Extended research

Though it plays a major role, living a healthier life does not depend fully on nutrition, exercise is an important factor. The Eat Smart. Play Hard (http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/eatsmartmaterials.html) campaign by the USDA emphasizes just that; encouraging parents and children to make healthier nutritional choices, as well as exercise. As a tool to propel their ideals, they employ the food pyramid, encouraging people to intake the proper amounts of foods in each category. From looking at the pyramid (http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html) and the tips that referred to the specific categories it is evident that eating more fruits and vegetables is desirable for a healthier diet, as is reducing the intake of fats. According to this article (http://exercise.about.com/od/healthinjuries/a/healthylifestyl.htm) the necessary changes do not have to be drastic, they can be as simple and minor as swapping one item of food for a healthier alternative, for example switching normal milk to fat-free or reduced fat milk.
This site (http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm) sums up the different aspects of a healthy diet and healthy eating habits; it covers a range of topics, from eating patterns to nutritional value and intake amounts. This article (http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm) helps people in deciding which choices are more sensible at fast food chains, emphasizing the fact that smaller portions and less fatty foods are overall healthier. Portion sizes are crucial to understanding and limiting caloric intake, smaller is better as you’d eat less as opposed to the situation where, “… you put more food in front of you, you'll eat it because it's there,”(http://www.enotalone.com/article/9071.html).

Derived tagline 1: Food. Less please.

Restaurants, fast food or not, produce a lot of waste (http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/fast_food), contributing heavily to litter problems in cities. In addition to that they also pose a threat to the environment, due to the fact that most fast food restaurants do not use recycled materials for their packaging nor do they recycle and reuse those materials (http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=6725&codi=7972&level=4&idproducttype=8). This is partly due to the nature of the product, as the consumer who is getting food in a hurry may not take the time to properly dispose of the waste that is left over, not to even mention recycling the waste, such as paper and Styrofoam. While paper is less abrasive on the environment, Styrofoam (http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/218/1/Recycling-styrofoam.html) has quite the negative impact on the environment and people, because it takes a long time to decompose and reintegrate back into the environment. It also poses health threats to humans, since it’s production involves know carcinogens and to animals who experience numerous negative effects upon ingestion of Styrofoam. Considering cost and environmental impact, it is clear that recycling these two common packaging materials used in fast food is necessary to make fast food more environmentally friendly.
The other source of fast food waste is the food itself. It can be reduced greatly by reducing portion size, so that the chances of food being left over goes down all together. If there is food waste left over after a meal, it can be eaten later as “left overs” or reintroduced back into the environment through composting as one of the techniques mentioned here (http://www.helium.com/items/718792-best-ways-to-recycle-fast-food-waste).

Derived tagline 2: Eat what you can; reuse what you don’t.

Even though the target demographic of fast food restaurants is children and teens, (not their parents) as mentioned in this interview (http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s954539.htm), it seems like just changing the time of the advertisements to a time when more adults are watching could easily reach another demographic and convey a message that would be more family oriented. The article also mentions that we need to reduce the amount of advertising done by fast food restaurants in an effort to prevent the children from instilling a positive image about fast food in their minds. Advertisements can be used to promote a family friendly atmosphere in fast food restaurants (http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/2/9/9/pages112994/p112994-1.php), since it has already been able to associate fast food with many aspects of popular culture, like a Hamburger making someone’s day or losing weight like Jared from Subway.
An alternative to eating fast food as a family, quick and easy meals can be prepared at home to allow meals to be eaten at home with the family, many sites offer tips (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/family_nutrition/14965) , strategies (http://thescramble.com/) and recipes (http://busycooks.about.com/cs/easiestrecipes/a/easiestrecipes1.htm) to make this happen. The meals that can be made at home appear to be more cost effective and healthier than those acquired at fast food establishments, though it depends upon what comprises the meals, as discussed here (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040505/health/health2.html).

Derived tagline 3: Eat healthy fast, with or without the family.

The quality of food is becoming more and more similar in fast food restaurant and traditional restaurants link (http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=293840) . Fast food restaurants are offering more prestigious cuts of meat in their sandwiches and doing it for less than traditional restaurants, Carl’s junior and Burger King are the most prominent in this trend with the six dollar burger series and the premium angus beef burgers, respectively. The price is the most important factor of the fast food chains’ strategy (http://www.potatopro.com/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=2321), since they are targeting consumers who have less disposable income as a result of the recession. Fast food may seem like the unhealthier choice between the two, but due to the larger meal sizes at sit-down restaurants, the opposite may be true (http://health-and-age.squarespace.com/health-topics/2008/12/31/fast-food-meals-are-not-as-bad-as-sit-down-restaurant-meals.html). The staggering numbers of calories and grams of fat in sit-down restaurant meals can also be seen here (http://www.fraserama.com/archives/21-Whats-Worse-Fast-food-or-Sit-Down.html).

Derived tagline 4: Faster is better!