Fast Food Restaurants - article by Good English Article Sites

Update: Fast food restaurants are coming to the party with healthier choices

Just a few years ago, fast food restaurants were not known for serving health-conscious foods. Fries were cooked in heavily saturated fats. Soda and coffee were pretty much all you had to choose from in beverages. There were even cases of people who made their primary eating spot at fast food restaurants who ended up suing the establishment when they gained huge amounts of weight as a result. This hurt the industry, with their reputation being mainly that of purveyors of unhealthy, high calorie meals. In an effort to redeem themselves, the executives of most fast food franchises began a campaign to revamp their fast food menus to provide healthier meals for their customers.

Saturated and trans fat oils were replaced with more expensive, but healthier cooking oils, such as Canola. They expanded on fast food recipes for salads, offering a greater variety of chef-style salads, with grilled chicken breasts and more fresh veggies in the mix. Low fat dressings, in a greater variety, were introduced. Some began developing healthy beverage recipes, such as smoothies made with juices, fruit, yogurt and real ice cream. Fast food restaurants are convenient places to bring the kids for a meal on the run, so kid's meal choices began to include fruit and fruit juices instead of the standard soda.

Many fast food restaurants promoted their new, healthier, more nutritious menu choices with fast food coupons, designed to regain their previously robust customer base.

These changes to fast food menus, in addition to a rigorous marketing campaign, resulted in a gradual turnaround in flagging sales. Health conscious diners began to return, trying out these new menu items. It's hard for a Mom or Dad to fault a smoothie or Orange Julius as a beverage. Parents who were watching their waistlines embraced the new meal sized salads and low calorie sandwiches. Just about everyone loves fast food restaurant style fries, but not at the expense of developing cholesterol and cardiovascular problems down the road. As the public became aware of which fast food restaurants were now using oils such as Canola in which to cook the beloved fries, sales of this profitable menu item increased dramatically.

So, once again, America might be described as a fast food nation. It's comforting to know that public opinion, expressed by avoiding patronage at the fast food places, mattered, even if motivated by profits. Still convenient and inexpensive places to eat, we can now also consider the fast food places a somewhat healthier stop for a quick meal. Good for them – and good for us!

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