put down that burger!
With obesity on the rise in the UK it is estimated that half the UK population will be obese by 2050. The National Obesity Forum said Britain was in danger of exceeding the prediction contained in a report back in 2007.
A new report blames junk food and claims fast food restaurants are to blame for tempting us to eat their food whether or not we are actually hungry. Fast food restaurants have been giving the public the wrong impression about what portion sizes should be considered right and what’s unhealthy. The obesity epidemic is a very serious problem and is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The fast food industry not only has great advertising techniques and promotional methods that shows everything their menu has to offer, they are all carefully positioned with each one having the same goal to lure you into their restaurants, resulting in you over indulging on pieces of southern fried chicken. Showing pictures of food and offers in their window displays and on the large boards behind the tills leads us to crave their sodium and sugar packed (not so good) goodness!
Having restaurants in High Streets, shopping centres and service stations means they can tempt people to go in and eat when they're shopping or driving. The use of drive-throughs make fast food restaurants even more appealing because you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own car to enjoy their food.
Brian Wansink from the University of Illinois carried out a scientific experiment to investigate the ways in which many people over-consume based on what is presented to them. Wansink stated on the Daily Mail website that often people who decide to eat at fast food restaurants even when they are not hungry do so because they simply “saw the food” or wanted to socialise with their friends and so they go ahead and order a meal despite the fact they aren’t hungry, he commented: “People can be very impressionable when it comes to how much they will eat. There is a flexible range as to how much food an individual can eat and one can often ‘make room’ for more.”
An article found on Buzzfeed talks about enticing smells, meal deal menus and supersized portions that fast food restaurants offer and how they may be assisting with the increasing obesity problems by tricking us into thinking we’re hungry when we’re not and encouraging us to consume more food.
The smell and atmosphere can also influence how much people eat, by pumping pleasant scents into the restaurants, having bright lights and constant buzz of noise it taps into the part of our brain that tells us we’re hungry and as easily as that we can be convinced to order food that we don’t need.
Standing in a queue waiting to order instead of being waited on allows us to take in the surroundings and watching others in front of us walking off with their food could lead us to order extra sides or a larger meal when we don’t actually want it.
The restaurants are all about social interaction, they’re a place you go to catch up or hang out with your friends. The layout of the restaurant provides enough space for people to sit which again means people will more than likely stay longer and will therefore eat more courses or buy another fizzy drink to slurp up.
Products are available in a variety of sizes but quite often the largest size is presented as good value for money and are perceived to be ‘the norm’, many people will polish off a whole bucket of chicken simply because it’s placed in one bucket meaning people believe it still counts as one portion when really they have eaten more than is necessary.
With that said, there is nothing wrong with treating yourself to your favourite fast food meal once in a while but make sure not to over indulge or you could end up facing serious consequences - and yes, not being able to fit into your favourite dress will be one of them!
By Natasha Akpan for www.femalefirst.co.uk