Fast Food Nutrition

This project will help you become a fast food detective. You will research your favorite fast-food meal, create an at-home alternative and investigate your favorite fast-food company's advertisements.

ACTIVITY #1: Choosing Good Websites for Research

Step 1: Choose a fast-food meal.

Using the list below, choose a fast food restaurant and then select a meal of your choice. You will need to use the worksheet provided by Ms. Bright to document all of the nutrients found in your meal.
You will need to include ALL the ingredients (including condiments such as mayo, lettuce, ketchup, etc.).

Fast Food Choices:

Check Here For Prices: Fast Food Source NOTE: You will need to click on the link "Search by City" on the left side of the screen and select "WA Seattle." Then click on the restaurant of your choice on the right side of the screen.

Step 2: Create an at-home alternative.

Using one of the calorie and nutrient calculators below, you will design an alternative meal that is similar to your fast-food choice, but can be made at home. You will need to use the worksheet provided by Ms. Bright to document all of the nutrients found in your meal.
You will need to include ALL the ingredients you use (including condiments and spices.)

Calorie and Nutrient Calculators

USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory
MyFood-A-Pedia
Nutrition Analysis Tool 2.0
Measurement converter (to help plan how much food you are planning to include in your meal.)
Nutrition Data Nutrient Search Tool (to help you plan your meal)
Safeway (to find nutrient information on products or recipes)

Step 3: Research an advertisement from your fast-food restaurant.

You will select one internet, newspaper, magazine or TV ad for your restaurant.
You will compare what the advertisement says or shows about the food with what you actually know about the food served.
Answer the questions below that will help you think about and analyze your ad.
- Why do you think advertisers use slogans or catch music?
- What is appealing about this ad or commercial?
- What might the advertiser be leaving out of the ad and why?
- Does it make a difference to you if a celebrity is in the ad or commercial?

Helpful hints:

Remember to choose an add that contains two or more of the following: people (or animals, cartoon characters, etc.), words, food products.
Make sure the ad is actually produced by the restaurant (and it's not a fake ad that has been "photoshopped" or is a joke)
Check the fast food restaurant home page for current adds.
If you use a TV commercial, remember that you will need to print out a screen-shot of part of the commercial for your project. *Pause the video and then print the image or copy it to another document to print.
- To take a "screen shot" or picture of a part of the screen on a Mac:
  - With one hand, hold down Command + shift + 4.
  - The cursor will turn into a bulls-eye.
  - Use the mouse to click, drag and select what you want to capture in your screen shot.
  - Once selected, let go of mouse button and the three keys. The image should show up on your desktop as a picture file.

Web sites that might help:

Your restaurant's home page (see the list above).
Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality
Retro fast food commercials choose a decade and then click on fast food.
YouTube has a lot of commercials, but it is not available on campus.