Eating on the run is appealing, however, there is more to consider when choosing where to eat than just time and money. People have time constraints which make eating on the run a necessity; but there is an element of laziness to prepare large quantities to freeze and eat later. It does take some time and effort to save money and eat healthy, learning how to properly store foods to eat later. The best teacher for this type of preparation is grandma or grandpa, especially those who have been through the great depression where no food would go to waste.
Spending an hour in a fast food restaurant for one meal is about the time it would take to go to the grocery store and purchase ingredients to cook five days’ worth of meals to heat and eat. Cooking is time consuming and not every household has an employable chef at standby. Career obligations, children’s activities, leave no time to cook healthy meals. Where we choose to eat if no other alternative is available can make quite a difference in overall health and weight.
Looking further, fast food can fulfill our daily caloric needs, but it can easily contain hidden ingredients and substances that have been known to cause serious health problems. For example, many of the fried foods offered contain high levels of trans-fats and sugar that play a large role in obesity and diabetes. Obviously, Subway and Wendy’s understands the importance of healthy options and have included them in their menus. For example, both have fresh alternatives to tempting fried greasy foods; and offer chef alads and fresh ingredients in ways to satisfy even the most stubborn appetite; with the addition of well- seasoned grilled foods versus greasy unhealthy fried foods. Wendy’s is the only fast food restaurant to offer a baked potato as an alternative to french-fries, whereas Subway does not and offers potato chips. A study done in 2007 by Pilar Guallar-Castillon at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that was up 27. % in men and 27. 7% in women, where consumption of fried food was positively associated with general central obesity1. On June 4, 2012, The American Heart Association announces its latest certification program to encourage people to think “heart-healthy” when they choose to eat outside of their home, the Heart-Check Meal Certification2. The red-and-white checkmark is widely recognized as a trusted source by consumers when choosing to purchase healthier foods in supermarkets.
SUBWAY® restaurants is the first fast food franchise to apply and meet the nutritional criteria required to certify meals and display the Heart-Check on a variety of cost effective menu options2. Although, many of us feel nutrition is important to staying physically healthy, cost savings when choosing to eat outside the home is equally important. Subway and Wendy’s offer a “Dollar Menu” for cost savings, however, Subway allows the customer to customize the food they eat, whereas Wendy’s only allows the customer to order from a numbered menu with little choices to customize.
I have purchased food from a dollar menu at fast food restaurants on many occasions for my children, and watched as they dissected and discarded some of the food before they ate because they did not like a specific ingredient that could not be removed prior to purchase. As small as it sounds, I for one, do not like throwing away anything I purchase because I simply do not have money to waste. Subway allows the consumer to stand and watch how his/her food is being prepared through a glass window and choosing what fresh ingredients is added.
Wendy’s has private kitchens where most food is made in advance, packaged in plastic containers and stored in a large refrigerator until purchased. Being confident that your hard earned money is not being used to purchase prepackaged unhealthy foods is also a nice touch. Subway offers a saving club in form of a “Subway Card”, where consumers earn points with each purchase, and the accumulated points can earn additional discounts and savings. Wendy’s offers coupons and weekly specials, however, no other cost savings are offered.
Additionally, focusing on physical and financial aspects of fast food dining is important, but the environment is suffering because of excessive garbage and the need to recycle. Wendy’s uses non-recyclable, non-biodegradable packaging materials and most of those used materials do not end up in proper disposal containers and contribute to most of our litter we see on the streets, sidewalks, and public parks that contributes to a messy, unkempt, and unclean environment. Subway’s salad bowls – and lids – are now made from 95 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials; predominantly from plastic soda and water bottles.
By using the 95% PCR, the SUBWAY® brand is keeping 2. 62 million pounds of plastic from hitting the landfills, which represents about 500,000 gallons, or 10,000 barrels, of petroleum needed to make the plastic bowls and lids. SUBWAY® brand is partnering with The Nature Conservancy, the world’s leading conservation organization (nature. org), to help raise awareness and encourage people to get involved and help create a healthier environment with the use of recyclable materials3. The Nature Conservancy (nature. rg) is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 dedicated to the conservation and public awareness of our environment. In conclusion, although fast food restaurants are offering the same idea, fast food on the run, not all restaurants consider the impact of health, cost, and environmentally friendliness. If more restaurants would follow the same guidelines as Subway, obesity, our economy, and our environment will improve with time. Admittedly, I do eat at fast food restaurants but choose to eat at one that has more to offer in the way of a healthy, cost effective, and better for the environment.
All people and businesses must to their part to help improve the environment starting by offering and using less harmful packaging. Furthermore, obesity is on the rise and maintaining proper health and nutrition by choosing a health conscious meal is better for us and our children. If more people would stop eating at restaurants because they lack nutritional and environmental benefits more restaurants would adopt the mindset making for a healthier and cleaner environment. References 1. Am J Clin Nuttr 2007;86:198-205. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2. American Heart Association 3. Nature Conservancy, www. nature. org
