Have you ever eaten McDonald's and had that one super healthy eating friend scoff at the mere sight of it? Perhaps he or she made a comment like, "I can't believe you eat that processed stuff! You don't even know what's in it." I know I have. I've also been on the giving end of that in some of my times of eating better. I owe a belated apology to those that I've said this to. As I've aged, I have shifted my views on many topics, including this one. I used to think that fast food was something you should only partake in once in a great while, and I also used to feel guilty after eating it, thinking that I could have made a better choice — but no longer. Nowadays I'm not ashamed to say that I eat fast food about once every three days, if not more often. I don't see the real problem with this, especially with the metabolism of a 19-year-old male.

Of course, I understand what could happen if I ate fast food for every meal, or if I ate exorbitant amounts each time. I understand that I could make better choices and eat healthier for these meals. I understand that obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure can all be caused by eating unhealthy. There are a handful of reasons why this does not stop me from getting my favorite McDouble and those fries that are as gold as the Golden Arches themselves.

First, most of the choices on the menu at fast food places are not intended to be healthy. Most are burgers and fries for goodness sake. It's not any of fast food establishments fault that someone is unhealthy because of their foods. They offer a quick meal when someone wants to splurge or to someone that needs a meal in a pinch. Anyone who places the blame on the restaurants themselves needs to take a step back and really see the full picture.

Second, most of it is very affordable for college students like me. At most places I can get a satisfying amount of food for about $5. It may not be he highest quality, but I really don't care.

Also, the homemade versions of most of the items at fast food joints are really no healthier. Let's take a pizza for example. A medium Domino's pizza is roughly the same size as a Digiorno's pizza. The caloric content for a supreme from Domino's is 325 calories a slice, where as a Digiorno's has 330 calories a slice. The difference in something you make at home versus a fast food version is very small. Yes, any food can have a healthier version that can be made at home, but if we are comparing the same exact dishes, whether it be pizza, pasta, wings, burgers or whatever you please, the fast food version is no worse for you.

Furthermore, fast food is not dangerous to your health if you can balance it with healthy meals at other times as well as enough exercise to rid your bodies of the fat and calories. I always to my best to base my workout of the day around what I ate. if I had some Taco Bell, you can bet that I'll be hitting the trails for a run to work it off.

Lastly, you have to admit it's delicious. Everyone has at least one guilty pleasure food. As much as we may regret it later, we all have our own food vices that we let take hold of us now and again.

Let's be real with ourselves. Is it more important to completely rid yourself of any unhealthy foods, or to be happy and enjoy something not so good for you every once in a while? Just as it is with alcohol, gambling or any other addictive thing, once in a while isn't a bad thing; letting it become a problem is. We have to be disciplined enough to realize when it may or may not be a good idea to partake in something, but not so strict as to not enjoy our lives. So relax with the diet for a second and grab some fries or a taco; you'll be glad you did.