My favorite fast food restaurant is Burger King. I usually order combination meal number one, which consists of a Whopper, larger fries and a large sprite. I was truly astonished and shocked when I was evaluating the nutritional value on this meal. I did not realize that this one meal's caloric content would be more than half of the 2,000 calories recommended a day. I do not think many people check the nutritional value in fast food nor do they care because there are no labels on the packaging of the food. I think if people knew that one meal comprised of a burger, fries and a soda totaled 1,620 calories, they would think twice about eating it. But since there are no labels and people do not check the internet for the nutritional value of fast food, they continue to eat fast food as a part of their diet. "Nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and values have a lot to do with changing food choices for the better" (Brown 2002: 5-7).
I was very surprised to see that a large sprite would have the same caloric content as the Whopper Junior. I usually do not drink that much soda because I know it is unhealthy but I usually drink it when I go to Burger King because it comes with the meal. Many times when the teller asks me if I want to "supersize" my meal for an extra 20 cents, I do say yes because I want to get the most out of my money. What I do not realize is that I may be getting more food for my money but at the same time I am getting more saturated fat and am at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. So once again, "food choices are affected by the cost and availability of food" (Brown 2002: 5-5).
After evaluating my favorite fast food meal, I realized I needed to change or cut down my proportion sizes. I know I feel better when I get more food for my money but at the same time I should be worrying about my health. I do not eat fast food that often but when I do, I should be more weary of my choices.