It’s funny how a woman sued McDonald’s for having HOT coffee. Oh my! What an earth shaking travesty, her hot beverage was hotter than she expected. I can’t wait for people to start suing McDonalds for making them fat. I mean, that double quarter pounder with cheese might be more calorie dense than you expected, too. You could make millions!
False! It doesn’t take a lawyer to figure out that when the nutrition facts are plainly available to you, you are not being deceived if you overindulge in a 1,000 calorie dinner. Do your homework. A Yale study published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that only 6 out of 4,311 people looked at available nutrition information at fast food restaurants including McDonald’s before purchasing their meal. Are you kidding? Less than .1%? No wonder the nation’s pants are fitting tighter.
The good news is that one hopeful day in the future, you’ll be able to see nutrition information clearly posted on many menu boards, to help make your decision healthier. But in the meanwhile, many restaurants, fast-food and non, have all the nutrition information available in the stores and online, so be a responsible eater. And take heart! Not all fast food is junk food. In fact, you really could do far worse than McDonald’s for dinner if you choose wisely and only indulge occasionally.
Here’s a brief quiz to test your McDonald’s IQ. Which is worse, a Premium Crispy Chicken sandwich or a Quarter Pounder? If you guessed the quarter pounder, you are WRONG. There are a lot of deceptively ‘healthy’ sounding choices on the menu, but just because you choose chicken over beef doesn’t mean you’re doing your body any favors. Stay away from fried anything. Here are some other easy swaps to make your fast food run a little more heart friendly.
Instead of This
Quarter Pounder with Cheese (510 calories, 26g Fat, 12g Sat Fat)
Premium Crispy Chicken Sandwich (530cal, 20g Fat, 3.5g Sat Fat)
Big Mac (540 calories, 29g Fat,10g Sat Fat)
Large Fry (500 calories, 25g Fat, 3.5g Sat Fat)
Order This
Quarter Pounder, no cheese (410 calories, 19g Fat, 7g Sat Fat). You’ll save 100 calories, 7g Fat, and 5g Sat.
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic (420 calories, 10g Fat, 2g Sat Fat) You’ll save 90 calories, 10g Fat, and 1.5g Sat.
Small Fry (230 calories, 11g Fat, 1.5g Sat Fat) You’ll save 270 Calories, 14g Fat, 2g Sat.
Don’t hate or sue the golden arches. Be one of the smart .1% of people who reads nutrition information. And be happy with your happy meal.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Make good choices on packaging as well! Say no to plastic and take your own glass straw to minimize plastic waste and BPA leaching!
May 10th, 2009 at 5:36 am
I went through McDonald’s nutritional lists to see what was best to order as well and found Premium Ceasar Salad with Grilled Chicken and Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken to be the best options when you are at McDonald’s. See my article on McDonalds nutrition.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:42 am
I’m going to tell a few of my friends about your site. I’ve learned a lot reading here. Thanks!
May 12th, 2010 at 7:19 am
I loved this picture! I have watched “Supersize Me” twice and I will never eat fast food again. Even the healthiest thing on the menu is still bad. None of those food products are organic. All vegetables are grown in nutritionally depleted soil, the meat is injected full of antibiotics,growth hormones, and the drinks are sweetened with various types of poison. Another thing that I have found is that there is something in the food that causes a person to eat more. I can eat a big Mac, large fries, a large coke, an apple pie and still be hungry.