Is there a place for ‘fast food’ in your diet?
What is a ‘fast food’? Is it food that’s been processed? Is it food you have to order? What about ready-made foods in supermarkets? This study says:
‘Ultra-processed foods that are designed to create highly profitable (low-cost ingredients, long shelf-life, emphatic branding), convenient (ready-to-consume), hyper-palatable products’.
That’s a bit waffly for me, so let’s go with ‘high-calorie foods with multiple unrecognisable ingredients that can be eaten straight out of the pack’.
It’s widely accepted eating lots of these foods isn't conducive to good health and is positively associated with weight gain. Lots of popular diets, (think paleo, clean eating etc) suggest anything processed should be banished from your diet altogether.
So does that really mean you should cut highly processed yet delicious foods out of your diet completely?
Why are fast foods bad for your diet?
Highly processed, calorie dense foods tend to leave you feeling less full than a less calorie dense alternative. You can check how calorie dense a food is by comparing total calories per weight of food. With fast foods, this means you could be consuming significantly more calories for the same weight of a lower calorie dense alternative:
Not only are fast foods loaded with calorie density, they’re literally designed in such a way that appeals to our senses. It’s a double-whammy effect; eat more calories per portion and eat a bigger portion (because it tastes so good). Whilst there isn't anything inherently fattening about fast foods, these factors do increase the likelihood of eating more calories than your body requires and therefore weight gain.
Highly processed foods with added quantities of fat and/or refined carbohydrates are most likely to be associated with behavioural indicators of addictive-like eating. Studies show psychological drives combined with a culture where overweight and obesity are becoming more normal makes it 'fashionable' to consume out-of-home food.
So ultra-processed fast foods aren’t going to contribute to improved health, they aren't going to help you feel full, are easier to consume more of and they're more difficult to control from a portion perspective (hence the addictive like tags).
That concludes it then - removing fast food is a no brainer. Or...?
Is there a case for fast food?
You bet. Why? Because we gain so much satisfaction from eating them.
There’s no denying we live in a world where it’s very difficult to avoid these foods because, erm, they’re literally everywhere. I can’t count how many times I’ve used a public toilet, whilst staring at a picture of a pizza behind the urinal. Although studies suggest marketing affects children more than adults.
It’s fair to assume these foods aren't going anywhere anytime soon and so to ignore them would be unsustainable for most (because when reliant on will-power, short-term gratification wins more frequently than not).
It’s generally seen as bad practise to completely cut a food from your diet when seeking weight loss - because often it increases the likelihood of cravings and binges (remember, we’re talking about delicious foods here!). It’s also problematic from a sustainability point of view:
Paradoxically then, cutting fast food from your diet could mean ultimately you end up eating more of it. This is likely true if you try to cut any food group from your diet (alcohol, is another good example).
If including a little fast food could help you adhere to your diet whilst minimising the likelihood of binge-eating - that can only be seen as a good thing, right?
What is the answer then?
To ignore the issues with fast foods would be a bit like sticking your head in the sand. But so too, would trying to ignore the fact a lot of us really enjoy them - and they're omnipresent across society.
As with most topics in fitness, the answer will differ depending on the person. If you’re content eating nutritious, less calorie dense foods then great, but not everyone works like that.
It is likely though, that we could all benefit from cultivating a ‘healthier’ relationship with the calorie dense foods we love. What does that mean?
Moderation and understanding is key. I read a brilliant phrase (from this book) that conceptualises this:
‘The first mistake is never the one that ruins you’
I know what you’re thinking - eating the foods you love is a mistake? Not at all. Missing a nutritious meal and eating one hyper-calorie dense meal isn’t going to make you fat, the accumulated frequency of these actions over time is where you may start to see an issue.
Key points:
Fast foods aren't inherently fattening, but high calorie density means it’s very easy to over-consume calories with these foods.
We gain a great deal of satisfaction from fast foods and there’s nothing to be ashamed of about this.
Cutting foods you really enjoy from your diet probably isn’t the most sustainable practice for improved health/body composition.
Eating fast foods in moderation is not going to make you fat. The accumulated frequency of how many calories you consume over time will determine this.
