A recent article ranking the “unhealthiest fast food sandwiches in America” attempts to tackle a serious issue but completely misses the mark. By focusing on calorie counts, sodium levels, and fat content, it perpetuates a shallow narrative about health and nutrition. Worse yet, it distracts from our food industry’s real, systemic problems.
It is time to throw these fast food rankings in the trash, where they belong, and start talking about what really matters.
The Obsession with Calories Is Misleading
Calorie counting has been the go-to metric for labeling foods as “healthy” or “unhealthy” for decades. But it is an outdated and oversimplified way to think about nutrition. The article points out the calorie counts of these fast food monstrosities as if that is the most critical measure of their impact.
The real issue is not the calorie count, it is the quality of those calories. A 600-calorie meal of grass-fed beef, pasture-raised eggs, and healthy fats will nourish your body in ways that a 400-calorie sandwich packed with processed oils, refined carbs, and artificial additives never could.
What’s Really in That Sandwich?
The article completely ignores the ingredient lists of these fast food items. It is not just the calories or the fat, it is the preservatives, artificial flavors, dyes, and low-quality ingredients that make these sandwiches harmful. The so-called “unhealthiest” sandwich might have fewer calories than some alternatives, but if it is loaded with chemicals like BHT and artificial dyes, is it really the better choice?
We should be talking about the systemic issue of how fast food companies use cheap, ultra-processed ingredients to maximize profits at the expense of public health. But instead, the focus stays on arbitrary metrics that do not address the root of the problem.
The Bigger Issue: A Broken Food System
The food industry has mastered the art of shaping consumer habits through aggressive marketing and convenient, low-cost options. Articles like this one implicitly suggest that there are “better” fast food choices, which only reinforces the idea that fast food is a reasonable part of a healthy diet. The truth is, the entire system is flawed.
Rather than arguing over which sandwich is better in a lineup of bad options, we should be questioning why these options are so pervasive and why real, nutrient-dense foods are harder to access.
The Solution: Real Food, Real Change
Instead of ranking garbage food, we should be encouraging people to reclaim their meals with real, wholesome ingredients. Imagine skipping the drive-thru and making a meal at home. Grass-fed beef seasoned with Goodnight’s Famous Steak Spice or a hearty bowl of chili using Goodnight Chili Seasoning. These meals are not just healthier, they are satisfying, delicious, and free of the industrial additives that dominate fast food.
Real change starts with real food. We need to shift the narrative from calorie counting and fast food comparisons to a focus on nutrient density, food quality, and the joy of cooking at home.
Conclusion
Fast food rankings are a distraction, not a solution. They perpetuate the myth that we can fix our health by choosing “less bad” options from a fundamentally broken system. It is time to throw these rankings in the trash and start demanding better. Better food, better information, and a better food system that prioritizes health over profit.
The best choice is not in the drive thru. It is in your kitchen, where real food and bold flavors can transform your meals and your health.