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There’s no denying the allure of the bright, neon lights of your favorite fast food restaurant. After a long day of work, it’s hard to drive past a drive-thru window and grab something off the dollar menu. Filling your gullet with a greasy, bacon-covered burger and a side of chili fries sounds great when your stomach is grumbling worse than that crazy cat lady who lives next door.
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But, in the long run, you might be better off buying a salad instead. All you need to do is scroll through Netflix to see the overwhelming amount of documentaries centered on the downright terrible food choices we make on a daily basis and the obesity caused by those choices. Even if you can overlook the caloric onslaught and inevitable heartburn, there’s a slew of reasons why you should probably ditch the milkshake and fries for broccoli and hummus.
Here are eight stunning facts that will change your attitude towards fast food forever.
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Fast food Facts
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Viva Belly Fat
Taco Bell’s Fiesta Taco Salad (with beef) seems like a reasonably healthy option on an otherwise melted-cheese-filled menu. Sadly, you’d be better off indulging in a Chalupa (or three) because at 42 grams of fat, that salad contains almost all the fat an average man should consume in a single day. So much for being healthy.
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Drain Bamage
Research suggests that people who eat fast food on a regular basis can severely damage the health of their brain. That’s because a poor diet can disrupt blood flow the brain and can even make your brain shrink (and lead to Alzheimer’s). So, if you like your brain the size it is now and enjoy knowing where and who you are, we suggest you grab a smoothie pronto.
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Choke-A-Cola
One 12-ounce can of coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. That’s much more than the recommended amount of sugar you should have per day and that’s just one solitary can. You might as well just start saving for dentures.
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Shaved Eggs
Even if your fast food bingeing is only limited to breakfast, you’re not safe. That’s because some fast food brands, instead of using real eggs, use an egg blend that contains, among other chemicals, glycerine. Yes, the same substance found in your favorite shaving gel.
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McMelted
A McDonald’s employee on Reddit claimed they randomly found out that, if left out for a long time, McNuggets literally melt. That’s right, they melt into a pool of gnarly liquid. That’s because they’re made of finely ground chicken mixed with a water-based marinade made up of yeast extract, citric acid, dextrose, food starches, and sodium phosphates.
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This Is Getting 'Silly'
McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish, and Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Deluxe all contain Dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone used in cosmetics and even Silly Putty. No wonder that sandwich seems so chewy.
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McWhat?
You probably already know this, but the McRib doesn’t contain any rib meat whatsoever. It’s actually made up of pig innards, tripe, stomach, and heart, then held together by a salt and water solution. Now doesn’t that sound appetizing slathered in barbecue sauce?
Related: The McRib's Return Proves That People Love Mediocre Fast Food
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Frozen Fertilizer
Dairy Queen and McDonald’s are known for their tasty milkshakes. But you might be surprised to learn that their strawberry milkshakes have more chemicals added to them than conventional fertilizer. More than 50 to be exact. Now that doesn’t sound very refreshing at all.
