"national fast food day" news and stories

Happy National Fast Food Day!

As calorie-conscious as you may be, admit it: Odds are, you have an affinity for some sort of fast-food guilty pleasure, whether it's a sausage-egg McMuffin on Mondays, Big Macs after work or Taco Bell nachos just because. More than 25 percent of Americans eat fast food on any given day, while three out of four Americans eat fast food two or three times a week.

According to Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, "Fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society." Today, we spend more money on the calorie-packed grub than on technology, cars and education, and average American individual spends more on fast food than their own media expenditures combined -- including movies, magazines, books, MP3s, CDs and DVDs!



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Admittedly, we have mixed feelings on celebrating National Fast Food Day. But despite the merited fast-food backlash, there's something to be said for throwing caution and health to the curb and indulging in a fatty fast-food burger and fries once in awhile.

It's a sad state of eating affairs that today, 19 percent of American meals are consumed in the car, and fast food has become not simply a convenience or indulgence but the norm. That being said, fast food isn't all bad -- in a continuing trend, some chains are starting to take a markedly different route in fast yet conscientious cuisine, in the vein of Chipotle's "Food with Integrity" motto or Zankou Chicken's aim for freshly prepared fresh food.

Are you a discerning fast-food eater? Take our poll to reveal your fast-food eating habits, then spill your thoughts on fast food eating in the comments.



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In the month that houses the nation's premier evening of gluttony -- the average American consumes some 4,500 calories every Thanksgiving Day, not to mention seemingly endless leftovers -- it's no wonder November is a dreaded month for dieters nationwide. But despite its most famous celebration, the month also ironically serves as the healthy host to National Pepper Month, Vegan Month, National Pomegranate Month, and National Peanut Butter Lover's Month.

Excuses for culinary celebrations range from tame (National Sunday Day, Nov. 11), to obvious (National Turkey Day -- you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day), to practical (National Leftovers Day follows Turkey Day), to downright bizarre (Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, Nov. 9). So get cooking -- if only for the holidays that you can stomach.

Notable national food holidays for the month of November, after the jump...