Healthy Fast Food: Do We Want It?

Recently a report was released (The Lancet) concluding that

Fast-food consumption has strong positive associations with weight gain and insulin resistance, suggesting that fast-food increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes

In the 15 year study those who said they visited fast-food outlets twice a week or more gained 10 pounds more over the course of the study than those who ate fast food less than once a week.

As an interesting anecdote on fast food - this week I had the privelege of eating at an extremely busy McDonalds filled with hundreds of other weary travellers like myself. Having only watched Morgan Spurlock's SuperSize Me on DVD a few weeks ago - I was feeling particularly observant.

As I ordered a tuna salad, I couldn't help but notice that in a massive queue of maybe a hundred or so people, I was the only one doing so. The burgers and fries were coming out in a blur - while the small fridge held onto its collection of salads.

Okay, so McDonalds pulled off a great marketing coup with the 'healthy' / I'm lovin it' campaign. Their sales have blossomed over the last few quarters. Is it all about image? Do people really care if they are supersizing themselves?