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31 Important Mcdonalds Obesity Statistics

Eating at McDonald’s occasionally isn’t a bad treat. Their fries taste pretty amazing and a burger can really hit the spot. The only problem is that there is so much sodium and fat in these foods that it can create cravings. The more you eat McDonald’s food, then the more addicted you become. This can soon lead to obesity.

McDonald’s will feed more than 46 million people today, which is greater than the population of many countries.

McDonald’s Obesity Facts

Although it is a growing problem globally, obesity from McDonald’s is primarily an American problem. 25% of Americans will visit a fast food restaurant today. French fries are the most commonly eaten vegetable. This all leads up to future health problems that we may not be ready to face. It’s no wonder why 40% of kids today are expected to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

  • 35% of children who are overweight have parents who are also overweight.
  • 70% of the kids who grow up in the obese weight category will remain obese as adults.
  • Those who are obese have up to a 100% higher risk of premature death in all causes simply because of their weight.
  • Since 1974, the number of overweight or obese children has increased by 258%.
  • McDonald’s distributes more toys per year than Toys-R-Us, enticing children to come order happy meals that have a week’s worth of salt in them.
  • According to Mcdonald’s, “Any processing our foods undergo make them more dangerous than unprocessed foods.”
  • McDonald’s operates more than 30,000 restaurants in more then 100 countries on 6 continents
  • Most children can recognize McDonald’s branding before they can even speak.
  • More than 70 million customers are served daily.
  • McDonald’s needs to kill a million cows years to feed its customers and make 75 burgers per second.

The more foods are processed, then the more dangerous they are to consume. That’s a known fact, but yet Americans more than anyone else are willing to compromise because they’d rather have convenience and speed over a healthy, home-cooked meal. This leads families down the road toward obesity because kids are also more sedentary today than they ever have been. The average child watches more television every week than they spend in school – and kids spend a lot of time in school during the week, up to 8 hours. Until we start getting active and start making healthier eating choices, then the McDonald’s obesity epidemic is going to continue to haunt Americans and the rest of the world.

How Much McDonald’s Do We Actually Eat?

  • McDonald’s represents 43% of the total quick service food industry in the United States.
  • 4 out of every 10 Americans will eat out tonight after work, many of them choosing QSR food because it is cheaper.
  • Most nutritionists recommend eating fast food a maximum of 1 time per month for even the healthiest of people.
  • Only 7 items on the entire McDonald’s menu contain no sugar.
  • The calorie and fat content of a McDonald’s Big Mac: 540 calories and 29 g of fat
  • A medium fries at McDonalds: 380 calories and 19 g of fat
  • The average fast food meal at McDonald’s has 1,500 calories, which is the recommended daily caloric intake for some people.

It always boils down to responsible food management. If you eat at McDonald’s and you consume 1,800 calories, then you’ve consumed all of your calories for the day. By drinking water the remainder of the day, a diet could be reasonably managed, though it would still be a bit high in overall fat consumption. The problem is that we don’t do this. We’ll eat a frozen breakfast that we’ve microwaved. Then we’ll eat McDonald’s for lunch. Then we’ll grab some pizza or something easy to take home for dinner. This is what is leading to the obesity epidemic. We’ve replaced food with food-like substances and our bodies are rebelling because of it.

How Bad Has The McDonald’s Obesity Epidemic Become?

  • Over 100 million Americans right now have a BMI that qualifies them as being overweight.
  • Combined with the 60% of Americans who get less than 15 minutes of actual exercise per week, it is possible for someone eating McDonald’s to gain 20 pounds in a single month.
  • In New York City, there are 4 McDonald’s per square mile, or 83 total restaurants within the city proper.
  • It’s also a portion issue. The small soda in the United States is the largest size in European countries like France.
  • Most Americans walk less than 5,000 steps per day, which is less than 2.5 miles. It takes about 10,000 steps, or 5 miles, for weight management to begin.
  • The recommended serving size of animal protein is 3 ounces, but the average McDonald’s serving is up to 5x this amount.
  • Obesity will overtake smoking if left unabated as the #1 cause of preventable death in the U.S.

The health problems that occur from obesity are many and they are profound. Although diabetes can develop and take up to 27 years of life away from someone, weight gain is a major problem as well. It leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, gallbladder issues, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, asthma development, and even some forms of cancer are linked to being obese. Right now, 1 out of every 20 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. If this trend continues, in 30 years, it is expected that 7 more people out of that sampling of 20 will have diabetes.

What Can We Do To Change?

  • The average child sees 10,000 food advertisements each year on TV and 95% of those commercials are for unhealthy foods, candy, or McDonald’s products.
  • McDonald’s spends over $1 billion every year on direct advertising.
  • Only 1 out of every 2 McDonald’s has the nutritional information about their menu items posted within the restaurant.
  • It isn’t just soda that is to blame. Some lemonades have 36g of sugar per serving, which is the same as a Coca-Cola.
  • Texas has 5 out of the 10 fattest cities in American and Houston is the #1 fattest city in the US.
  • In 2001, No Child Left Behind, was passed, and as a result in many schools, recess is being cut out to prepare for tests.

We’re doing this to ourselves. Recess times are gone at school. Kids are sitting at home to watch TV or play video games instead of going outside to play. People are working sedentary jobs and not getting up to move around. Until we become the change we want to see in this world and with our weight, the McDonald’s obesity problem will continue to exist.

Shocking Facts About McDonalds

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