They know it’s not really healthy, yet some people still visit fast food chains on a regular basis. Why?

Over 500 adolescents and adults were surveyed in the Minneapolis area in 2005-2006, and shared their reasons for choosing fast food. The findings were published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The top 5 reasons for choosing fast food:

#1 Quick: 92.3%
#2 Easy to get to: 80.1%
#3 Tasty: 69.2%
#4 Inexpensive: 63.6%
#5 Too busy to cook: 53.2%

More than 20% of the respondents cited fast food joints as having nutritious fare to offer.

The article then suggests than in order to reduce our nation’s dependence on fast food, dietitians need to present their clientele with food solutions that are quick and convenient.

It’s kind of paradoxical that in this day and age we actually have less time for food than ever before. Perhaps it is because of all the time we spend watching TV (fast food commercials included), online, and playing video games.

10,000 years ago, every single waking moment in everyone’s lives was dedicated to hunting, foraging, growing, herding, preparing, consuming, and thinking about food. With advances in agriculture and tools, more time could be spent developing society, culture, and technology.

Yet even a hundred years ago, most households still spent a considerable amount of resources (time, money) on food and its preparation. It’s really only the last few decades that saw a steep decline in food’s percentage of our spending and mindshare. Today, convenience and ease trump all.

But the long term price paid for this convenience is lethal, creating a huge burden on our bodies and the country’s health system. Hopefully, the food attention pendulum will start swinging back a bit, as more people think farther ahead than just the next burger.

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