It's no secret that fast food isn't great for you. I know we're all happier not knowing what's in those cheese fries. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? Wrong. Healthy eating is really taking off as of late, but not all restaurants are hopping on board. Fast food obviously has a lot of calories, but have you ever stopped to think about the quality of those calories? The calories are relatively harmless- hit the gym and the potential weight gain goes away. But there's some things in the food you eat that won't go away that easily, and are way more harmful than an extra pound or two.
Many popular fast food and "fast casual" restaurants were recently graded based on their use of antibiotics in meat. Antibiotics in your medicines: helpful. Antibiotics in your food: hurtful. It may not seem like a big deal, but the growth hormones used in meat production can not only harm you, but the whole population as well. The bacteria in the livestock can develop antibiotic resistance, which is then transferred to us when we eat the meat. Bottom line: this is bad for your body
So what's the big deal?
The big deal is that your medicines won't work when you need them to if you develop an antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic medicines that protect us from illnesses, staph infections, and pneumonia won't be effective because your body will be resistant to it. If you think this couldn't possibly happen to you, you're wrong. The U.S. Center for Disease Control estimates that 2 million Americans a year contract antibiotic-resistant infections a year, and 23,000 of those people die. So this very much could happen to you because it is more common than people realize. And some of your favorite restaurants could be the ones at fault.
Restaurant Report Cards
So what grade did your favorite restaurant get?
A's: Panera and Chipotle
B: Chick-fil-A
C's: Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's
F's: Subway, Wendy's, Burger King, Denny's, Domino's, Starbucks,Olive Garden, Papa John's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Applebee's, Sonic, Chili's, Jack in the Box, Arby's, Dairy Queen, IHOP, Outback and Little Caesars.
Panera and Chipotle are the only restaurants to publicly confirm that the majority of their meat supply is raised with minimal antibiotic use. The majority of the restaurants denied statements.
Most people don't know the risks of antibiotic ridden meat. But as more and more customers become educated, Our voice is being heard. After all, businesses cater to the demands of customers, so we have a pretty powerful voice. We also have a lot of powerful tools at our disposal, like social media. So next time you are looking into your food, If there are ingredients that you can't pronounce, it's probably not the best option.
