If you really want to make a statement, boycott ALL fast food.

[nobodyspecial]

Your health and the planet will thank you.

[bunnies]

1. already do!

Nobody notices though. lol

[Heather MC]

42. Same here

I gave up fast food 6 years ago.

[MrSlayer]

2. I have ever since I saw Super Size Me.

I've never eaten at any of those places since.

[darkangel218]

3. How about we start a real movement, and bring milions to do it?

I bet that will have an impact.

[quinnox]

4. is it any wonder so many Americans are fat and obese

it isn't a pretty picture, walk around in any mall or large public place. Fast food nation, with every street corner having multiple places to choose from to eat.

[brewens]

5. I end up with $50 bucks or so a year in gift card for fast food. One corporation

actually owns a fair pizza place in town as well as Taco Time and Arby's so I use it on pizza. My company gets freebies from Wendy's so I use that up. An independent tiny chain also has a restaraunt next door to the blood center. I sually hit the salad bar there, but what I can do to a salad is the equivalent of a side of bacon!

Still, I rarely actually eat a fast food burger and fries type meal. Then my homemade "killer nacho's" are something to behold! I hurt my back once lifting a sheet of those out of the oven! MUUUWAHAHAHAHA!

Other than that I probably should worry more about mercury poisoning. I'm a seafood fanatic. At least my cholesterol levels reflect that. I'm real good there.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. haven't had any in many years. n/t

[sense]

7. Done.

Haven't eaten fast food in a couple of years. Quit processed foods last year. Already much healthier.

[Logical]

8. Wow, OK. More unemployment. n-t

[nobodyspecial]

13. So we should eat crappy food that is destroying our health

and leading to increased unsustainable factory farming to keep prices low just so people can make minimum wage? Guess what? Those jobs certainly aren't going to save the economy.

[Logical]

17. Maybe we can 100% control everyones life 100% of the time. Sounds great. n-t

[nobodyspecial]

29. Where did I say ban?

People have been talking about making a statement in regard to a particular restaurant. I'm suggesting casting a wider net. No bans. No mandates.

[MNBrewer]

76. Nice to see a proponent of Zorgonomics on DU

[fredamae]

58. If "they" would serve

Healthy Food I'd go back after a now 20 year long hiatus.
I don't want to hurt any business or cause anyone to lose a job-but why should I harm myself by consuming inferior unhealthy foods to make them bigger profit margins, out of loyalty?

[own your story]

68. You know something? You've got a point.

On the top of your head, pal.

You remind me of Dubya, after MIHOP 9/11: "Do it for America!"

[MNBrewer]

75. It's out patriotic duty to eat fast food, ya see?

To keep minimum wage workers working, and their billionaire corporate masters well-supplied with cash.

[Incitatus]

79. Is your SN ironic?

Sometimes the status quo is not logical.

Would you make the same argument if someone suggested we move towards green energy instead of oil? People in the oil industry might suffer, but new jobs in green energy will be created. Just like fast food might suffer, but people still have to eat just like they need energy. Jobs in more health related food services will be expanded.

[Ikonoklast]

82. Logic Fail. You disregard economics coming to your conclusion.

The jobs would just be shifted from retail food providers A, B, and C, to E, F, and G, along with the customers who stopped eating at one set of stores and started to patronize another.

You assume that the total amount of food consumed would be less with a fast-food chain closing, when in reality those meals would still be purchased and eaten, but just from other sources.

If every McDonald's suddenly were to disappear from the face of the Earth tomorrow, there would still be a need for the same amount of food to be sold by someone to hungry people.

[progressivebydesign]

9. Haven't had fast food in 10 years..

and I'm healthy and fit. Okay.. I admit that once or twice a year I have an In n Out Burger, without the burger, and some fries. But never ever eat at the other places. Ever.

[RandiFan1290]

10. YUM? Brands

Yuck!!

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Yum!_Brands

[freshwest]

20. Good volley. Never forget. Thanks.

[ananda]

11. I haven't eaten fast food for years.

It's so unhealthy.

[arely staircase]

12. i cant completely give up popeys chicken

And with cfa out of the picture they will get all my chicken business. If I buy a Burger I will go to one of the locally owned diners that make much better ones than any fast food joint.

[loli phabay]

15. i prefer KFC nowadays, used to love popeyes though, i think KFC chicken with CFA waffle fries would

be the best. also the cfa mint smoothie drink thing was pretty good as well.

[GoneOffShore]

14. Already doing that - But the "Don't tell me what to eat" crowd will attack you

[nobodyspecial]

35. Not telling anyone what to eat.

Just suggesting how people could have an even greater impact than just boycotting one fast food place.

[GoneOffShore]

44. I totally got what you're saying - But sometimes even asking

that people do something in their own self interest brings on the cry babies of freedumb.

[Luminous Animal]

16. Haven't in 35 years or so.

Everything I cook is out of the ballpark better than anything a fast food restaurant could come up with.

There is no such thing as tasty fast food.

[just1voice]

18. Or boycott organized religions

They are the major purveyors of anti-equal rights.

[99Forever]

57. Sounds like a much more realistic and effective boycott to me.

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. All? You can have my Double-Double when you pry it from... you get the message. n/t

[loli phabay]

21. is that the one from kfc with the chicken as the bread, tried it and it was good

but not really an everyday thing, i got no problem with fast food perse i just dont want it all the time, but if others want to eat it like every day for every meal then like you its their choice.

[cherokeeprogressive]

23. In-n-Out is a burger chain and the Double-Double is their flagship burger.

Double meat, double cheese.

There is no substitute.

[loli phabay]

24. dont think we have in and out in northern VA, but thanks for the info in case i run across one on

my travels.

[JI7]

28. they are mostly/only in the West, mostly California

if you ever come to California you should try it. they are cheap and really good. the lines can look long, especially if it's a kind of new location that opened up but they move at a good pace.

[loli phabay]

30. if id do ill try but i probuably will never come out west :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/surrealist303/1918684402/

not sure how to do pics but this is the mecca of all fast food, whether you are drunk or sober.

[JI7]

27. i always get the cheeseburger and animal style fries

[Safetykitten]

22. Very good idea.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Easy peachy for me, for the most part

can't eat the crap.

We do, as a treat, a burger and fries (hold the bun) at the only fast food place that can do that for me... that is once a year or so.

[bhikkhu]

26. Done.

I eat fast food maybe twice a year, on the rare road trip where grocery stores aren't handy or I haven't packed enough. I get like a value burger, no obnoxious fries or mega-drinks.

I'd say I don't know how people put up with all that grease and salt and MSG and high fructose corn syrup in the massive obligatory sodas, and whatever else...but I do know - they get fat and unhealthy.

[JI7]

34. i use to eat that crap more often, but i find it's easier to not want it the longer

you stay away from it. i will still have it every now and then. but i can do without easily. and there are a lot of things which if i eat now i'm disgusted by and don't know how i was able to eat it before.

[bhikkhu]

37. I started commuting to work by bicycle in 2008

...and found that my appetite changed quite a bit. I never was one to eat much junk, but it stopped even tasting good to me once I was getting a good amount of physical work in every day.

I imagine it has to do with whether you are hungry because your body actually needs energy and nutrition, or if you are hungry just because your stomach is used to being full.

[JI7]

31. i have cut back, but i don't give up on it completely , there are also better ways to order

get a side salad if you get a not so healthy burger or other sandwich. if you want fries get a salad with it. many of them now serve wraps also. and the salads at many of them are pretty good .

the kids meals are also a good idea for smaller portions.

[alcibiades_mystery]

32. Been boycotting chain fast food for 12 years

My daughter, age 6, has been to McDonald's once: a friend who was watching her for the morning took her for lunch...like 3 years ago.

I would no more give my children McDonald's than I would give them cigarettes. It's poison. Chick-Fil-A, too. Yes, when it comes to this, I'm proud to be an elitist snob: anyone who eats that shit is a sucker, period.

[whistler162]

64. Bummer... you should try a fast food restaurant like

Panera Bread.

But, then you and a number of other posters seem to prefer the "fast food" approach to thinking about what a restaurant serves. "Don't have time to consider them individually, so if they are in a category they are bad!"


THINK PEOPLE IT DOESN'T HURT MUCH!

[loli phabay]

33. greatest fast food delicacy ever, sorry cant do the pic thing :)

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=munchie+box&view=detail&id=D0C8D419C04673AB6F39C0F6EB397062170EB822&first=36&adlt=strict

[part man all 86]

36. Sorry but that is part of my minimum wage benefits, free meal of grease.

[JDPriestly]

38. I never eat fast food. Never.

[femmocrat]

72. Same here.

I can't even stand looking at pictures of that greasy, fatty junk.

[cali]

39. Does my local seasonal snack bar count?

I love going and getting a whole belly clam roll at least once each summer.

[Zalatix]

40. BEEN doing that for 2 years!

[slackmaster]

41. An occasional In-'N-Out double-double with cheese and grilled onions isn't going to harm anyone

But in general I agree. Most of that stuff is absolute garbage.

[B Calm]

43. I been doing that for some time now!

Seems like the older I get, I been losing my taste for fast food!

[slackmaster]

45. Getting food poisoning from an undercooked Jumbo Jack patty about 17 years ago did it for me

Never again.

[twizzler]

46. Sorry

I can't leave the Jack in the Box tacos alone. I know they're probably bad for me, but if I shunned everything that was bad for me, I would starve to death, besides, at my age, what difference does it make?

My motto used to be: Live fast, die young, and be a good looking corpse.
Now it's just live fast, die old and be an old corpse.

[randome]

53. Not to denigrate your personal choices but that sounds like defeatism to me.

Each year we are getting closer to understanding and perhaps blocking the effects of age. Would you be so cavalier about your life if you thought you could live for another few centuries?

It's not science fiction. It's possible.

Again, no insult intended. Just putting that out there.

[twizzler]

55. No insult taken

I wouldn't want to live for centuries, I just want to live out my natural cycle of life.
I've lived a hard but rewarding life and now I'm enjoying the fruits of my hard work, which include my Jack in the Box tacos. However I will state that's the only fast food I do eat and not that often as we don't have one here in town, all we have are Taco Bell, Burger King, Carl's Jr., McDonald's, and Panda Express which I will eat at once in a great while.
Oh, also, a KFC and a Church's Chicken.

[TheCruces]

73. One, it's not possible to live for another few centuries

Two, I eat a mostly organic, super healthy diet. Sometimes, Jack in the Box tacos just hit the fucking spot. They're gross, yet incredibly delicious. And in terms of calories, they are WAY better than most fast food items.

[otohara]

47. 15 Years No Junk

makes a huge difference in your health

[joeybee12]

48. I do...however trying to organize that now takes away from the message

we're working on right now.

[dynasaw]

49. Haven't Eaten Fast Food Since 1980

Haven't drunk soda either for much longer.

[coalition_unwilling]

50. Bravo! Emphtatic K&R! It's instructive to check out the fat content

on some of these fast-food so-called 'healthy' items. It will blow your mind how many grams of fat they have. (I can't think of anything specifically, as I don't eat fast food very often, but seem to remember that salads got you with the fat in their dressings.) Fat grams plus high caloric content = VERY POOR NUTRITION.

[southernyankeebelle]

51. What you going to do when people are out of jobs? Do you think those people are going to be happy?

[Bluenorthwest]

52. I think the statement we want to make is different from the one on your mind...

Making 'a statement' is not the point, fighting bigotry is the point. To claim that boycotting homophobes is not a statement worth making is something I reject, fully. You claim no one is 'really making a statement'. I do not agree with your point of view on that. Your statement is just another statement, not the 'real statement'. The arrogance of those with full rights is a never ending spring....

[Neoma]

60. I don't think boycotting every fast food restaurant is really about homophobes.

It leans more towards helping the environment and being healthier.

[Happyhippychick]

54. Absolutely! Tea Baggers are welcome to eat that poison every day, have my portion!

[kestrel91316]

56. I would, but I'm about a year past due for my annual pilgrimage to KFC for

chicken strips and potato wedges, and I have a REAL craving.

[Neoma]

59. Trying to.

Learning how to cook at the moment.

[Ron Obvious]

61. Everything in moderation...

Nothing wrong with fast food once or twice a month. There's not really such a thing as 'bad food', but there certainly are bad diets. Because of fast food and soda in particular, we can take vast amounts of calories on board without commensurate filling up these days. Check out those calorie counts on the menus they have now, and be sure to account for all the condiments. A single McD large chocolate shake or two slices of Pizza Hut pizza make up half of the average person's calorie allotment for the day. It's really eye-opening.

I've switched to Mexican Coke (with real sugar), and make my own French Fries from scratch now. Tastes much better, and it's not all that much work.

[Chan790]

62. No, I really like my fast food.

I'm already restricted enough by being vegetarian and allergic to honey; I'm not giving up the vegan Chipotle bowls (Fajita veggie with black beans, guac, corn and hot salsa), assorted bean burritos, Starbucks, BK sweet potato fries, Wendy's Frosties, etc.

[aikoaiko]

63. I don't think I can do it. Life is too hectic.

I don't particular want to eat fast food, but...

Breakfast is:
2 for 3 egg Mcmuffins that get eaten in the car work for me.

Lunch is either:
Subs from Publix and a side of tabouli salad next door to my campus
Quiznos and a wings place is on campus
Checkers -- two double bacon cheeseburgers for $4.
When I have time I splurge on the mexican buffer or chinese/japanese buffet.

Dinner for the family:
Picked up fried chicken
Picked up chinese
Picked up pizza
Picked up BBQ
Hotdogs or Hamburgers

I try to drink a V-8 to compensate.


Chines buffet

[nobodyspecial]

70. Wow. If that is your diet, I don't even know where to begin.

Have you had a blood work up lately? You may not see the impact yet, but you will as will your family. Think of you body as a finely tuned performance car. How would you expect it to run well on crap fuel?

And, sorry, V-8 is NOT going to compensate -- just add more sodium to a diet that is already full of it. At least switch to a good multivitamin.

Your diet may actually be making feel overwhelmed and that things are too hectic.

[aikoaiko]

71. Yes, its a lousy diet. As I typed it out, I kind of stunned me.

I don't even know how to change to a healthier diet at this point. Work and family is exhausting.

[nobodyspecial]

86. And your diet is making you feel even more exhausted

Seriously. I was on that roller coaster at one time and it took its toll on my health, both physically and emotionally. I would get home and eat and not have the energy for anything else, so I really understand where you are at. You feel exhausted because you are not fueling the body with what it really needs. Not to mention, it was costing me a small fortune. Healthy, good food is way cheaper than that -- and no, I'm not saying you have to shop at Whole Foods.

I wouldn't try to clean it up all at once. It would be too overwhelming and discouraging and you'll quit rather quickly. Take a step each week and keep building, and as you start feeling better, you will be even more inspired to do better.

If you are drinking pop, even diet pop, cut that out first. Start by tapering and then trim it to an occasional treat. And don't replace it with fruit juices, drink mixes, sports drinks, etc. Plain water is best. And eating whole, fresh foods is best because it keeps you fuller, adds fiber and doesn't spike your blood sugar like fruit juice.

Another easy area to target is breakfast. Oatmeal, fruit and hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt parfait with fruit and a sprinkle of granola, whole-wheat toast, peanut butter (just peanuts, no additives, and a banana are all easy, well-balance choices. Even a piece of fruit and a protein breakfast bar would be better.

Second, tackle your lunch. Make it the night before. If you are really rushed, buy prepared salads and precut veggies and fruits at the grocery store. Add some protein element and you're set. I don't eat frozen meals because they are not clean enough for my liking, but even that would be better than what you are doing now. Read the labels and pick the ones with the lowest sodium and fewest additives.

For dinners, check out your local grocery stores and see what they have available that's easy to grab and then work on tackling cooking a few more nights a week. Not sure what your family situation is, but could someone help out with this? Kids and partners are perfectly capable of helping prepare and clean up. It's great family bonding time as well.

Prepare things on Sunday night. Use a crockpot. Double the batch when you cook and freeze.

Like I said, start building momentum change by change and you will start seeing results rather quickly. And I'm not saying that you should never eat fast food, but it should only be a few times of week. Most people who get off of it find they really stop craving it altogether.

There's no soft-pedaling it. You really are killing yourself with your current diet.

[RebelOne]

65. I have been making a statement for years.

I have not eaten fast food for a long time. I know it is not healthy.

[RedCappedBandit]

66. Fast food is disgusting imo. nt

[crazyjoe]

67. good luck with that, americans are addicted to fast food.

[TheManInTheMac]

69. To hell with that! Boycott EVERYTHING! It's the only way to be sure.

[lynne]

74. Uh, NO. #1 - I enjoy some of their salads. #2 - I don't do boycott's.

Boycott's only serve to hurt the little guy on the low end of the totem pole. Franchise owners and employees are the ones that bear the brunt of any local impact a boycott may cause. The corporate end feels nothing as one area will boycott but another area will increase sales.

I have no desire to hurt already struggling employees.

[Drunken Irishman]

77. A lot of people don't have that option...

It's not practical for a lot of American families to do away with fast food. Not only is it cheap, it's fast and for the go-go society we live in, it's often the only way to feed our kids on a budget. When you've got a family with both parents out of the house, who work from 8-5 or whatever, it's just the unfortunate aspect of life.

Especially for families that don't have much money in the first place. It's far cheaper to roll through a McDonald's drive thru than to go buy and plan meals that are healthy. It's also easier. It sucks, but for a great deal of families, it's the only way.

[nobodyspecial]

87. Cheap!?!

I seriously beg to differ. I stopped there to pick up a meal as a favor for a house-bound friend and was shocked at the prices. Say a meal for a family costs $15 to $20. I can definitely make something nutritious for far less. The only situation I would agree that it is the ONLY way for families is when they have no access to refrigeration or cooking facilities.

Healthy does NOT mean organic specialty foods from Whole Foods. I have a seriously tight budget and manage to feed myself quite cheaply and nutritiously.

[Drunken Irishman]

90. It is cheap...

I can buy six cheeseburgers, two large fries and two drinks at McDonald's for $10.

[bitchkitty]

78. Yup! Although -

once in a while I get poppers from the Jack in the Box across the street.

But I wouldn't touch ANY fast food meat with a ten foot pole!

[yewberry]

80. Been vegetarian a long time.

I don't think fast food places exactly cater to my demographic, so they're pretty much out.

[IndyJones]

81. Not giving up Subway, sorry.

[fishwax]

83. Nah. I'll abstain (mostly) from fast food for health/quality reasons. The boycott is different.

I'm not going to Chick-Fil-A b/c I don't want to knowingly support such bigotry.

[Le Taz Hot]

84. I rarely eat at them now but . . .

there are days like yesterday that I was in the kitchen for 6 hours canning. By the time I cleaned the kitchen I was ready to drop and had the espoused one go out and get fast food. There was no way I was cooking after that.

Having said that, I DO cook, usually several times a day. I use my own veggies from the garden and do a lot of shopping at farmers markets using my own reusable bags. And since I can/preserve food and have a compost pile on the side of the house, there's no waste.

[ChickFullofHate]

85. I used to eat fast food frequently

more than 4 times a week then after I came back from a trip overseas after I had not had any fast food for 7 days, I had some and a few hours later I started to feel sick, not because of food poisoning but because the food was high in sugar, salt and fat which I blew off at first but over the next few weeks I started to notice a trend, when I eat fast food I was either feeling sick or still very hungry after a few hours. I also noticed that it was happening just about every time I had fast food or corporate, chain restaurant, food.
To make a long story short, I cut fast food and corporate food out of my diet and have been healthier and eating less food then before because now the quality of the food I eat is higher than the Mc Crap that is sold as food in America.

Sure I do eat fast food from time to time, usually when traveling and don’t have time but when I do have corporate food I always feel like crap after.

[nobodyspecial]

88. When you are eating healthier, the fat, sugar and salt make you feel like crap

But it is those same qualities that make it addicting for so many people.

I had the same experience as you. Hadn't eaten it for a long time and then ate a meal that made me feel awful. Haven't indulged since. I will admit to getting a veggie sub at Subway once in a blue moon if I'm caught unprepared, but I hardly think that compares to the greasy messes found at most places.

[Codeine]

89. No thanks. We have a local chain with some awesome vegan menu items.

As an occasional splurge a veggie burger and some fries aren't going to harm me or the planet.

And there's always Chipotle; they make a huge effort to be as green as possible while still serving meat.