Opinion

Is Taco Bell worth it?

I love Taco Bell. It is easily my favorite fast food restaurant. Whenever getting a quick bite to eat is mentioned, I immediately suggest Taco Bell. As a college student, the Bell is a wonderful medium for going out to eat and being cheap. However, Taco Bell and other fast food chains have received a lot of publicity about the “nutritional” values of their food.

It is true that fast food is, in fact, bad for you. I’m not here to contest that, but I have to wonder… Are the negative health effects worth that wonderful chicken quesadilla?

In 2004, a movie called “Supersize Me” was released, aiming all of its attention toward McDonald’s for its subpar food and hazardous health effects. Over the course of the documentary, Morgan Spurlock, the star of the film, eats McDonald’s for 30 consecutive days. Spoiler alert: He gains 24 pounds in one month, and his doctors advise him to stop eating McDonald’s before the 30 day period has expired. Yikes.

The issue doesn’t stand just with McDonald’s; let’s pick on Taco Bell for a second. A couple of years ago, Taco Bell was involved in a lawsuit (sued by Beasley Allen law firm) for selling meat that didn’t exceed the Food and Drug Administration standards for packaged meat, according to foxnews.com. The case was dismissed after Taco Bell stated 88 percent of its meat was beef, and the other 12 percent was a signature recipe. Signature recipe? That sounds as if something is wrong… 0Looking further into the meat issue, Taco Bell actually adds food coloring to their beef to make it look like real meat. Huh. It is odd that a company would dye their food to make it look edible unless it really wasn’t edible.

According to eatingwell.com, children consuming artificial dyes were found to have higher levels of aversive behaviors than children without exposure to the artificial dye. Other studies have found that these dyes include excess calories and fat.

I love Taco Bell. I really do, but it is time to start fueling our bodies with food that will give us consistent vigor throughout the day; vigor that will make us feel refreshed and revitalized after we have eaten. Doesn’t that sound so much more appealing than sitting on a toilet until the next trip to Taco Bell?