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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #371882
Title: Fast foods, organic foods, fad diets, and herbs, herbals, and botanicals

Author
item O'NEIL, CAROL - Louisiana State University Agcenter
item NICKLAS, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/2019
Publication Date: 11/15/2019
Citation: O'Neil, C.E., Nicklas, T.A. 2019. Fast foods, organic foods, fad diets, and herbs, herbals, and botanicals. In: Kleinman RE, Greer FR, editors. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. Pediatric Nutrition, 8th edition. Itasca, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. p.367-427.

Interpretive Summary: Fast food restaurants and other outlets where these foods are sold must be sure that healthful foods and accurate nutrition information are available at the restaurant and on their web sites. Responsible advertising to children must also be part of the corporate plan to improve the nation's health. Responsible advertising can be accomplished by advertising healthier menu options to children, emphasizing the importance of low-fat milk and other nutrient-dense foods in the diet. Innovative advertising of healthful foods to children needs to occur. Advertisement of healthful foods, like fruit and vegetables, may serve to increase awareness of these foods and increase consumption.

Technical Abstract: Most people have a mental image of what fast food is; however, there is no standard definition. In the United States, fast food and fast food restaurants are associated with hamburgers, french fries, and sweetened beverages, hot dogs or other sandwiches pizza, and fried chicken. Orders can be placed and picked up within a few minutes and be taken away or consumed on the premises. Generally, fast food is eaten without cutlery, and fast food restaurants have no wait staff. Failure to have a standardized definition of fast food makes it difficult to compare studies or to set standards. Overall, fast food restaurants tend to provide large portions of foods. Portion sizes are a critical issue for controlling energy intake. A study showed that children consumed 25% more of an entree when a larger portion was presented on their plates, which negatively affected self-regulation of intake. Fast food consumption is associated with poor diet quality, with lower intake of fruit and vegetables and higher intake of sodium and saturated fatty acids, as compared with food consumed at home. The parallel rise of the fast food industry with the obesity epidemic has suggested to some that fast food consumption is a causative agent. This has been difficult to demonstrate conclusively because of a lack of consistent findings; a systematic review showed that only 1 in 5 studies in children demonstrated an association between body mass index and the fast food environment.