Tag Archives: McDonalds

The Fast Food Habits of Men

Ladies, we men are pretty easy to figure out. Most of us enjoy sports, think about sex a lot, love grilling meat and drinking brews on the weekend, and then thinking about sex some more.

If I’m to take a new survey of men’s fast food eating habits to heart, I’d say we are pretty predictable in that department as well. Market research company Lab42 conducted an online survey of 18- to 35-year-old men via social networks, all of whom admitted to frequenting fast food joints. Here is some of what they found out:

  • McDonald’s is at the top of the heap, with 90 percent of the men saying they went there at least once in the past month. (more…)

What’s Really Lurking in Your McDonald’s Combo Meal [SLIDESHOW]

A cheeseburger is a rather simple food, right? You probably make these a few times every summer on your deck. Ground beef, slice of cheese, few veggies, condiment or two and boom- a juicy burger. No, not the healthiest, but there are far worse things for you, and you can always do a lot to make it healthier — lean beef, reduced fat cheese, top with roasted peppers and avocado instead of mayo. You get the idea.

However, that seemingly same burger at a fast-food restaurant, like McDonald’s, is no where near as simple and is the epitome of junk food. Calling it food might be a compliment.

While we’ve singled out the largest fast-food chain as an example, much of what you’ll learn in this slideshow, provided by FoodFacts.com, is replicated in restaurants across the country.

Do yourself, and your body, a favor and educate yourself on what you’re eating. Knowing what’s in your food, and opting not to eat it, is your way of casting a vote that says “no, I do not want this,” and the only way food producers will hear your message.

View What McDonalds is Hiding in its Food Slideshow

Fast Food Companies Fight Back Against Toy Bans in Kids’ Meals

When I was a little kid, I wanted to go to McDonald’s every week to get the newest Happy Meal toy. Sure, the food was yummy, but my main motivation was definitely the toy. Now, toys in Happy Meals and other fast food meals are facing extinction as new legislation is attempting to decrease childhood obesity in our country spreads from San Francisco to other cities, such as New York City.

Many activists – including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition, and obesity experts at Tufts University – are claiming that the toys used to promote children’s fast food meals are a main contributor to the childhood obesity epidemic. They claim that these toys encourage children to eat unhealthier meals, such as chicken nuggets and french fries.

Although this can be the case at times (as it was for me when I was younger), banning these restaurants from using toys to promote their products does not seem right to me. McDonald’s, Sonic, and several other fast food restaurants have started offering milk and juice with their kids’ meals instead of soda. They are also offering apple slices instead of french fries. When it comes down to it, it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor what their child eats; the parents allow their children to order sugary sodas and fattening french fries. Banning restaurants from using promotional items will not stop parents from buying their children unhealthy foods.

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Health Advocates Want Ronald McDonald Axed

image: babble.com

The red and yellow-clad clown is in the crosshairs of health advocates again. As you may recall, concerned citizens have called for McDonald’s and other fast foods to stop including toys with their child menu items. Many critics would like to see all marketing of fast food items to kids be done with for good. That includes one Ronald McDonald.

I’m certainly an advocate for reasonable legislation in the fight against obesity. However, this is where parents need to step up to the plate and be parents. I’m a parent of two young children myself, and while we will occasionally partake in drive-through meals, I’ve never felt that Happy Meals or any other kids-based food marketing ploy rendered me helpless in making the right decision.

Leading the push to put Ronald six feet under is a group called Corporate Accountability International.

“Through this initiative, the public health community is rallying behind a simple message to McDonald’s: stop making the next generation sick – retire Ronald and the rest of your junk food marketing to kids,” said Steven Rothschild, a professor at Rush Medical College and a backer of the resolution. (more…)

How Fast Food Buzzwords Fool Consumers

Fast food restaurants try really hard to fool us into thinking their foods are good for us, as counter-intuitive as that may be. It starts with the images in their commercials where the foods are glistening with each slice of tomato, lettuce, and grilled chicken breast or burger nicely stacked on top of each other.

Then you have some of the buzzwords that they use. This part really gets under my skin because it’s such a brazen way of being deceptive – walking that tight rope of legality, while using words that imply the other words that they can’t actually use!

So, when a fast food commercial wants to tell you that their foods are healthy, but obviously can’t, they go for the next best thing: words like wholesome, fresh, all-natural, premium, or 100 percent whatever. (more…)

Fun Green Drinks For St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and the holiday brings to mind all things green. One of the best ways to get into the spirit is with green food and drink. Rather than adding food coloring to your milk – tried and true, been there, done that and need to move to something more fun – why not try some of these great green drink options? Beware that some are better for you than others, but all are green!

Green Tea – Packed full of flavonoids, green tea is known to have fat burning properties and has been enjoyed in China and Japan for years.

McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – This cult favorite has an enormous following, as is evidenced by a website devoted to “Shamrock Shake sightings”. The shake may be tasty, but it is nutritionally a disaster, with 550 calories in one 16 ounce serving. 13 grams of fat and 96 grams of carbs means you’ve blown your diet in just one drink.

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Subway Overtakes McDonald’s: What It Means for Health

Subway logoThis morning, the internet is buzzing with the news that Subway now has more restaurants globally than McDonald’s, which has long been the largest restaurant chain in the world. The Wall Street Journal reports that Subway now has 33,749 restaurants worldwide, compared to McDonald’s 32,737. As many discuss the two companies strategies for expansion overseas, I found myself wondering what this means for global food culture.

Subway has worked hard to promote the idea that its sandwiches are a healthier option, from their slogan of “Eat Fresh” to their promotional campaign featuring Jared Fogle. Yet there is much to consider before you bite into a footlong sandwich.

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No Truth Behind McLobster Sandwich Rumors

UPDATE 3/3/11: It seems the McLobster is just a rumor. McDonald’s took to their Twitter site to clear the air: “Despite all the rumors there r no plans 2 bring #mclobster or mcsushi 2 the US menu. We r working on a new menu item called McWinning.”

“McLobster” has recently been a trending topic on Twitter. What’s all the fuss about this unknown sandwich? In fact, people are wondering  – is it really even a true sandwich?

It sounds like something that would be found in an episode of Spongebob, but the McLobster sandwich  is actually a real sandwich. Rumors have surfaced saying that McDonald’s will be offering it at all of their restaurants in the coming months. When contacted for clarification, McDonald’s has indicated that the sandwich is not on the menu, although there is a commercial online.

But what is the McLobster? Will it really appear on your local McDonald’s menu?

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Lyfe Kitchen Promises Sustainable and Healthy Fast Food

A few former McDonald’s big-wigs are breathing new life into the fast food industry. They’re throwing out the artificial ingredients and hauling in a sustainable chain of restaurants that Americans can be proud to eat at. Lyfe (Love Your Food Everyday) Kitchen is scheduled to open it’s first location this summer. If all goes according to plan, 250 more will open in the next five years. With a healthful nod to philanthropy and eco-friendly practices, Lyfe promises to give us a refreshing take on fast food.

Time Magazine’s Healthland describes Lyfe as, “a no-butter, no-high-fructose-corn-syrup and fried-food-free restaurant chain.” Forget about fast food, Lyfe is all about providing good food, fast. Co-founder Stephen Sidwell said, “Every decision we make — from using eco-friendly building and packaging materials, to ingredients we source, to providing an engaged service team and partnering with local nonprofits — will engage and inspire our guests, and ultimately, have a tremendous impact.” Lyfe intends to offer a chain that models social and ecological responsibility. Ingredients will be sourced locally and there will be plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Their target audience is women, ages 18 to 49, seeking health food. Healthier options of more traditional fast foods (like a big, juicy burger) will be available as well.

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Leave it to McDonald’s to Turn Oatmeal in to Junk Food

How does a warm bowl of fruit and oatmeal rate on the healthy-breakfast scale? Surprisingly low, if it’s from McDonald’s. Fast food joints have a stunning talent for taking a nutritious meal and morphing it into junk food. It’s only natural for McDonald’s to lead the pack with their Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.

Mark Bittman, writer for The New York Times, put it perfectly when he said, “A more accurate description than “100% natural whole-grain oats,” “plump raisins,” “sweet cranberries” and “crisp fresh apples” would be “oats, sugar, sweetened dried fruit, cream and 11 weird ingredients you would never keep in your kitchen.” Bittman also points out that you may as well grab an Egg McMuffin, it’s only 10 calories more than the FMO (as McDonald’s so affectionately calls it) and in some areas costs half as much. To be fair, it is among the healthiest items they have available, but that really isn’t saying much.

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McDonald’s Healthiest Menu Choices

It’s happened to all of us. You’re on the road, you’re hungry and your only option is fast food. So what do you do? You choose the healthiest option possible! But looks can be deceiving. We did some research on what is the healthiest menu option at the popular fast-food chain McDonald’s and if you’re looking for a meal, there weren’t a lot of choices, but there are some.

We selected the below food options based on feedback from registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. All meals have less than 500 calories and about 500 milligrams of sodium, as part of the new daily sodium recommendations from the U.S. government.

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