What have the Americans eaten today? A third would say fast food

This is the conclusion of a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the researchers' request, 37% of adults reported eating fast food at least once in the last 24 hours.

There was a surprise: by dispelling the idea that the poorest Americans prefer fast food, the report found that consumption increased with income.

For example, about 32% of low-income people ate fast food daily, but more than 36% of middle-income consumers did so, as did 42% of high-income earners.

Whatever your income bracket, fast food is probably not good for you. That's because it's been associated with increased intake of calories, fats and sodium, the CDC team said.

A nutritionist warned against anything to widen the waistline and harden the arteries.

"Most fast foods are not good for our bodies," said Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at the Wexner Medical Center in Ohio State University.

"The more we eat, the more likely we are to be overweight or obese and to have an increased risk of contracting many diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. metabolic syndrome when we talk to patients, "she said.

Too often, Americans do not know the danger.

"When we see clips of a shark swimming near a beach, it scares us not to approach that beach," Weinandy said. But "what we should be afraid of double cheeseburgers, fries and large amounts of sugary drinks. "

The new report was led by Cheryl Fryar of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. His team followed in-person government survey data from thousands of US adults between 2013 and 2016. People were asked to remember what they had eaten in the last 24 hours.

The report revealed that Americans tend to reduce their fast food consumption as they get older. While nearly 45% of people aged 20 to 30 said they had already eaten fast food the day before, this number fell to just under 38% among people aged 40 to 50 and about 24% in 60 years and older, the study found.

Blacks were more likely to have eaten fast food on a given day than whites (about 42% vs. 38%, respectively), compared to 35.5% of Hispanics and 31% of Americans of Asian descent . Men tend to eat more fast food than women, said Fryar's group.

Black men were the most avid consumers of fast food. Nearly 42% had eaten the previous day's fare, the report revealed.

Melanie Boehmer is a dietician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Re-reading the report, she said, "Every day, more than a third of Americans consume fast food, which is a lot of Big Macs and pizzas."

"These results remind us that fast food companies have found a way to fit into our daily routine, despite their [products’] negative consequences on health, "said Boehmer.

She believes that decision-makers, doctors and health food advocates need to "beat fast food companies in their own way" to make a difference.

"If we can offer healthier options that are as practical, affordable and just as delicious, then it's a win for everyone," Boehmer said.

Weinandy agreed that America had to wean itself from its fast food habit.

"There is no reason to avoid fast food altogether, but it should not be consumed regularly," she said. "You might want to ask how often you eat it right now, then divide that number by two if it's more than once a week."

The new report was published on October 3 as a summary sheet of the National Health Center.

Explore further:
Fast food accounts for 11 percent of calories in US diet, reports CDC

More information:
Liz Weinandy, R.D., M.P.H., Registrar, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus; Melanie Boehmer, M.S., R.D., dietician at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York; October 3, 2018, data from the National Center for Health Statistics

Learn more about healthy eating at the American Heart Association.