No Fast Food

With each fast-food feast, you significantly increase your carbohydrate and fat intake as well as the calories you eat. So plan your meals, simplify your schedule, cook, and eat dinner as a family. Fast food may save minutes in your day, but it's taking years off your life—most chains don’t advertise that on their "value" menu. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Don't eat fast food today.
2. Start the habit of switching one fast-food meal per week to a healthier alternative.
3. On days you do eat fast food, ask for the small size.
4. Never supersize your meal. The price and value may be tempting, but your health pays the greatest price.
5. Plan your meals at least a few days in advance.
6. Go to the store and buy fresh or organic food.
7. Pack a healthy lunch or cook dinner at home today.

FACTS

• $180 billion is spent every year on fast food, compared to $6 billion in 1970.
• Over 50% of the U.S. population eats fast food once a week, with 20% eating fast food at least every other day.
• 30% of children's meals consist of fast food.
• 24% of high schools offer popular fast-food brands.
• More than 1 in 5 children between the ages of 6 and 17 are overweight.
• There is a 79% likelihood of adult obesity if a person is overweight during adolescence.
• Large portions, value meals, and supersizing create serving sizes that are double and triple the recommended daily allowance.
• Billions of dollars are spent each year on fast-food advertising specifically targeted at children.

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Healthy options sought at fast-food outlets

A new survey shows a growing number of Canadians are avoiding what they perceive as unhealthy foods at fast-food restaurants.
It also suggests the trend is being led by baby boomers, women and high-income earners.
The survey, by Toronto marketing research firm NPD Group suggests as many as 20 per cent of Canadians who frequent fast-food restaurants are looking for healthier food choices.
Garth Whyte, president and CEO of the Canadian Restaurant and Food Service Association, cites his own family situation as an example of what is fuelling the trend.
Whyte says he has a family of five — and one of his kids is a vegetarian.
He says a fast food restaurant should be able to accommodate all five members of his family, and if it doesn't have vegetarian options, then they avoid that restaurant.
The survey finds while some fast-food chains have had success with healthy food options, these chains remain few and far between.
The study suggests that to make up for the lack of healthier restaurant menu choices, many consumers substitute where they can — such as replacing french fries with salad and swapping pop for other drinks.
The results come from NPD's Foodservice Megatrends 2010 report. The results are based on a representative sample of 2,355 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 64. The survey's error margin was plus or minus 2.02 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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Food prices fall heading into busy holiday season

A price war between Canada’s largest supermarket chains is good news for your holiday shopping list.

Both Metro Inc. and Loblaw Co. reported earnings Wednesday and executives told reporters on separate conference calls that competition is intense and discounts are steep across the board.
Grocers continued to see fresh food deflation last quarter and no price movements in other grocery items.

“Frankly, I expect it to stay like that for a period of time,” said Loblaw President and Deputy Chairman Allan Leighton.
Inflation is often called “a retailer’s best friend” and without it sales suffer.
“I think that there’s got to be a pretty big justification for price increases in a market in a condition that this market is in today.”
Making matters worse, unemployment is still high and consumer confidence is shaky.
“You cannot escape that consumer confidence is not in a good place,” Leighton said.
“Everybody is trying to be pretty aggressive to try and get some volume,” he said, adding flyer promotions are the most popular way to get shoppers through the door.
“We are still in a position where every week a new market low appears for something.”
Leighton said company chains including No Frills, T&T Supermarket and Superstore will stay competitive in order to retain market share while protecting the bottom line.
“We very much are in a balancing act,” he said.
“Although the economic and competitive environments remain challenging, we are confident that we can continue to grow in 2011,” echoed Metro chief executive Eric La Fleche.
Leighton did say food prices could begin to rise in the New Year when annual benchmarks are historically set.
Loblaw and Metro each posted higher quarterly profits though same-store sales fell at both retailers.
Loblaw, Canada’s biggest grocery chain, reported a 13% jump in earnings but said costs related to systems and infrastructure upgrades will pressure margins.

Study finds worst fast food meals for kids

Despite promises from fast-food chains to change the way they market their meals to children, kids now see more ads for fast food than ever, researchers say.

And once children are in a restaurant, unhealthy foods overshadow healthy ones on the menu. In most cases, unhealthy foods such as french fries automatically come as sides with a meal, rather than the more healthy options, such as apples, that are shown in commercials.
The researchers would like to see healthy foods and beverages become the default options for kids' meals, and would like fast-food advertising aimed at children to be regulated in ways that make a real impact, said study researcher Marlene Schwartz, the deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University.
Such attention to fast-food content and advertising is important considering that every day, about one-third of American children are eating a fast-food meal, she said.
"It’s a huge source of meals for kids, and that’s why we feel they need to be really looked at more carefully."
 
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