We often hear that home-cooked meals are the way to go for a healthy and affordable lifestyle; but is it really true? Let us play devil’s advocate for a short while and look into the possible benefits and advantages of foregoing the home-cooked meals and opting instead for fast foods. You might be surprised by what you learn when you start digging a little deeper for the benefits!
Of course, it is all about making wise fast food choices. If you order pizza and fries every day, you will become overweight and put your heart health at risk. If you are ordering salads and healthy wraps every day, the results could be quite the opposite. If you plan to eat fast foods on a daily basis, make sure that you are selecting balanced meals that will provide valuable nutrients to your body while putting those hunger pangs to rest.
You probably think that it is vaguely unusual to be singing the praises of fast foods, but what if your favorite take-out meals can be good for you in one way or another? Surely it’s worth looking into the possible ways in which fast food can be good for your health and your life? Let us take a look at several advantages and benefits of eating fast food.
These are 14 benefits and advantages of eating fast food:
1. Eat instead of missing meals.
If you are super strict on only eating whole foods prepared at home, you might find yourself missing meals, especially when you have a busy workday, need to work late, or are traveling. By opting to eat fast food instead of missing meals, you can keep yourself a bit healthier and stronger.
2. Keep up with your daily schedule.
If you have a demanding to-do list, chances are that you do not have enough time to cook/prepare 3 healthy meals each day. If you do not have time to spare, but want to beat hunger and get all your required daily calories and nutrients, opting for fast food is a viable option.
3. Total convenience.
Nothing is quite as convenient as being able to pick up dinner on the way home from work or grab a bite to eat while on the way to an event with the kids. Fast foods are undoubtedly convenient, and there are often days where convenience is absolutely necessary. Rather eat a meal on the go than completely miss out on the meal altogether.
4. Save money.
It is an unfortunate reality that healthy food sources at the grocery store or restaurants are often more expensive than fast food options. The good news is that you can make healthy fast food choices. If you want to save money while enjoying tasty meals, consider incorporating a few cheap fast food meals into your weekly meal schedule.
5. Get all your nutrition each day.
It is sometimes hard to get your protein, nutrients, vitamins, and calories each day, especially if you do not have the time and money to carefully craft each meal for yourself. If you educate yourself on the nutritional value of the meals served by the fast-food outlets in your area, you can make careful choices to ensure that you eat a balanced diet on the days where you have to rely on fast food instead of home-cooked and prepared meals.
6. Keep track of your calories each day with ease.
If you eat more calories than you burn each day, you will put on weight and start to feel unhealthy. A strategy that many people adopt is one of calorie counting to ensure that more exercise is done (and calories burned) than calories eaten.
In most places, it is a legal requirement for fast food outlets and restaurants to advertise the nutritional value, including the calories of each of the meals that they serve. This means that by eating fast foods, you can keep track of your calories quite easily. Make a note of the calories included in each fast food meal and ensure that you do not go over your max calorie content count each day to keep slim and trim.
7. Enjoy quality consistency with all meals.
When you go to a fast-food outlet or a restaurant, you know that you are going to receive a meal that meets with a particular quality standard. The service standard will also be high. Fast food outlets are consistent with food quality and therefore ensure that you can relax and trust that the meals you are eating are of consistent quality.
8. Support local.
Many of the fast-food outlets in your area will be locally owned and operated. This means that by buying meals from these outlets on a regular basis, you will be supporting your local community and bringing more money into the community.
9. Spoil the family.
Everyone has their favorite fast food. For some, it is pizza, others prefer burgers and fries, and some hanker for fried chicken. It really is different for everyone. Thankfully, because of the plethora of fast food outlets available to us, you can spoil everyone in the family by getting their favorite meal for dinner. Everyone can have their favorite meal conveniently made up, collected, and enjoyed together.
10. Save time – spend it with the family/loved ones.
When cooking and preparing meals, you are often distracted from the conversations and quality time that you could be having with the family. You might be holed up in the kitchen, whipping up delicious and nutritious meals while everyone else is watching television, talking in the living room, or otherwise entertaining themselves.
By getting fast food on the way home from work, you get to deliver the meal immediately, unpack it and enjoy it together. Instead of spending all of that time in the kitchen, you can spend it enjoying a meal with your family members and loved ones – together.
11. Enjoy a variety of food choices.
Instead of eating the same home-cooked meals over and over, you can enjoy a wide variety of meals on a daily basis. Fast food outlets offer vast menu options for you to choose from, which means that you can enjoy something different every night of the week if you want. If you are interested in adding a bit of variety and ‘spice’ to your life, eating fast food a few times a week is a great way to do that.
12. Avoid food waste.
If you cook meals at home, often there are leftovers. These can be put into the fridge with good intentions, but how often is that food wasted? Probably often! When ordering fast food, you order just enough for that particular meal, meaning there are no leftovers to be stored in the fridge and ultimately wasted.
13. Always tastes great – enjoy every meal.
There is no denying it; fast food is designed to taste great every time. Whether you are ordering from the local pizza place, burger joint, or salad bar – you can expect your meal to taste absolutely delicious every time. Imagine being able to enjoy every meal…oh wait, you can!
14. Creates jobs/employment for locals.
Fast food outlets rely on the support of local community members in order to create jobs and gainfully employ locals. If you want to do your bit for the community and ensure that locals have the opportunity to find work and support their families, consider ordering a few fast-food meals each week. Who knew that doing your bit for the community could be so easy!
In closing
As you can see, there are a few advantages and benefits of eating fast food that you and many others probably overlook. If eating fast food can be beneficial to your health and lifestyle, why not incorporate a few fast-food meals into your life each week?
Most people do not give the possible benefits and advantages of fast food a second thought. But if you really think about it, having a few carefully selected fast food meals can add nutritional value to your life as well as add quality to your daily life. Spend more time with the family and enjoy a delicious meal – get your favorite fast food today!
This article was co-authored by our team of writers and editors who share one thing in common: their passion for food and drinks!
JC Franco
JC Franco works as a New York-based editor at Foodrinke, driven by his lifelong love for food. His culinary journey began in childhood, as he eagerly assisted his mother with her local sandwich and bakery business, relishing every opportunity to sample her creations. Known among family and friends as an easy eater, JC has a particular affinity for Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and Peruvian cuisine. At Foodrinke, he channels his passion for food into his work, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge with readers.