You Are What You Eat: Not What Corporate Wants You to Eat

Recently, fast food giant Burger King announced its plans to switch to trans fat free cooking oil for all its products. The company is quite proud of itself for its latest innovation, which has also been done by McDonald's, Wendy's and Taco Bell. Executives say that this movement doesn't make foods taste any different. This is all fine and good to me, but I have bigger concerns surrounding America's common sense in this matter.

Trans fats, which are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, are found in all kinds of foods. At the beginning of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration required all food companies to list trans fats in their nutritional panels on boxes. The FDA recommends keeping your trans fat intake as low as possible to prevent high blood cholesterol and heart disease, just to name a few. Any food with more than 20% of fat intake daily value is considered high.

Now, I am all for making America a healthier nation. The rates of obesity are increasing at alarming rates and clearly this nation is nowhere near healthy and fit enough. With that being said, I do not agree with the decisions made to remove trans fat from foods at Burger King or other restaurants.

Back in 2003, a federal judge threw out a class action lawsuit against McDonald's. The parents of New York teenagers brought this lawsuit before the court when they claimed that McDonald's did not make nutrition information readily available. The also said other information was misleading, such as encouraging customers to "Super Size" their meal without making them aware of health effects.

I side with the judge who threw out this lawsuit. Having worked in places that serve fast food type meals, along with other healthier selections, I feel that these teenagers and their parents lacked common sense. First of all, they are the ones choosing to eat at McDonald's or their preferred fast food place. By this age, they should understand the basic food groups, including junk food, and how much of it you should get per day. If McDonald's and Burger King were on the food pyramid, it would be in the fats/use sparingly category.

One of the best practices of weight control is to limit your portion sizes. It is not necessary to super size your value meals. That's why they are offered in small or medium sizes. Sure the food still isn't good for you, but at least you're having less of it. Super sizing would probably also make you feel like you over ate and it is always good to stop at a point where you feel like you ate enough, but you're not uncomfortably full.

Where are the parents here? Hello Mom and Dad; you're the ones who constantly allow your kids to eat out at fast food places. So why should you sue a fast food chain because you fed your child junk food all the time? Why don't you try teaching your children healthy eating habits or cooking healthier meals at home? Buy them some fruit instead of French fries. Teach them the importance of exercising to work off the extra calories.

As far as restaurants posting nutritional information, I think it only makes sense. We do that at the place where I work and even with the scary amounts of calories in some of the foods we serve, it is ultimately the customer's choice to have two cheesesteaks or an order of fries AND mozzarella sticks. Ultimately, the corporations are not choosing this food for you. You, the customer, is choosing this for yourself. People who are going to sue fast food restaurants for making them fat really need to learn personal responsibility. They only make it; if you ate healthier, you wouldn't be choosing to eat it.

Overall, the decision to remove trans fats, or even have lawmakers in some cities banning these fats, is a ridiculous one. I have a feeling that if people weren't so out of touch with their meal and snack choices, this move wouldn't have to be necessary. However, thanks to a few people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions, this move has to be necessary. No matter if you're eating at Burger King or making a veggie burger at home, always remember that you are what you eat. No restaurant movement or lawmaker will make that decision for you.