Remember Jared, the Subway weight loss guy who turned Subway into a diet phenomenon? Since then, fast food has not been the same. Increased awareness of what America is putting into their mouths, particularly on the fast food end, has made fast food chains nationwide rethink their business. Taco Bell is just the latest to join the bandwagon with its line of Fresco items.
Christine Dougherty is a testament to the Taco Bell Fresco diet. She currently can be seen on TV in commercials that mirror Subway Jared’s meteoric rise to fame. Dougherty needed to lose weight, but didn’t have the time or inclination to starve herself or start a fad diet. Instead, she opted to try Taco Bell. Why not? It’s fast, convenient, and actually not horrible on the body.
Putting out the Chihuahua, and adding fresh healthy meals has helped Taco Bell change its image from Mexican heart attack waiting to happen to healthy meal alternative. Dougherty, herself, went on to lose 54 lbs as a result of her fast food diet. She now makes a pretty penny as Taco Bell’s own weight loss spokeswoman.
The Taco Bell line of Fresco food is an effort to put calorie counting consumers’ minds at ease. With new laws in many states that require fast food chains to list calories on each food item, companies are increasingly coming up with new ways to incorporate healthy eating into otherwise unhealthful meals.
Is fast food really good for America? Many nutritionists would say no. No matter what the freshness or amount of lettuce and tomato, fast food is not exactly a super food. How much people eat is certainly a factor, and fast food tends to have bigger portions and plenty of cheats like fries, cheese, and sodas. What’s more, a meal that touts itself as being healthful may really contain hurtful ingredients such as excessive amounts of sodium.
Interestingly, Taco Bell itself claims on its commercials and website alike that Dougherty’s results were not typical, and the food items themselves are not low calorie. The tacos on the Fresco menu are simply trimmed up: instead of cheese and sauce, they have salsa and lettuce.
The diet worked for Dougherty, who didn’t want a major lifestyle change and didn’t like to cook, because she reduced calories. Any diet that reduces calories will result in weight loss.
Time will tell if the age of fast food diet will result in more good than bad. Even spokesmodels can get caught slipping (Jared was recently caught in less than svelte form).
The good new is that Americans are becoming more health conscious and want to eat better. Fast food chains are catering to this new mindset. This could mean less health problems in the future and less of a burden on the health care system on the whole. Obama would be proud.
Written by Lani Shadduck
HULIQ.com
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