Jack in the Box Calories
Carbs, Fat, Nutrition

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Nutrition Data Chart for Jack in the Box Posted Below

Weight Gain Caused by Fast Food

Fast food has been around for decades and decades, yet recently we hear more and more how fast food contributes to weight gain.

Odd that until recently, fast food didn't appear to present such a problem in regards to weight gain and obesity.

Although most fast foods are high in fat and calories, eating fast food every now and then isn't enough to blow up the weight scales.

And these days with everyone growing more conscious about health, many fast food restaurants are responding by offering healthy choices on the menu.

Keeping these issues in mind, we have our own take on how fast food can cause weight gain. After we touch on this area, we'll discuss how eating healthy can also trigger an increase in pounds.

How Fast Food Can Cause Weight Gain

I remember when I was a little girl - numerous moons ago, my daddy used to stop and buy the family a soda every now and then.  We didn't have much money, so those rare occasions were indeed special.

In the beginning, the bottles were of normal size, eight-ouncers.  But as the years passed, my daddy graduated with the times until his eight-ouncer became a one-liter bottle. And it just wasn't daddy because the entire nation had become one big gulp when it came to portion sizes - and not just with drinks.

The next time you visit your favorite fast food restaurant, size up the serving sizes. How big are the burger buns? The meat? Single or triple decker?  What about the amount of cheese?  Fried or baked?  

Too much of a good thing can indeed cause weight gain, particularly at a fast rate when foods become supersized.

When dining out, order the smaller versions of your favorites.  Example:  Order a kiddie burger all the way and see if that satisfies your appetite.  Skip the sodas and opt for water - or water and lemon - or a diet friendly drink.

As a note, my mom has an ancient Squirt bottle, a rather satisfying drink of her time.  I'm not even certain if Squirt is still around.  Nonetheless, she used this teeny tiny bottle as a salt shaker for many years, then finally stored it away as it became closer to being an antique.  The bottle held about four ounces, once considered the average serving size for this treat.

Weight Gain Caused by Unhealthy Food Choices

Weight gain is often caused by making poor food choices at meal time.  While a baked potato contains about 120 calories for the small variety, when fried the calories are more than tripled.  In fact, one Tablespoon of most oils contains as much as the potato.

So as we can see, making smart food selections is just one method of fighting weight gain. Here are a few tips that may be of help in making the most healthy of food choices:

- Foods closest to their original state contain fewer calories that their processed counterparts.

- Salads are generally very low in calories until we pad them with salad dressing, croutons, grated cheese and bacon bits.

- Soups with broth-bases rather than cream-bases generally hold fewer calories.

- Opting for low calorie beverages is one of the best defenses against weight gain.

- Don't cut fat completely from the diet as some is necessary for optimum health.

In Summary

Become a label reader for just a bit.  Learn about the calorie content, about which foods are lowest in calories.  You'll not only be trimming calories from your diet, but trimming down your waistline in the process.