Having just watched 'Fast Food Nation', based on the book by Eric Schlosser, I'm all about vegetarian options. I spent the whole 114 minutes absolutely horrified as the ins and outs of the evolving fast food industry were dramatised and exposed. I knew that wherever manufacturers were focused on high volume, low cost production that the welfare of animals and immigrant labourers was often going to fall through the cracks. What I didn't know was just how brutal the industry can be.

However, what really threw me off balance was the issue of faecal matter slipping into the beef burger production line if cows are carelessly and hastily butchered. One burger company executive implied that it doesn't really matter what's in the burgers so long as they're cooked through properly — which was nice. I should point out here that the movie is a fictional portrayal of the subject, so it's not a documentary, however, the story does revolve around the facts in the book.

What's also alarming is that while in 1970 Americans spent $6 billion on fast food, in the year 2000, they spent $110 billion. Inflation and population increase aside, that's one hell of a jump. To give you some perspective, $110 billion is more than Americans spent on either higher education or new cars, or on books, movies and newspapers combined.

There's no doubt that in Bermuda, we've experienced a similar increase in the amount of fast food we consume. We may have evaded the golden arches, but we still have a multitude of fast food options. The average American consumes three burgers and four portions of fries a week, I wonder how close we are to that here.

In a country with a high proportion of single parents and adults holding down two or three jobs, fast food is arguably useful for helping us to get by.

But more fast and processed food means more salt, more sugar and more saturated fat, which means more obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

So fast food may seem cheap, but there hidden costs — the cost to our quality of life and the cost of medical expenses and rising insurance premiums.

Whether you read the book or watch the movie, 'Fast Food Nation' is certainly an eye opener. Just because it focuses on the States, doesn't mean the information is not relevant here. The abattoir scenes haven't turned me into a vegetarian, but there will certainly be less red meat in our house from now on — one sad husband, lots of happy cows.

Question of the week: Are veggie burgers better for you? Isn't the salt content high? — Hypertensive in St. George's

In my view, especially after watching 'Fast Food Nation', the burgers you absolutely want to avoid, are the mass produced, cheap patties that you'll find in the freezer section in some fast food restaurants here and in mainstream burger joints overseas.

Burgers freshly made at home or in a restaurant are likely to be healthier, as they tend to be made with lean ground beef, with less chance of contamination from any nasties. I would always ask for your burger to be well done, as undercooked ground beef opens the window of opportunity for bacteria such as E coli.

Aside from the moral argument of vegetarianism, one of the main reasons that people choose veggie burgers is because they are trying to cut down on the saturated fat and cholesterol in their diets — normally with a view to managing heart disease or weight gain. Certainly the saturated fat content of veggie burgers is much lower, but if you load up the bun with bacon, cheese and mayonnaise, you will still crank up cholesterol and saturated fat intake significantly. The burger itself is only half the battle — the add-ons are often wildly unhealthy.

And you are certainly right to note the sodium content of your food — a high sodium intake has indeed been linked to hypertension (high blood pressure.) Veggie burgers do often contain a significant amount of sodium: Boca burgers contain 280mg per burger (12 percent daily value) and Morningstar burgers contain 260mg per burger (11 percent daily value.) In addition, the Boca burgers also contain cheese so whilst they are much lower in cholesterol than beef burgers, they do still contain some cholesterol.

Yet, while the sodium content of these burgers should certainly be noted, these values are not nearly as high as many other pre-prepared meals.

So long as you make an effort to make other low sodium choices, I wouldn't let the sodium put you off too much, especially as the veggie options tend to be lower in saturated fat.

My favourite veggie burgers for all around good health, and in fact the only ones I would buy, are the organic Sunshine Burgers in the freezer section from both Lindos (Devonshire) and Harrington Hundreds. They are low in saturated fat and have a sodium content ranging from 240mg to 320 mg per burger, depending on which variety you choose.

Therefore, whilst the sodium content is comparable to the other veggie burgers, there's no long ingredient list of odd and suspicious foods. Sunshine burgers are made from brown rice, sunflower seeds, carrots, herbs and sea salt — that's it.

Whichever kind of burger you choose, go easy on the condiments; ketchup, mustard and mayo can all be high in salt. Also, never add additional salt to your food, either before or after cooking. If you like the flavour of salt, most grocery stores stock something called Nu-Salt, a potassium salt that tastes great with zero sodium. Ultimately, keep you sodium content to less than 1500mg daily. It sounds a lot, but that's only two thirds of one teaspoon.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291 4725 or clinicalnutrition@gmail.com. Course details: www.nutrifitbermuda.bm.