Hamburgers aren't necessarily more obesogenic than rice and beans, depending on the specific type of bun and condiments.
Rice has a fairly high glycemic index. Nothing wrong with eating some rice in moderation, but getting the majority of your calories from rice isn't healthy.
I recently learned about the real danger of fast food - the hidden sugar content. Not only does it mean hidden calories, but apparently the stomach also has neurons that can "sense" the sugar, causing dopamine spikes (and consequently increasing sugar cravings.)
They are, if they're designed to be addictively delicious.
McDonalds and their ilk, have created taste formulas that are nearly irresistable. I've seen people from foreign countries come to america who've never tasted anything other than their local cuisines who can't imagine eating anything else. but the second they sink their teeth into a McDon hamburger, they are hooked.
MSG has been shown as a super reliable way to make mice obese: there's even a scientific procedure named after it: "MSG induced Obestity". It's a standard procedure used as a precurser to obesity experiments on rats. If it's that reliable on rats, just imagine what it would do to humans.
I love my hamburgers I made at home more than the hamburgers you get at McDonald. Not sure if it's healthy or whatever, but I don't add sugars other than the buns I get from the grocery store.
I don't think fast food restaurant necessarily create delicious superpalatable food.
Rice has a fairly high glycemic index. Nothing wrong with eating some rice in moderation, but getting the majority of your calories from rice isn't healthy.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/a-good-guide-to-go...