| Every day, 7 percent of the U.S. population visits | | | | grocery stores. As it stands, about 90 percent of |
| a McDonald's, and 20-25 percent eat fast food of | | | | the money that Americans spend on food is used |
| some kind, says Steven Gortmaker, professor of | | | | to buy--that's right--processed foods. |
| society, human development, and health at the | | | | Think about it ... if it comes in a box, can, bag or |
| Harvard School of Public Health. As for children, 30 | | | | carton, it's processed. The fact that these foods |
| percent between the ages of 4 and 19 eat fast | | | | are so readily available, and, often, of such poor |
| food on any given day. | | | | quality, has led some, like associate professor of |
| But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Americans | | | | pediatrics at Harvard David Ludwig, to say that |
| get processed food not only from fast-food | | | | they're actually discouraging healthy eating and |
| restaurants but also from their neighborhood | | | | leading to a "toxic environment. |