much time, and the convenience of eating out rather than making dinner at home. It can also be an issue of not really knowing how to cook.”
When she was living in the Midwest in her early 20s, Hennings regularly dined on burgers, fries, pizza and Chinese food. “If I hadn’t had an active job at the time — waiting tables — I could have easily gotten huge,” she admits.
The Food Factor
Across the board, frequent dining out is one of the leading contributors to extra pounds. Restaurant food, whether it’s from McDonald’s or Maxim’s, is significantly higher in fat and calories than typical meals prepared at home.
Americans are spending more and more of their food dollars on meals consumed away from home. And in general, Americans today are taking in 530 more calories daily than they were in 1974, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. That’s the equivalent of one quarter pound hamburger with cheese, and while that may not sound like much, it’s enough to pack on an extra 50 pounds in one year.
The good news is that this equation is reversible with a few minor changes. Cutting back by just 250 calories a day can make a big difference in the long run. That’s equal to a can of soda and less than one small bag of potato chips. Add in some daily exercise and you’re on your way to being fitter and healthier. Doctors and nutritionists recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise daily such as brisk walking, but if you can’t fit that in, even 10-minute spurts are beneficial. Small changes, such as parking your car a bit farther away from work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can add up to better health.
In addition to increased soft drink consumption, the “supersize revolution” of the 1990s — during which everything from french fries to frozen dinners swelled to gargantuan sizes — has no doubt taken a toll on 20-somethings’ waistlines. In fact, the foods that are selling best these days also happen to be about the worst for us.
It probably comes as no surprise that “empty calorie” foods are also the most aggressively advertised. The Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a study of children’s exposure to food and beverage advertising on television and found that 34 percent of the advertisements children saw on television were for candy and snacks, 28 percent for cereals, and 10 percent for fast food. None of the advertisements were for fruits or vegetables.
Faced with the threat of increased regulations on junk food ads, 10 of the top food companies announced a commitment to devote at least 50 percent of advertising to healthier foods or messages that encourage fitness or nutrition. Unfortunately, this commitment does not appear to have translated into dietary improvements for children and youth so far.
Finally, experts say, the fact that nutritious foods can sometimes cost more than sugary snack foods (think vending machine candy bars vs. apple slices) gives young people an added economic incentive to eat poorly.
Junk Food Tax?
Such discrepancies in food costs and advertising expenditures have led some health experts to argue that we should institute a