You already know that fast food has no place in a healthy diet, but have you ever considered how dangerous fast food is to your health? New studies recently released suggest that a poor diet is more dangerous than smoking. The study is terrifying, finding that 22% of deaths worldwide were caused by poor diets, which lead to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

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Since 1970, both the number of obese adult Americans and American fast food restaurants has doubled. Despite publicly available calorie counts and public attention paid to the health crisis, sometimes it’s just too easy to swing through a drive-thru after a long day. The truth is that the cost of junk food is far higher than what you pay at the first window.

Excessive Calorie Counts
It’s common knowledge that fast food is high in calories, but how many calories are you eating when you hit the drive-thru? Ordering McDonald’s famous Big Mac Meal with a medium order of French fries and a medium soft drink, you’re ingesting 1,090 calories, 44 grams of fat (including 12 grams of saturated fats and 1 gram of trans fats), 68 grams of sugar, 1230 milligrams of sodium (more than half of the recommended daily maximum) and 148 grams of carbohydrates. If you want to burn off those extra calories, be prepared to run consistently for two hours or walk at a brisk pace for six hours!

The calories in fast food are primarily carbohydrates, and contain little to no nutrition or fiber. Your body releases carbohydrates as sugar to your cells with the intention of providing energy, but the energy you don’t burn is held as sugar. When your body stores sugar, it spikes your blood sugar, forcing your pancreas to release insulin, increasing your risk of Type 2 diabetes and weight gain.

Extra sugar in soft drinks (8 teaspoons of sugar in only 12 ounces) and sodium to increase taste contribute to heart disease, bloating, and high blood pressure.

Saturated and Trans-Fats
When you look at the 44 grams of fat in an average fast food meal, you have to also consider that there are twelve grams of saturated fat and one gram of trans fats. No amount of trans fat is recommended for a healthy diet. Trans fats are “man-made” fats that didn’t exist until 1911, and were created to add to the shelf life of food, preventing it from turning rancid before it’s consumed. Just imagine what a product like that can do to your arteries.

What can you do?
You don’t have to live in fear of becoming ill because of a poor diet. Your diet is entirely within your own control. Opting to eat at home more often, choosing fresh fruits and vegetables, and including healthy, lean meats in your daily meals doesn’t just benefit your waist line. You’ll also feel better, have more energy, and lead a longer life. Taking time to prepare meals, healthy snacks, and exercising self discipline can help you drive right past the next drive-thru that draws your attention.