We have National Donut Day, National Greasy Foods Day and even National Fluffernutter Day (I kid you not). Here’s a radical idea: instead of celebrating things that harm us, why not spend a day celebrating our commitment to eating a healthy diet, free of the toxic, addictive and harmful “Frankenfoods” that are destroying the health of our nation? In that spirit, I am declaring this Tuesday, October 17, 2017, a national Day Without Fast Food, Junk Food, Soda or Candy.
I invite you to join me in spreading awareness of this deepening crisis that affects all levels of our society. The continued acceptance of fast food in our culture harms us, in ways that go beyond the country’s skyrocketing rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Did you know that consumption of fast food also has a devastating effect on our intellectual capacity, and plays a large role in perpetuating depression, drug use, violence and bigotry?
You may be wondering how food choice can have such far-reaching effects. Surely, the occasional burger-fries-soda combo can’t do much harm, right?
Wrong.
Products like burgers, fries, sodas, and energy bars are now our primary source of calories here in the U.S. And people who eat the most fast food and candy are suffering terribly not just with diabetes, premature cardiac death and obesity, but also with early-in-life strokes, mental illness, and medical dependency. We are eating foods that have been designed to drive food addiction and alter our brains to perpetuate dysfunctional eating.
And it’s not enough to avoid the offerings at fast food restaurants, pizzerias and so on. Fast food is found in every grocery store – and it’s probably as close as your kitchen pantry. Take a moment to reflect on your last weekly shopping trip, and visualize the contents of your cart: are there boxes of meal “helpers”? White flour pasta? Cold cereal? Cookies and cakes? Jarred sauces? Deli meats and cheeses? Frozen entrees? Snack foods? All of this is fast food. And eating it has deadly consequences.
The most tragic aspect of our fast food obsession is that we are raising children who don’t even know what real food is — a whole generation who think preparing food from a box is healthful because it is home-cooked. Let’s hit the pause button on our complicit attitude towards toxic, human-engineered foods that affect our health, our minds, and our lives. Fast and processed food is advertised like a quick and easy way to satisfy hunger, but it is time we recognize its dramatic harm on all facets of society.
Our country is facing a national crisis brought upon by our reliance on fast food. In my new book, Fast Food Genocide, I explore how fast and processed foods affect both physical and mental health. Studies have shown that the sodium, sweetening agents, oils and chemicals used to create these products cause inflammation and are toxic. Adults who eat fast food just two times a week have a 51 percent higher chance of depression. In contrast, a nutrient-dense diet protects the body and builds intelligence. Children who consume a nutritionally superior diet perform better academically, are less hyperactive, less moody and better behaved than those who are fed a nutritionally deficient diet.
Please join me on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, to take a stand against fast food and raise awareness of a nutrient-dense diet as a healthful alternative. Let’s expand the conversation about food away from ‘fast’ and toward nutritional excellence. Stand with me on Facebook, Twitter and/or Tumblr by registering here to post a one-time message to your social media account.
Set an example for others by saying no to fast food. Tell the world that it’s time to end this Fast Food Genocide.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style.
For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Let's Make October 17th A Day Without Fast Food
October 12, 2017 by Joel Fuhrman, MD
We have National Donut Day, National Greasy Foods Day and even National Fluffernutter Day (I kid you not). Here’s a radical idea: instead of celebrating things that harm us, why not spend a day celebrating our commitment to eating a healthy diet, free of the toxic, addictive and harmful “Frankenfoods” that are destroying the health of our nation? In that spirit, I am declaring this Tuesday, October 17, 2017, a national Day Without Fast Food, Junk Food, Soda or Candy.
I invite you to join me in spreading awareness of this deepening crisis that affects all levels of our society. The continued acceptance of fast food in our culture harms us, in ways that go beyond the country’s skyrocketing rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Did you know that consumption of fast food also has a devastating effect on our intellectual capacity, and plays a large role in perpetuating depression, drug use, violence and bigotry?
You may be wondering how food choice can have such far-reaching effects. Surely, the occasional burger-fries-soda combo can’t do much harm, right?
Wrong.
Products like burgers, fries, sodas, and energy bars are now our primary source of calories here in the U.S. And people who eat the most fast food and candy are suffering terribly not just with diabetes, premature cardiac death and obesity, but also with early-in-life strokes, mental illness, and medical dependency. We are eating foods that have been designed to drive food addiction and alter our brains to perpetuate dysfunctional eating.
And it’s not enough to avoid the offerings at fast food restaurants, pizzerias and so on. Fast food is found in every grocery store – and it’s probably as close as your kitchen pantry. Take a moment to reflect on your last weekly shopping trip, and visualize the contents of your cart: are there boxes of meal “helpers”? White flour pasta? Cold cereal? Cookies and cakes? Jarred sauces? Deli meats and cheeses? Frozen entrees? Snack foods? All of this is fast food. And eating it has deadly consequences.
The most tragic aspect of our fast food obsession is that we are raising children who don’t even know what real food is — a whole generation who think preparing food from a box is healthful because it is home-cooked. Let’s hit the pause button on our complicit attitude towards toxic, human-engineered foods that affect our health, our minds, and our lives. Fast and processed food is advertised like a quick and easy way to satisfy hunger, but it is time we recognize its dramatic harm on all facets of society.
Our country is facing a national crisis brought upon by our reliance on fast food. In my new book, Fast Food Genocide, I explore how fast and processed foods affect both physical and mental health. Studies have shown that the sodium, sweetening agents, oils and chemicals used to create these products cause inflammation and are toxic. Adults who eat fast food just two times a week have a 51 percent higher chance of depression. In contrast, a nutrient-dense diet protects the body and builds intelligence. Children who consume a nutritionally superior diet perform better academically, are less hyperactive, less moody and better behaved than those who are fed a nutritionally deficient diet.
Please join me on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, to take a stand against fast food and raise awareness of a nutrient-dense diet as a healthful alternative. Let’s expand the conversation about food away from ‘fast’ and toward nutritional excellence. Stand with me on Facebook, Twitter and/or Tumblr by registering here to post a one-time message to your social media account.
Set an example for others by saying no to fast food. Tell the world that it’s time to end this Fast Food Genocide.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style.
For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.