Meal Energy

🍟The average American eats almost 30 pounds of fries a year
You’re going to need a whole lot of ketchup. According to National Geographic, the average American eats nearly 30 pounds of french fries each year.
🍟Thomas Jefferson introduced fries to America
French fries have become a quintessential part of the American diet, but who brought them here? Turns out, presidents have had lots of interesting food preferences, and President Thomas Jefferson is responsible for Americans’ fry consumption. He brought them to public awareness after discovering them while working abroad as American Minister to France. His chef (and slave) James Hemings continued to make them for the president when they returned to the United States.
🍟There’s a museum dedicated to french fries
Whether or not the Belgians actually invented french fries is up for debate, but they sure are proud of their fry-related history, nonetheless. There’s an entire museum in Bruges, Belgium, dedicated to fries. It’s called the Frietmuseum, and it features two stories of crispy, golden history. Visitors can learn about the rich history of potatoes, sample old-fashioned fries and learn the secret to making a perfect batch of fries at home.
🍟Congress tried (and failed) to rename them ‘freedom fries’
In 2003, when France opposed the U.S. plan to invade Iraq, Republicans in Congress tried to take the “French” out of fries. The then-chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Bob Ney, changed the title of the menu option in Congressional cafeterias to the very patriotic “Freedom Fries.” However, the new name quickly fell out of favor as support for the Iraq War did the same. Congress cafeterias put “french fries” back on the menu in 2006.
🍟There are at least 15 types of french fries
French fries are proof that there is beauty in all shapes and sizes. There are at least 15 different styles of fry in existence: standard, waffle, thick-cut, belgian, curly, steak, shoestring, crinkle-cut, sweet potato, cottage, side-winding, tornado, wedge and smiley face, in addition to tots.
🍟‘French fry’ used to be a verb
Though french fries are now exclusively made of potatoes, the term used to refer to a cooking met

🍔 Effect on the digestive and cardiovascular systems
Most fast food, including drinks and sides, are loaded with carbohydrates with little to no fiber.

🍔 When your digestive system breaks down these foods, the carbs are released as glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar increases.

🍔 Your pancreas responds to the surge in glucose by releasing insulin. Insulin transports sugar throughout your body to cells that need it for energy. As your body uses or stores the sugar, your blood sugar returns to normal.

🍔 Sugar and fat
Many fast-food meals have added sugar. Not only does that mean extra calories, but also little nutrition. The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests only eating 100 to 150 calories Trusted Sourceof added sugar per day. That’s about six to nine teaspoons.

🍔 Sodium
The combination of fat, sugar, and lots of sodium (salt) can make fast food tastier to some people. But diets high in sodium can lead to water retention, which is why you may feel puffy, bloated, or swollen after eating fast food.

🍔 Effect on the respiratory system
Excess calories from fast-food meals can cause weight gain. This may lead toward obesity.

🍔 Obesity increases your risk for respiratory problems, including asthma and shortness of breath.

🍔 The extra pounds can put pressure on your heart and lungs and symptoms may show up even with little exertion. You may notice difficulty breathing when you’re walking, climbing stairs, or exercising.

🍔 Effect on the central nervous system
Fast food may satisfy hunger in the short term, but long-term results are less positive.

🍔 People who eat fast food and processed pastries are 51 percent more likely to develop depression than people who don’t eat those foods or eat very few of them.

🍔 Effect on the reproductive system
The ingredients in junk food and fast food may have an impact on your fertility.

One study found that processed food contains phthalates. Phthalates are chemicals that can interrupt how hormones act in your body. Exposure to high levels of these chemicals could lead to reproductive issues, including birth defects.