Look, we’ve all been in need of a quick bite. That feeling when your stomach is rumbling and you just want something swift and flavorful to satisfy your hunger pangs. In that moment, fast food is always there, like an artificial beacon of light willing to help you in exchange for a quick buck and a spike your cholesterol level.
And yet it’s still shocking that on any average day, nearly 40 percent of Americans consume fast food. According to a report from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, 36.6 percent of adults admitted to eating fast food in the past 24 hours between 2013 and 2016. This is a lot of burgers, fried chicken, and tacos.
Those in younger age groups consumed the most fast food of any demographic. Researchers were able to conclude that as we get older, we tend to eat less fast food. Neither of those statistics should come as a surprise. What should is that fast food consumption actually rises with income levels. Fast food is not just for poor college kids anymore.
Among genders, men were more likely to report eating fast food during lunch while women admitted to hitting up a drive-thru for a quick snack.
Now, we don’t need to tell you the devastating effects eating fast food can have on your health. Another recent study from the British Medical Journal found that eating too much “ultra-processed foods,” like sugar cereal and candy, directly impacted your likelihood of getting cancer.
So maybe let’s lay off all the fast food, America. Not all the time, of course. We’re not monsters. Just make it a treat instead of an everyday thing…if you have to have it. Your health will thank you later.
