Just Supersize Me!

The January 2008 Conde Nast Portfolio article by Joe Keohane - Fat Profits -had a great article on the new mega burgers that are hitting the scene across the fast food industry.   From the Wendy's Baconator to the Carl Jr's $6 Burger to the Hardee's Monster Thickburger, there seems to be no end to the oversized burgers. These babies pack a serious punch with the Triple Whopper weighing in with over 80 grams of fat and most of these burgers pushing the 1200 calorie mark.  That is for one burger alone and nearly the total recommended calorie intake for most Americans.  At least by the FDA standards.

Many of the fat police have cried a foul and demanded that most fast food companies reconsider their offerings.  In the wake of the movie "Supersize Me" and the book "Fast Food Nation", these recent menu offerings seem to rub it in the faces of these do-gooders.

I for one hate to see local municipalities get involved in the battle of the bulging waist line. Many of the headlines from last year covered how local governments were trying to fight businesses and companies to not have trans-fat and other harmful items on the menu.  The City of Chicago went as far as banning Foie Gras! What will be next? And don't our leaders have more important matters to tend to?

If everyone is so concerned about the American public getting fat and the fat epidemic, then should we not really focus also on exercise? In all of this debate, I can never recall any of the fat police calling aloud that Americans need to get off the couch and away from the TV and go run a couple of miles.

In the Conde Nast article, Andrew Pudzer, CEO of CKE claims to eat as many as four or five times a week as his company's restaurants, yet he remains slim due to a running schedule.

Can the fat police go find something else to find fault with? The real problem as to why America is so fat goes beyond our food offerings in our fast food restaurants.