LET ME GET UHHH…
Fast Food Was Never Built for Us.
Just Marketed To Us.
We didn’t end up here by accident.
Black and Latino communities are overexposed to fast food marketing from childhood.
Studies show that:
Black youth see 75% more fast food ads than white youth (UConn Rudd Center).
Latino families are bombarded with ads for sugary drinks, processed meats, and fried foods, especially on Spanish-language TV (NIH).
These ads sell speed. Sell joy. Sell affordability. But what they’re really selling is sickness.
Let’s break it down:
Pink slime (aka ammonia-treated meat slurry) still makes its way into fast food ground beef
Seed oils like soybean, canola, and corn oil are used for frying, and they’re pro-inflammatory, gut-disrupting, and often rancid by the time they hit your plate
Artificial dyes and flavors like Red 40, Yellow 5, and “natural flavors” contribute to everything from hyperactivity in kids to hormone disruption in adults
We didn’t lack discipline.
We lacked disclosure.
We weren’t raised wrong.
We were marketed to young.
And let’s be clear, our intent isn’t shade. It’s awareness.
We know the loyalty runs deep. The craving is real. The felt defensiveness is understandable. Because we’ve been conditioned to identify ourselves by what they sold us.
We’re not coming for you.
We’re coming for the image they sold, and offering you what you love, in a way that’s actually good for food.
TBH? You should eat burgers.
Potatoes are God’s modern version of shapeshifting manna. Fresas con crema should refresh you, not inflame you.
But not at a cost even the companies wouldn’t dare pay themselves.
5 Flipped Favorites (Drive-Thru Edition)
At G4F, we’re not in the business of taking. We’re in the business of trading, trading half-truths for whole ones when it comes to what’s in our food and what it’s really doing to our bodies over time.
We don’t believe in guilt-tripping you out of what you love. We believe in offering a way back to it, healed, remixed, and still hitting.
So in that spirit, we’re doing what we love to do around here: offering a few flips.
Check them out, and let us know what you think!
1. McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger ➝ Anti-Inflammatory Sliders
The Problem:
Ammonia-treated beef – mknown as “pink slime,” shown to be added in U.S. ground beef via ammonium gas treatment (gut disruptor + banned in several countries)
heart.org+3cen.acs.org+3pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+3academia.edu+7sgp.fas.org+7centerforfoodsafety.org+7
High-fructose ketchup (blood sugar spikes + liver stress)
Enriched bleached bun (zero fiber + blood sugar crash)
Seed oil–grilled patties (omega-6 overload → chronic inflammation)
2. Hot Cheeto Fries ➝ Chili-Lime Roasted Wedges w/ Hot Dust
The Problem:
Red 40 dye: synthetic dye linked to hyperactivity and behavioral issues in some children (linked to behavior/hyperactivity) health.clevelandclinic.org+1businessinsider.com+1eatingwell.compmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+9medicalnewstoday.com+9epicurious.com+9
Maltodextrin: hidden sugar that spikes blood glucose
MSG: shown to interfere with leptin signaling and appetite regulation, promoting weight gain and inflammation
(disrupted hunger signals and inflammation) health.clevelandclinic.org+15pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+15medicalnewstoday.com+15researchgate.net+2reddit.com+2pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+2verywellhealth.com+12researchgate.net+12bonappetit.com+12
Corn-based oil: omega-6 overload → inflammation
3. Jack in the Box Tacos ➝ Air-Fried Lentil + Turkey Tacos
The Problem:
Mystery meat slurry: ultra-processed, low-grade protein; processed meats are linked to inflammation and disease
GMO corn tortillas: often sprayed with glyphosate; pesticide exposure is linked to gut and immune issues
Preservatives: artificial preservatives have been shown to disrupt gut microbiome
Hydrogenated fats: trans fats that raise LDL and lower HDL, linked to heart disease verywellhealth.com+4eatingwell.com+4health.osu.edu+4bonappetit.com+1nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu+1
4. Fast Food Chicken Sandwich ➝ Almond-Crusted Thighs + Honey Aioli
The Problem:
Hydrogenated oils: trans fats, linked to heart disease and banned after 2018, raise bad cholesterol
Bleached flour breading: empty carbs, no fiber, when refined, spike blood sugar
Artificial “buttermilk flavor”: chemicals with no nutrient value
MSG + added sugar: fuel overeating + mood swings
5. Fresas con Crema ➝ Cashew-Cream & Berry Bowl
The Problem:
Artificial vanilla: synthetic, petrochemical-derived additive (no nutritional benefit)
Sweetened condensed milk: ultra-high sugar, linked to insulin spikes and gut imbalance (exacerbates blood sugar and inflammation)
Processed sugar: feeds inflammatory pathways
Mystery thickeners: linked to gut irritation and bloating
“We Got Food at Home”
Was Survival, Now It’s Power
We all remember the line.
“Can we get Chick-fil-A?”
“Do you got Chick-fil-A money?”
“Can we stop for tacos?”
“We got tacos at home.”
What used to sound like lack was actually survival. Our parents didn’t always have the ingredients for health, but they refused to give up the kitchen. And that matters more than we ever knew.
Now we get to flip that legacy into something powerful:
Keep the flavor.
Keep the culture.
Stock a pantry that hits with the same satisfaction, but comes with healing, not harm.
Because your kitchen deserves flavor and function.
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