How often do you eat fast food?

When people all over the world are looking for a quick, easy meal to grab on the go, fast food is the common solution. With the efficient service, low prices and casual atmosphere, fast food seems like the ideal "all-American" choice. In fact, over 25 percent of Americans consume fast food every day.

Fast food does not have to be unhealthy, but most of the time it is; consumers often order foods with more fat, calories, sugar and sodium, and less nutrition and vitamins than is necessary. Keep reading to find out some more about what makes fast food so common in America and how to pick healthier options.

Just how common is fast food in America?

According to this Google map, there are close to 50,000 fast food chains across the United States, with McDonalds being the largest restaurant chain. In the world, there are more than 500,000 fast food places. Kids between the ages of 6 and 14 eat fast food 157,000,000 times every month. Ninety-six percent of kids in school could recognize an image of Ronald McDonald, the face of McDonalds. The only recognizable figure that ranked higher was Santa Claus. To top it off, Americans spend nearly $100 billion on fast food every year.

The recommended amount of fast food intake per week is 2 times, at most. Even that should be cut down on too, if possible.