Wealth of fast food spots problematic for Delmarvans
47 ABC – It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s cheap. In the matter of minutes your meal is ready to eat and here on the shore your options seem endless.
“They’re everywhere no matter where you turn and they are open later and so if you’re at a practice and you’re thinking ah I didn’t take anything out, a lot of people will say’ oh let me just run through here’ because it’s on our way home. We can eat in the car, we can get home and then we can do homework,” explains Jennifer Johnson, Wicomico County Health Dept.
In Worcester County alone for every 1,000 people there’s about one and a half fast food places, the worst in the state. And Wicomico County’s not far behind.
That’s what makes it so tough to stay away especially when you’re in a rush and they’re at every corner. On a given day, the CDC says nearly 40 percent of Americans eat fast food. It’s becoming a part of our daily lives, but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be a thousand calorie meal.
Tamara Giles, a registered dietitian at PRMC explains, “Everything is about choices, so for having some of the fast food in your daily life you can do easy swaps by getting a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin instead of a croissant.”
You can do little things to make your meal more balanced like trading in those fries for some apple slices. But for those of you who believe you’re saving money, think again!
Giles explains, “If you’re consuming more than one meal it is absolutely cheaper to actually make it yourself.”
“We often tend to think that eating healthy is very expensive but if we’re eating the portion sizes that we’re supposed to, I mean think about chicken breasts that are out there. They’re really big so if we actually cut it in half and it’s two meals or one for two people,” adds Johnson.
We’re told it’s all about choices, so if you find yourself in a drive thru line don’t be ashamed, just go for a healthier meal. And if you can make it to the grocery store, meal prepping is a great way to make easy meals during the week.
