The term “fast food” generally refers to food that people intend to consume quickly, either on- or off-site. There is plenty of well-researched evidence demonstrating the various negative health effects of eating and overeating fast food, in both the short- and long-term.
Many fast food establishments now list the number of calories each of their items contains. However, this is only part of the consideration of whether it is healthful or not.
Fast food is typically very poor in terms of nutrition. According to a study paper in the journal Health Promotion Perspectives, fast food tends to contain various substances that are generally unhealthful. It is high in sugar, salt, and saturated or trans fats, as well as many processed preservatives and ingredients. It is also low in beneficial nutrients.
Not all fast food is bad, and a person can make an informed choice by doing research to find out the nutritional content of particular fast food items. These are available on the websites of most major restaurants.
However, even the more healthful fast food items are generally high in sugar, salt, saturated fats and trans fats. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion note that the typical person in the United States consumes too much of these.