Australians spend about a third of their weekly household food budget on food prepared outside the home. These meals tend to be fast food and take-away, which are often high in saturated fats, salt and sugar. Excessive consumption of fast food contributes to obesity, heart disease and a range of other conditions. 'Junk food' should only be eaten occasionally, this includes potato chips, soft drinks, chocolates and sweets, cakes, and take-away food like fried chicken, pizza, hotdogs, fries and hamburgers. Fast Food is a helpful guide to better informed dietary choices, and features detailed advice on the nutritional contents of Australia's major fast food products, including kilojoule counts, portion sizes and packaging information. What are the healthy alternatives to fast food? Should the government introduce traffic light labelling, or even a 'fat tax'? This book also examines the debate over food marketing to children. Should Australia ban junk food advertising aimed at children, who so often resort to 'pester power'? In a nation where a quarter of the population is now obese, are Australians finally fed up with junk food marketing that targets children? |