The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
You might think it’s some crazy conspiracy theory, but it’s no myth that restaurants use certain interior colours to directly affect your eating habits. It is one of the reasons why fast food always makes you gain weight. It’s not only the colours of the walls and chairs either; restaurants also use food psychology strategies within their menus and marketing. This type of play on food psychology and manipulation has been going on for far too long. Read on as we reveal some of the many fast food restaurant lies we all fall for…
Top Secrets They Don’t Want You To Know!
We presume that most people have visited McDonald’s at least once in their life. Let’s just admit it – every once in a while you crave a Big Mac, or those clever enticing adverts suck you in. It happens to the best of us, and we are not here to judge in anyway. However, you might be shocked to learn that there are a few secrets fast food chains would rather keep to themselves. And we’re going to spill the beans, so to speak! Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight.
Why Do We Crave Fast Food?
We probably don’t need to remind you that fast food is definitely not an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. And, of course, it certainly won’t help you with weight loss. Every dietician and nutrition expert will agree that eating excess amounts of fast food can do irreversible damage to your body. But what is it about these places that keep us coming back for more? Why exactly do we crave that Big Mac or Kentucky Fried Chicken, for example? Are there certain secret ingredients included in the food? Or is it all in our head?
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
These are questions we are going to answer for you in this blog, including some of the top things they don’t want you to know. It’s also a good idea to point out now that marketing and advertising when it comes to the fast food industry play a far bigger role than you might have imagined. All the secrets they don’t want you to know…
Red and Yellow Play a Big Part in Fast Food Psychology!
You might have heard that the colour red makes people feel hungry. Research suggests that our appetite is piqued when we see the colour red. Furthermore, when we see red in restaurants, it makes us feel hungry! And it doesn’t matter whether it’s part of the interior, or exterior colour scheme, or even in the branding and marketing. The end result is still the same: we feel hungry! And yes – Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight.
However, the interesting thing about red in the area of food psychology is it’s often coupled with yellow. Red and yellow are used so often together, far more than you realise. For instance you see it in the logos and different colour schemes throughout all major fast food chains. And it’s no coincidence either; this is deliberate mind manipulation!
Watch Out For Red And Yellow
Red and yellow is such a common phenomenon that some researchers call it the ketchup and mustard theory. The basis of red and yellow, at least in combination, results in perfect psychological companionship and makes us want to stop and eat. Red makes us feel warm, almost comforted, and even loved. Yellow, on the other hand, does something completely different. It’s a colour that makes us feel very cheery, but at the same time, it also speeds things up.
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
The Secrets They Don’t Want You To Know
Most fast food outlets use red and yellow throughout their advertising, branding and restaurant decor. And, whether it’s McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, or Pizza Hut, they all follow a similar philosophy. Basically they want to entice you in, process your order very quickly, so you sit down feeling excited and hungry. But then they also want you to eat fast and leave so the net family can quickly take your place! In other words they want us to eat up and get out ASAP!
8 Top Secrets Fast Food Chains Don’t Want You To Know
So far we’ve told you about the importance of colour coordination in restaurants and how marketing is a bigger part of fast food than the actual quality of the food. And now, we are going to share with you the 8 top secrets fast food chains don’t want you to know. Some of these might turn your stomach, but at the same time it will also open your eyes to the real dangers of eating fast foods. The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For.
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
#1 They directly manipulate what you order
You may think you’re in control in a fast food restaurant, but the sad fact is you are not. Fast food chains get you as soon as you walk through that door, or pull up to the menu board in a drive-through. Beware the “combos”! They are not about you saving money; it’s all about controlling exactly what you eat. The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For.
The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
The harsh reality is that for fast food chains, it actually pays to sell us more food for less money. We naively think we’re getting a real bargain when we order the combo meal. However, it costs just pennies for a chain to produce the actual food that’s coming out of the window. At hamburger chains, “combination meals” make up a massive 31% of all purchases. The average combo meal is around 1,200 calories, and about ⅓ of those are from predetermined sides that the chain decided on for you.
#2 It all tastes the same
Fast food has a very distinct taste, and this rings true no matter where you decide to go. The burgers all taste the same, the fries all taste the same and even the milk shakes taste the same. This is because they’re all calibrated and processed to appeal to our taste buds. The appeal is engineered in a way that keeps us eating. We also have a page dedicated to all the reasons why we love sugar, fat and salt.
The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
The part of our brain called the hypothalamus responds and craves a variety of sweet, salty, and bitter tastes. As a result, we naturally snack on a variety of foods in order to achieve a saturation point with all the different tastes. But fast food is highly engineered to satisfy all of those cravings at once, with an addictive, highly palatable, scientifically designed combination of sugar, fat and salt. And this is precisely why it’s so easy for people to become addicted to fast food and never crave anything else.
#3 You’re getting fries with that, whether you like it or not!
According to a study done at Eastern Illinois University, 85% of people will eat more when servers offer them more. This includes “super-sizing”, or adding on those extras you didn’t intend ordering. Even servers behind a cash register must “up sell” when it comes to fast food. Food psychology also dictates that it’s harder for us to say no to an offer when it comes directly from another person.
#4 Today’s food is even unhealthier then it was 30 years ago
We realise this one is quite shocking, but it seems that we take in up to twice as many calories from fast food restaurants than we did 30 years ago. Obviously portions have increased generally, but also the food itself contains more calories. For example, an average fast food outlet pizza now has 70% more calories, a cheeseburger 75% more, and French fries a massive 190% more!
#5 Your fountain soda is dirtier than your toilet
Yes, this one is gross, so if you don’t want to know, and would rather remain ignorant, then go ahead and skip it. But the fact of the matter is those ice-machines are incredibly hard to clean, and the bacteria content is literally off the scale. Studies found that, 70% of the time, ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than the water in a toilet bowl! Also, in several cases, the ice tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which comes from human waste.
#6 Fast food meat is cleaned and mixed together with chemicals
Just when you thought we’d finished grossing you out…! Sorry, but we’re not finished just yet. So now we’re just going to go ahead and show you this video from Jamie Oliver. Yet another of the fast food restaurant lies we all fall for! There’s not much else to say really…
#7 “Flame Grilled” is misleading to say the least!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but those “grill lines” on your chicken, ribs, or burgers are fake! The simple truth is that no flames have been anywhere near the meat in any fast food joint’s back kitchen. The grill marks are there to make us think the meat was flame grilled. Those marks are either branded on at the factory, or even worse, painted on with dyes. Worst of all, artificial smoke and char flavourings are added just to complete the illusion.
#8 Think salad might save you from all of the above? Think again…
In recent years, fast food chains made it seem as if they were starting to offer healthy lifestyle options, by adding what we assume to be healthy salads to their menus. But unfortunately, you can’t even pronounce some of the ingredients they contain; try saying propylene glycol three times fast, for example! Many chains dust their salads with that chemical to keep the leaves crisp. It’s considered safe for human consumption. However, you may be surprised to learn that it can also be found in antifreeze and sexual lubricants.
The Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
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Award-Winning Weight-Loss Solution
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Martin and Marion Shirran
Articles about our successful clients have appeared in many different newspapers, including the Daily Mail, The Times, The Telegraph and the Express. Additionally, magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Hello, Woman, Reader’s Digest and Psychologies have featured our work.
Over a thousand people, including medical professionals, celebrities, and members of the public, have travelled from around the world, to experience our weight-loss treatment. They invested their time and money because we are regarded as specialists in the weight-loss arena. We reveal some of the secrets fast food restaurants don’t want you to know!
Successful Weight Loss
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Secrets Fast Food Restaurants Don’t Want You to Know
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The treatment is based on proven science, incorporating Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Clinical Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Neuroplasticity. It also includes our own Life Architecture Therapy, along with TCBT, our upgraded version of CBT, which is the subject of our bestselling book, published globally by Hay House. Professor Windy Dryden, of Goldsmiths University in London, endorsed the book, and Professor Philip Zimbardo, of Stanford University in the USA, wrote the foreword.
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
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Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
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Marion Shirran, as a director of Oxford Therapeutics Limited, is proud to be a registered Stakeholder in NICE – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Additionally, she is involved in the government’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity.
We were proud to be nominated the ‘Most Innovative Obesity Psychological Therapy Service’ in the UK Mental Health Awards 2022.
We also appeared on the This Morning TV show, with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
And, in 2010, we travelled to New York to be interviewed on the Good Morning America TV Show.
We are also co-authors of two, bestselling books, on the topic of non-surgical weight loss, published by Hay House.
FAQ 1: What are the tricks restaurants use to make you think that their food is healthy and nutritious?
ANSWER: Fast food restaurants are masters of psychology and use ploys to make you think they’re making you healthier. For example, many offer wraps or salads alongside burgers and fries. It’s a ploy to make their clients feel better about what they’re eating. However, the majority of items on the menu contain high levels of sugar and bad fats. To be honest it is one of the reasons Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
Secrets they don’t want you to know
Clever marketing and use of colour and text is another technique to manipulate our perception. There are a lot of tricks that fast food chains use to make the eating process more pleasurable for the customer. The bright colours, the appetising smells, the ‘healthy’ tags on signs; these messages help build up our perception of fast food as being healthier than it really is.
The tactics they use are not always obvious, so it pays to be aware of them. Some of the tricks include swapping white flour buns for wheat or wholemeal versions, substituting ketchup with a fruit-based sauce, and creating an extra large menu with reduced calorie options. One trick they use is to put a statement on the menu which says that a meal would be healthy if it was ordered in moderation.
FAQ 2: 1. What are the most unhealthy fast food items?
ANSWER: Fast food is a term we use to describe anything that tastes good and comes quickly, but most of the time, fast food is not very healthy. Some of the unhealthiest items on fast food menus are burgers, fries and milkshakes.
Fast Food Restaurant Lies We All Fall For
Also, the most unhealthy fast food items are often those that are advertised as healthy, but are actually not. When you look at the nutritional information, make sure to look at the ingredients. Some examples of unhealthy fast food items include salads that have high trans fat content, and chicken sandwiches with too many mayonnaise-based ingredients. Ask for a side of veg instead of fries or onion rings to get more nutrients in your diet without all the extra calories.
FAQ 3: Why is it so hard to stop eating fast food?
ANSWER: There are many reasons that are out of our control. Firstly, fast food restaurants are masters of marketing. They use the latest food psychology, and clever packaging to make it seem like they’re offering us only what’s healthy and nutritious while they’re actually endangering our health. Because in reality, fast food is full of hidden sugars, salts and bad fats.
Also, we can’t stop cravings and we have difficulty staying away from foods that provide us pleasure. And unfortunately, because fast food contains an addictive combination of sugar, fat and salt, it triggers the reward centre in our brain. Therefore it stimulates the production of dopamine, the same feel-good hormone that drug addicts experience.
During the My Weigh Less Course, we provide advice on how to stop eating unhealthy food and start making positive lifestyle changes, including making healthier choices around food.
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
Below is a selection of weight-loss tips that everyone can start using straight away. And, if you enroll in the My Weigh Less Course, you will learn many more of our helpful tips and techniques about how to achieve successful, permanent weight loss.
Tip No. 1 – Only Eat When You’re Hungry!
This has to be our number one, golden rule, when it comes to achieving successful weight loss. In our experience, most overweight people eat for many different reasons, other than physical hunger. But, if you allow your emotions to control your eating habits, then it is unlikely that you will be able to control your weight as a result. So, before you reach for anything to eat, stop and ask yourself first if you physically NEED to eat, or you just WANT to…
Tip No. 2 – Use a Smaller Plate!
You’ve probably heard this many times before, but it’s a fact that people who use larger plates tend to eat more food than those who eat from smaller plates. No doubt you know about the power of optical illusions. But are you aware of just how much more generous the same size portion of food appears, when presented on a smaller plate, instead of a larger one? Have a look at the image below. It’s known as the Delboeuf optical illusion. If you stick to our mantra, “always go for quality over quantity”, then you will definitely lose weight much more easily.
And remember what we said earlier about how fast food restaurants encourage people to super-size their meal. Now we’ve let you in on some of the secrets they don’t want you to know, please don’t fall for their lies any more!
Tip No. 3 – Drink a Glass or Two of Water Before Your Meal!
Reduce your calorie intake by over 20%, with almost with no effort! Research results, published by Harvard Medical showed that people who drank two large glasses of water, just before eating, on average, consumed around 20% less food compared with when they didn’t drink anything before they ate. This is possibly as a result of the stretching and fullness sensation in the stomach.
Tip No. 4 – Eat Slowly and Mindfully!
A growing number of studies have consistently found a correlation between speed of eating and weight, so it is officially accepted now that faster eaters are definitely more likely to become overweight. Studies have also shown that people are much more likely to eat more when their eating is mindless, as opposed to mindful. So, make meal times an occasion by sitting down at a table, with no distractions. Then eat slowly and savour every mouthful. You will naturally eat less food and also find it easier to lose weight as a result! Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight.
Tip No. 5 – Stay Away From Sugar and Highly Processed Foods!
It’s a fact that sugar and highly processed foods have addictive properties! So much so, that many people find that once they start eating these foods, they literally can’t stop. And, of course, if you’re making such poor food choices, this in turn will make it almost impossible for you to lose weight. So, our advice is to choose healthy, unprocessed foods and limit the amount of sugar you consume. As a result, you will have far more control over how much you eat and also how much weight you can lose. It’s time to stop believing the fast food restaurant lies we all fall for!
Tip No. 6 – Eat Your Favourite Foods on the Plate First!
You may not be aware of how important this tip is, but the order in which you eat your food can actually have a big impact on how much you consume! It’s quite common for overweight people to “save the best til last” when eating. In other words they only eat their favourite food right at the end. It’s not so surprising then, that they also tend to eat everything on their plate, regardless of how uncomfortably full they feel. Because, of course, they don’t want to miss out on the “best bit”!
However, our advice is to eat your favourite things first. Not only will you enjoy it more, but it’s also much easier to stop when you’ve eaten just the right amount and leave the rest on the plate.
Why Fast Food Always Makes You Gain Weight
You can read a full breakdown of all the components included in the treatment package on the Course Details page. There is also an explanation of the treatment on the Does This Work? page. We look forward to working with you. Additionally, you can read reviews from medical and other professionals on the Medical Endorsement page.
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You can download the complete My Weigh Less course, and start your weight-loss journey today.
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