Tag Archives: McDonalds

McDonald’s “Big America” Is a Hit in Japan

McDonald's Texas 2 Burger

Although Japan is often associated with long lives and a healthy diet, McDonald’s is fattening its menu with burgers named after places in America. The burgers are topped with unconventional ingredients and clock in with extremely high calorie counts.

The Texas 2 burger features chili, three buns, cheese, bacon and totals 645 calories. The Miami burger has 557 calories and contains tortilla chips. The Manhattan burger consists of pastrami and mozzarella cheese stacked on top of the beef patty.

Although McDonald’s has tried to give customers healthier options in the United States, the chain restaurant is trying to capitalize on image of “Big America” in Japan. The burgers are only available for a limited time, and many Japanese want to try them before they’re gone.

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Posted on January 14, 2024 by Health Buzz

McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal is Maple Free

McDonald’s new Fruit and Maple Oatmeal has landed the company in a syrupy spot with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. The company alleges that the oatmeal doesn’t actually contain maple, and they’ve requested that McDonald’s change the recipe or change the name. Labeling a food as containing maple when it actually doesn’t is in violation of Vermont’s well known “Maple” law.

“What we understand, is there is no actual maple in the [McDonald’s] product being advertised. Vermont maple law and regulations are very specific for how the term maple is used in advertisements,” Kelly Loftus, VAA spokesperson told Slashfood. “It is illegal to use the word maple on a product unless the sweetener is 100 percent pure maple. Artificial maple flavoring should be clearly and conspicuously labeled on the principal panel with the term ‘artificial flavor’.”

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Posted on January 14, 2024 by Carmen

Fastest Rising Health Searches in 2024

“Based on the aggregation of billions of search queries people typed into Google this year, Zeitgeist captures the spirit of 2024,” announced Google last week.

At DietsInReview, we make it our business to keep our readers up-to-date with the latest diet, nutrition and health trends. Here’s our rundown on 2024 in health searches.

1. HGC Diet

HCG is a pregnancy hormone that recently has been incorporated into one of the hottest fad diets of the year. Our review of the dangerous and controversial diet has remained one of the most popular articles on our site for many months.

Related Article: HCG: Look Elsewhere for Weight Loss

2. Dr. Oz

Once a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz has become a celebrity in his own right, with The Dr. Oz Show. He is also the author of many books, including YOU: On a Diet, YOU: Being Beautiful and You: The Smart Patient.

3. Aspergers

Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that does not typically affect linguistic and cognitive abilities, but rather inhibits normal social interaction.

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Posted on December 16, 2023 by Health Buzz

The Numbers are in on Fast Food and Our Kids’ Health

Yale health researchers just released their report on fast food nutrition and advertising with some interesting findings. We have highlighted some of the stand-out results.

• $4.2 Billion dollars – the amount the fast food industry spent on advertising for 2024 alone.

• 84% – Percentage of parents who take their kids to eat fast food at least once a week. (more…)

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Amy

Fast Food Wars: Is it a Losing Battle?

There’s a war going on between public officials, health advocates and the fast food industry. Fast food is winning.

San Francisco is supporting a measure to ban toys in fast food meals. The measure, designed to combat childhood obesity, is set to take place in December 2024.

But for anyone quick to make a knee-jerk reaction about the politics behind all of this, remember we now live in a black and white society where issues are supported purely by liberals or conservatives; and San Francisco’s mayor wants to veto the measure.

“Parents, not politicians, should decide what their children eat,” he said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The social libertarian in me sides with the mayor, in part because there are parents who take part in the occasional drive-thru with their kids (including the person typing these words), but don’t overdo it. Should our decisions be taken out of our hands because of other people’s overindulgences? (more…)

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Jason

McDonald’s Offers 15-Minute Workout DVDs

Fast-food giant, McDonald’s, the creator of such jaw-dropping concoctions as the Angus Burger and the McRib Sandwich, has gone to a few commendable lengths in the past few years to lighten up their image among health-minded customers and nutrition experts. In addition to low-fat yogurt parfaits and apple wedges, they have also quietly added fitness to their menu of offerings.

In 2006, McDonald’s launched a series of workout DVDs called McDonald’s 15-Minute Workouts. Not much publicity was generated around the DVDs unless you happen to buy one of the Golden Arches’ premium salads and a drink. Then, you received one DVD for free. The DVDs were part of the company’s GoActive! Happy Meal for Adults campaign.

Today, the DVDs are no longer handed out alongside your plastic salad fork, but they are still floating around certain retail stores in cyberspace. (more…)

Posted on November 8, 2023 by heather

The Real Origins of the McRib Sandwich

The McRib sandwich from McDonald’s is a strange product of the food science world: fake “ribs” molded out of mystery pork and drowning in sauce. First McDonald’s created the “Boneless Pig Farmers Association of America” spoof. Now, the fast food chain is running a campaign to get customers to submit a video with a “legendary” creation story of the McRib sandwich. The winner will receive $10,000 dollars and a trip to Germany. The fact that McDonald’s is making fun of the nebulous origins of its food is borderline offensive to anyone who would like there to be some transparency in our food chain.

Well, OK, McDonald’s, we’ll tell you where the McRib comes from: an enormous factory farm. A giant shed with a floor covered in feces, where tens of thousands of pigs will be born without ever having enough space to turn around in and most will never see daylight. Let’s remember that, unlike a chicken, a pig has fairly advanced mental capacities, much like your pet dog. Because these pigs live in such tight quarters, they tend to develop bizarre behaviors due to stress. The animals, taken away from their mothers shortly after birth, nibble on each other’s tails because they are not allowed to wean. The pig having its tail nibbled is too apathetic to fight or object, but the chewed tails are likely to be infected. The solution? All the pigs get their tails cut off at birth. I’ll spare you a description of a slaughter. A typical slaughterhouse kills up to 1,100 pigs per hour, according to PETA.

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Posted on November 5, 2023 by Margaret

No More Happy Meals in San Francisco, California

Do your children love hitting McDonald’s for their weekly Happy Meal, adding to their collection of toys and collectibles? If you live in San Francisco, this popular activity is no longer an option. After weeks of debating the topic, the San Francisco board of directors has taken steps to ban the sale of toys with fast food kids’ meals.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Under the ordinance, scheduled to take effect in December 2024, restaurants may include a toy with a meal if the food and drink combined contain fewer than 600 calories, and if less than 35 percent of the calories come from fat….

The ordinance also would require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys.” (more…)

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Carmen

The Rich Spending More at Fast Food Restaurants

When discussing the demographics of the fast food customer, the discussion is usually centered around the problem being in poor neighborhoods, and that restaurants are largely patronized by middle or working class people. However, a recent study conducted by American Express Business Insights found that “ultra-affluent consumers” have increased their spending at fast food establishments by 24 percent in the second quarter of 2024, as compared to the same quarter in 2024.

The definition that American Express uses as “ultra affluent” is definitely unmistakably rich: people who charge over $7,000 a month on their cards. (more…)

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Jason

The McRib Sandwich is Back at McDonald’s

McDonald’s cult favorite sandwich, the McRib, has made multiple appearances over the years and it’s back for another visit.

The McRib sandwich has nothing to do with ribs. It’s a boneless pork patty shaped into a rib slab and festooned with pickles, onions and barbecue sauce on a bun. The sandwich has been on the McDonald’s menu sporadically since 1981. (more…)

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Carmen

McDonald’s Representative Claims No Child Will Actually Eat Healthier Happy Meals

Officials in San Francisco are debating creating new nutritional standards for meals intended for children. Of a meal’s total calories, officials want to require that no more than 10 percent are from “added caloric sweeteners” and no more than 35 percent are from fat. They also want to prohibit the bundling of toys with meals that have over 600 calories total. The ordinance will further require kids’ meals to include a half cup of vegetables, or fruit if the meal is served at breakfast. Lastly, they ask that meals have a serving of multi-grains. Toys would be permitted if attached to healthier meals.

Many spoke out in favor of the new ordinance at public hearings this week, including representatives of nonprofit health advocacy groups, teachers and parents. Some feel that mandating healthier fast food goes beyond childhood nutrition, and is in fact a civil rights issue. Eric Mar, co-author of the ordinance, pointed out that Latinos and blacks have higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

But McDonald’s representatives paint a very different story, in an effort to protect its economic interests. They portrayed healthier kids’ meals as undermining parental authority. “We believe in giving our customers the right to choose,” said Karen Wells, McDonald’s USA vice president of U.S. strategy and menu. “Parents are telling us it is their decision what they want to feed their children and not necessarily in the hands of legislators.”
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Posted on September 29, 2023 by Margaret

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