I have gone two years without having more than a tea and the very rare McFlurry (my weakness but only three in this time) from a fast food restaurant.  This is a significant decrease from my high school days when I would eat fast food a minimum of three times a month and my first two years of college where it was quick, easy, and cheaper than other options and would be up to half of my diet at times. This change came about for many reasons. The more I ate this food the worse my body felt. I was told by many friends the serious health problems I would cause if I did not reduce my intake and I realized that this food was not even close to the healthy food all my friends were eating.

Although I was not obese, I noticed weight gain as my fast food intake increased and a very large part of my diet was highly processed food. The change in diet was for my benefit as much as to resist what these restaurants are making our food market into. The food was very greasy and over all unhealthy due to the way it was made. This unhealthiness was leading to my weight gain because my calorie intake increased while my daily exercise not only did not increase but slightly decreased due to increase of studying.  The food I was eating was coming from highly industrialized farms. I make a point to go to local farmers markets for food, including ice cream, to support smaller farms in my area. The money I am not spending on fast food is not getting into the hands of large farmers. I know this is an almost unnoticeable change to these large companies but it is a more effective change to the small farms I work to support.