Fast Food No Worse Than Slow Food in Restaurants

In two important ways, salt intake and cholesterol intake, fast food is no worse than slow food, although, yes, it is less time-consuming. Researchers at the University of Illinois who analyzed eight years of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, concluded that eating at a restaurant is comparable to – or in some cases less healthy than – eating at a fast-food outlet. While people who eat at restaurants tend to take in more healthy nutrients – including certain vitamins, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids – than those who eat at home or at a fast-food outlet, the restaurant diners also consume substantially more sodium and cholesterol, two things that are definitely not good for your health. Fast-food and restaurant diners consumed about 10 grams more total fat, and 3.49 grams and 2.46 grams, respectively, more saturated fat than those who dined at home. The researchers also found that eating at a fast-food outlet adds about 300 milligrams of sodium to one’s daily intake, and restaurant dining boosts sodium intake by 412 milligrams per day, on average. FYI: Recommendations for sodium intake vary between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams per day, but Americans already consume more than 3,100 milligrams of sodium at home. See the researchers’ chart on the health hazards of staying home and going out to eat.