Go rent Morgan Spurlock’s gripping documentary, Super Size Me. Go read books by journalists like Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation). These materials argue the following about why fast food causes obesity:
- It contains too many calories.
- It contains too much fat.
- It contains too much salt.
- It contains unnatural elements and fillers.
- It contains too much sugar.
- It does not contain enough fresh fruits and vegetables.
These arguments seem logical enough. They fit with general preconceptions. But these explanations, surprisingly, appear to be deeply flawed.
Alternative Theory about Why Fast Food Causes Obesity
Science writer Gary Taubes lays out a devastating assault on the theory that salt, fat and “excess calories” make people fat in his extensively researched book, Good Calories, Bad Calories. According to Taubes and many others, the carbohydrates in fast food are the real problem. The salt and fat are actually not the villains, amazingly enough. In fact, Americans eat less fat today than before the obesity epidemic (citation below).
Considered from the Taubesian point of view, fast food makes people fat because:
- It contains too many carbohydrates and sugars.
- The hormones and weird preservatives used are also probably not healthy.
Who Cares Whether Calories or Carbs Make People Fat?
Both the mainstream theory and the alternative theory argue that fast food causes obesity, so does it matter why it does?
It does matter because the answer has enormous implications for any solutions. According to the mainstream theory, Americans need to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; and they should cut salt, fat and calories. According to the alternative theory, people must cut back on carbohydrates – including carb-rich fruits and grains – and eat more fat, not less.
Think about relationship between fast food and obesity from this other perspective. Fast food contains fat and protein from foods like hamburgers, bacon, cheese, and ranch dressing. But most fast food calories come from carbohydrates:
- hamburger and hotdog buns
- French fries
- sodas
- desserts
- salad dressings (which contain sugar)
- ketchup (mostly sugar)
- breading on meats
- sides like pasta and rice and corn
The Alternative Theory Explains the Evidence Better
Health authorities argue that fast food is bad because it contains too many calories and too much fat. This theory sounds obvious. Most people believe it beyond a shadow of a doubt. But an alternative theory that blames the problem on carbohydrates and sugar – not on the fat, salt, or calories – seems to do a much better job of explaining the evidence in the real world.
Sources:
Google.com. *" Michelle Obama talks anti-obesity to food giants " (accessed March 16, 2010).
journals.lww.com. *"Is Total Fat Consumption Really Decreasing?" (accessed March 16, 2010).
Adam Kosloff - Adam Kosloff is a Yale University educated writer who is fascinated by counterintuitive theories about nature, life and the universe that ...
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