Can McDonald's Lead the Way in Nutrition?
Is healthy eating at fast food restaurants a oxymoron? According to McDonald's very own registered dietitian, Cindy Goody, no it isn't.
Cindy says McDonalds are now leading the way in nutrition in the fast food industry.
The real deal on nutrition at McDonald's is that all food fits into a healthy, active lifestyle... it is the customer's responsibility to make choices from a varied menu. Source
Yes, I agree -- in part. I don't think if you eat fast food, your heart will stop on the spot. And, I also believe in the idea of eating all things in moderation. But, can we go as far as saying McDonalds are now leading the way in nutrition in the fast food industry?
Granted, McDonald's are making some kind of an effort, with things like 100 percent fruit juice, apple dippers, fruit yogurt parfait, fruit and walnut salads popping up in restaurants.
The company are also trying to lower the number of calories in kids' meals, and reduce the sodium content.
I can't argue with these -- they are certainly good moves.
But, I really can't see myself going into McDonald's to order a salad, apple dippers and some water. Perhaps I'm just biased!
A few weeks ago, Ted posted a poll asking "how much fast food do you eat?". I find it interesting that most of the DB voters claim they don't eat any fast food in the month.
This makes me wonder if McDonald's efforts to provide healthier food is futile. Perhaps people who care about their health simply don't go to fast food joints in the first place.
For those who do eat fast food regularly, do you think having healthier options will lead to healthier choices?
For me, putting fast food and healthy in the same sentence is a pretty confused statement! But, what do you think?
14 Comments
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Created / Updated: May 14, 2010
Please - are you really going to believe anything McDonalds says? Watch the movie, "Fast Food Nation" to find out what you're really eating at fast food restaurants.
ReplyI've been meaning to watch that, you recommend then?
ReplyI'm hoping Yoshinoya spreads out across the country more.
ReplyFreshness Burger too. Funny, Yoshinoya always hit the spot. Or just have the yakisoba carts.
ReplyI'm a vegetarian and a healthy eater. The only fast food places that really have options for me (without a lot of fuss) are subway and taco bell. Taco bell is kinda gross. I couldn't tell you the last time I went to Subway. So I agree with you. Healthy eaters just don't go to fast food places. I don't even consider them options anymore.
ReplySubway is clearly the winner in healthy fast food, but if you narrow it down to burger places, I'd say Wendy's is ahead of McDonald's. They took the trans fat out of their fries (in ALL LOCATIONS) way before McD's finally did, and they've been offering baked potatoes and reasonably healthy chili since before it was cool for fast food places to serve healthy food.
ReplyI agree , Subway isn't too bad. Although, I think I got food poisoning from there once, so it's put me off a little. I know, that could happen anywhere, but I still associate being ill with Subway.
ReplyI agree with previous posters that most people that want to eat healthy food do not tend to visit fast food joints. I loathe fast food joints because they usually have a limited number of "healthy" options and even those are usually pretty sad-looking. Subway is the only place I'll really eat at because they offer more vegetable options than other fast food places. I'm pretty sure that most people that eat at McDonald's aren't going there for the salads. But it would be nice if they offered a few more healthy options for the health-conscious family members of the people that insist on eating there and dragging them along with them.
ReplyWhat no one ever mentions are the other toxins that are in the food. Animal feces in the hamburger, chemicals like chlorine and ammonia that go into processing the meat and chemical flavors that make fast food taste good. Many of these chemicals are addictive and have not been tested for safety. Bon apetit!
ReplyWhat? Feces in the hamburger???
ReplyI'm a teenager so a lot of my friends are fast food junkies. As much as I try to avoid fast food no matter what I do I'll eventually find myself at a Wendy's or McDonalds from time to time. Just having the healthy options there is a definitely a huge help because I'll always have some "pretty" good options when it comes to fast-food.
ReplyYou make a great point, I'm sure lots of people are in a similar situation.
ReplyI'm not really a fan of McDonalds but I think people like eating there because they serve healthy food.It is also bad to eat everyday in a fast food cause it has alot of chemicals that you didn't know.
ReplyYes - there's inevitably cowshit in ground meat. And that's not all. Watch the movie "Food, Inc." and you may never eat meat again!
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