facts and figures about food

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Page 1: Facts and figures about food

FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT FOOD.

Fruit and vegetables have become less nutritious

Although fruit and vegetables are one of the best sources of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, research findings published in the journal HortScience suggest that they have actually become less nutritious than they were 50 years ago, due to new agricultural methods which have stripped nutrients from soil. In fact, according to one study, it would take eight oranges to get the same levels of vitamin A as it would in one orange a few generations ago. To make sure you get enough vitamins, try to buy organic produce where possible and eat more fruit and veg.

Chocolate is as healthy as fruit

Perhaps this good news comes too late if drought predictions are to be believed, but research has suggested that chocolate can be just as healthy as fruit. When tested and compared to juices from ‘super fruits’ such as blueberries and pomegranate, dark chocolate was found to be higher in antioxidants, which are essential for fighting disease and preventing wrinkles. For a healthy treat, it is best to go for a pure dark chocolate as milk, sugar and too much processing can reduce these health benefits. The 2004 study noted that regularly eating fast food doubles your chance of developing insulin resistance, which heightens risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The number of people worldwide living with diabetes has more than doubled since 1980, from 153 million then to nearly 350 million in 2011, according to a report in "The Guardian."

Weight Gain and Obesity A typical fast food meal is extremely high in fat and calories. Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than you burn in a day. In a 2004 study published in "The Lancet," researchers found that eating more than twice per week at fast food restaurants is linked to significantly more weight gain over time than occasional visits. Similarly, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 noted that living near a fast food restaurant is linked to a 5.2 percent greater risk of obesity.

Toys One of the most powerful marketing tools that fast food restaurants use is the promise of a toy with the purchase of any kids' meal. The food inside the meal is far less important to most children than the toy that comes with, the Colorado State University Extension reports. When fast food restaurants offer versions of the most popular toys on the market, children want to eat the food so they can get the toy. The problem isn't the toy, but the lack of nutritious food that children eat to obtain the toy. Most kids' meals are high in fat, calories and salt, but low in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium and iron.

McDonald’s facts

Page 2: Facts and figures about food

3. McDonald's feeds 68 million people per day, that's about 1 percent of the world's population. 1. McDonald's' daily customer traffic (62 million) is more than the population of Great Britain. 11. For the next three years, McDonald's is going to open one restaurant every day in China. 6. McDonald's hires around 1 million workers in the US every year. This estimate from Fast Food Nation assumes a 700,000 domestic workforce with 150% turnover rate. 7. McDonald's has 761,000 employees worldwide, that's more than the population of Luxembourg. 8. According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's. 9. Sharon Stone worked at McDonald's before she was famous. So did Shania Twain, Jay Leno, Rachel McAdams and Pink. 13. Americans alone consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year – five and a half million head of cattle.