If we take a look on the new menus of fast food we definitely notice two things. The first is that in order to vary the offer, the “fast food” chains have introduced the use of more local ingredients, sometimes creating mixtures signed by famous chefs. The second is that the portions have increased. There is also research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by Boston University, which reviewed menus recorded in ten overseas fast-food restaurants in 1986, 1991 and 2016. The result? The portions of appetizers, side dishes and desserts have increased and, consequently, also the kilocalories and the salt contained in each dish. The quality of the meals that are consumed in this type of restaurant has unfortunately not improved over time, forcing experts to advise even greater caution when deciding to make a break from the rule, entering this type of chain of large restaurants that come from the United States but which have now colonized almost every village in the peninsula.
We also talked about it with Dr. Sabrina Oggionni, dietician of Humanitas Gavazzeni.
Fast food: an increasingly Italian fashion
While in Italy the “fashion” of eating hamburgers, fries, soft drinks, milkshakes and ice creams was first seen as an escape from the usual traditional home cooking, today the most famous products of the American cuisine for many people are becoming a more frequent habit, more or less weekly. Fortunately, in the country of Mediterranean cuisine, the American averages are still far away: overseas, one in two Americans eats a fast food meal at least once a day. This habit naturally leads to the development of obesity and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.
The study conducted in the United States
The study, carried out in the United States but also very eloquent in Italy, points out that the fast food contributes to aggravate the most expensive and lethal chronic health problems in America, including obesity and cardiovascular diseases. “Some of these are healthier than others, but the calories, portions and sodium content as a whole have deteriorated over time and remain at high levels,” says Megan A. McCrory, a researcher at Boston University and co-author of the research. “We need to find better strategies to help people to consume less calories and sodium in the fast food restaurants.
Among the possible solutions, the research suggests the offer of menus in smaller quantities and clearer indication of calories for each dish. A recent Censis report revealed that in Italy – where one in three Italians is overweight, including one in ten obese – nearly two million people follow bad eating habits and call themselves “junk food lover”.
