Fast food easier to find than healthful fare, study says

Fast food isn't just fast; it's also plentiful.

In California, people are more than four times as likely to find a fast-food restaurant or convenience store than a grocery or produce store, according to a study released today by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

The researchers say it's a dangerous ratio in the face of an expanding national obesity crisis: It limits consumers' choices to the convenient rather than the nutritious. Moreover, they say, some areas offer far fewer healthy choices than others.

"Where someone lives directly affects their chances of being overweight," said Harold Goldstein, the center's executive director. "In neighborhoods with fewer grocery stores than fast-food restaurants, the residents not only have higher obesity rates, but they also have higher rates of dying."

Based on its findings, the center recommended that communities offer incentives to increase the number of grocery stores and produce vendors and that they limit the number of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. Further, it endorsed a requirement for providing nutritional information on fast-food menus and menu boards.

Courtesy LA Times

Steve - there are other ways to remedy this situation: the dollar is king! Do not purchase the junk at fast food restaurants and convenience stores while requesting they create healthier fare. If they lose money, they will change their menus. In addition, eat more meals at home so you can better control what you are putting into your mouth.