DARE TO ASK: To him, super size describes the workers

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

It seems like every time I go to McDonald's or Wendy's, the workers are fat. Why is this?

Logan, 15, male, Orange Park

Replies

Just a theory: They can't afford to eat healthier, lower-fat diets. Adults working in fast-food establishments probably aren't at the top of the wage scale, and it's been noted before that healthier diets are relatively more expensive. I'd imagine you'll see the same thing in other relatively low-wage jobs.

Cari, female, Austin, Texas

A lot of adults and kids are fat. Fast-food franchises pull their workers from the general population, so it stands to reason that a lot of their workers will be fat. I'm not sure if you're trying to make some causal connection or bizarre political statement, but I'd bet most fat fast-food workers were fat before they started working there.

Ann, 38, Kansas City, Mo.

Expert says

We downed a burger "all the way," plus potentially authentic onion rings and a diet Coke (diet!) from the T-U's cafeteria to get in the right mood, then phoned Margo Wootan, director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.

We quickly realized we didn't have much time for this silly interview -- we pined to visit the newsroom's clean, modern bathroom facilities to fully re-create the fast-food experience.

Wootan was featured liberally in Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock's 2004 film documenting the nasty health and weight effects of his 30-day exclusive McDonald's diet. (Spurlock's people said he was indisposed and couldn't be interviewed -- all right, they didn't use that word, but it conjures up an appropriate image, as Spurlock suffered terribly during filming and even lost his lunch on camera after a harrowing try at scarfing another Double Quarter Pounder, Supersize fries and Supersize drink.)

Where were we? Oh, yeah, Wootan. There doesn't appear to be any published data verifying whether fast-food workers are fatter or thinner than the general population, she said.

Because people tend to think of fast food as unhealthy, "He [Logan] may be projecting on the workers that they are unhealthy. ... Does he have the same impression of wait staff at sit-down restaurants? The amount of calories and fat at sit-downs is actually higher than at fast-food places because the portions are bigger. A sit-down burger can be 900 calories, vs. 300 at a fast-food place."

While one might reasonably assume many fast-food workers are in lower-income brackets, the relationship between obesity and income is "not that straightforward," Wootan said. Low-income women, for example, have been found to be more overweight on average than higher-income women, but it's the opposite for low- and high-income men.

Minding calories while surrounded by cheese-fries or chalupas can't be easy, she said, but fast-food workers ought to bring their own lunch to work when possible.

"And watch out for liquid calories. ... There are six or seven teaspoons of sugar in a glass of presweetened tea. My husband drank fountain soda where he worked. Once I talked him into switching his diet, he lost 10 pounds."

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers, or mail to Phillip Milano, c/o The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Include contact information.