We all know that fast food is bad for you, but why do we keep choosing to eat it? We are responsible for our actions and choices. We choose to eat fast food and this makes us gain weight and become obese. Obesity is the number one problem in America. Fast food is food prepared quickly and served quickly. Fast food consists of pre-cooked ingredients that have been reheated and served to customers. Fast foods are rich in sugars, fats and starches. The ingredients used in fast food have no nutritional value. Eric Schlosser of Food Inc. states that “the way we eat today has changed more in the last fifty years than in the previous ten thousand years.” Most foods in fast food restaurants contain MSG or monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate is a concentrated salt added to food to add more flavor. MSG turns into unwanted body fat if you eat it regularly. McDonald's Big Mac “540 calories and 29g fat” and Medium Fries “380 calories and 19g fat” and don't forget the Large Iced Tea drink “280 calories and 0g fat”. The average meal of a Big Mac at McDonald's contains approximately 920 calories, 360 of which are pure fat and equates to approximately 41 grams more than 3/4 of your daily fat intake. A Whopper meal at Burger King comes in at 1510 calories, almost double the Big Mac at McDonald's. The Whopper meal contains 57 grams of fat, much more than your daily fat intake. These foods are highly processed, high in fat, calories and sodium. You could easily take in 1,500 calories from just one meal. Keep in mind that a general calorie recommendation for Americans is 1,500-1,800 calories per day and about 50-60 grams of total fat. Choosing a typical fast food meal every day can lead to an increase in calories which can lead to weight gain and...... middle of paper ...... happy Think Tank, February 4, 2013. Web. December 5, 2013. http://foodtank.org/news/2013/02/justice-for-big-foods-victims-tre-major-fast-food-lawsuits-in-the-past-de• Murphy Jenny. The America of super-sizing. Diet Health and Beauty NewsJune 2002.Web, December 5, 2013. http://whatscookingamerica.net/HealthBeauty/SuperSizingAmerica.htm• Fast food restaurants contribute to obesity. National Bureau of Economic Research, December 1, 2013. Web. December 5, 2013. http://www.nber.org/bah/2009no1/w14721.html• Fatburn-secrets.com. Fast food statistics and scary facts.2009. December 5, 2013 http://www.fatburn-secrets.com/fast-food-statistics.html •averette Courtney. Don't blame fast food. The Daily Targum.September 7, 2012, November 4, 2013.Web.December 5, 2013. http://www.dailytargum.com/don-t-blame-fast-food/article_209d4a14-f894-11e1-9c97-0019bb30f31a. html