decline.

It is this change in culture that is more to blame than the proximity of the local McDonald's. A growing number of people have forgotten the taste of real food and have become accustomed to grabbing a burger or fried chicken from the nearest fast food outlet.

The culture shift towards junk food has permeated our society in a most dramatic way. Many children eat frozen prepared meals such as chicken nuggets instead of a real chicken leg. These nuggets are prepared from mechanically reclaimed chicken carcasses laced with chemicals and fat. Some have never eaten a freshly prepared meal made from real food. They are accustomed to the taste of MSG and other chemical flavourings in the food they eat. A take-away from a fast food restaurant has become a treat, and sometimes a daily one.

Often these children have never tasted a vegetable or fresh fruit.

It is interesting to note that the fast food chains have failed to

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