| Is eating at McDonald's the new path to weight | | | | instead of a Coke, further cutting caloric intake by |
| loss? Can fast food burgers, fries and sodas fit | | | | 50 calories and boosting protein and calcium |
| into your diet and weight loss program? For | | | | (comparison vs. small Coke Classic). |
| years, the answer has been a resounding NO. But | | | | Upon request, Burger King now provides Mott's |
| lately, Wendy's, Burger King and many other fast | | | | Strawberry Flavored Applesauce in place of |
| food chains have made changes to help | | | | french fries which will save you 270 calories and |
| consumers stick to a healthy diet. | | | | 18 grams of fat (comparison vs. medium fries). |
| Why have fast food companies finally started to | | | | Wendy's will honor customer requests to |
| pay attention to healthier food choices? Simply | | | | substitute mandarin oranges for french fries, |
| stated, because it's good for business. Americans | | | | sparing you a belt-busting 360 calories and 21 |
| are trying everything from the newest weight | | | | grams of fat (comparison vs. medium fries). |
| loss pill to Weight Watchers to lose their extra | | | | Not only are the fast food giants allowing healthier |
| fat, spending ".....more than $40 billion in 2004 on | | | | substitutions, but they have also added a selection |
| weight control pills, gym memberships, diet plans | | | | of fairly nutritious menu options. McDonald's new |
| and related foods, estimates Marketdata | | | | Fruit & Walnut Salad has only 310 calories and 13 |
| Enterprises, which studies the weight loss | | | | grams of fat, while their Fruit & Yogurt Parfait |
| industry" (Source: cnn.com; 1-14-2005). Statistics | | | | boasts 160 calories and 2 grams of fat. In some |
| from the Centers for Disease Control and | | | | markets Burger King is offering a Veggie Burger |
| Prevention (CDC) indicate that 80 percent of | | | | that has only 340 calories and 8 grams of fat |
| overweight individuals and almost 87 percent of | | | | when you order it without the mayonnaise. |
| obese individuals are trying to lose or maintain | | | | Now McDonald's has given consumers looking for |
| their weight. | | | | fast weight loss another tool: easy to read and |
| Any fast foods company that's paying attention | | | | easy to find nutritional labels. In the past, |
| to public sentiment and trends has made changes | | | | customers wanting to find nutrition facts on their |
| to make their menu more palatable to the health | | | | fast food choices either had to search in the |
| and fitness enthusiast. McDonald's, long an industry | | | | restaurant for a hard-to-find poster or go online. |
| leader, has made tremendous strides in this area | | | | Now, in what is being called a 'bold move', |
| culminating in their recent announcement that all | | | | McDonald's is planning to put these nutritional facts |
| fast food packaging will soon include nutritional | | | | right where they're easiest to find - on the |
| information. But have they gone far enough? | | | | product wrapper itself. "McDonald's Corp. |
| -> Fast Food = Fat Food: | | | | customers will soon know that the Big Mac they |
| No matter how many healthy new products are | | | | bought contains almost half their recommended |
| introduced onto the fast food menu boards, the | | | | daily fat intake just by looking at the wrapper. In |
| problem is that their core products are high in fat | | | | its latest measure to fend off critics that blame |
| and calories. Consider these typical meals from | | | | the world's largest restaurant company for |
| McDonald's: | | | | contributing to rising incidents of obesity and other |
| * Big Mac, Large Fries, Large Coca-Cola, Hot | | | | health problems, McDonald's said it will start |
| Fudge Sundae = 1,730 calories, 99% of daily fat, | | | | printing nutritional information on the packaging of |
| 108% of daily saturated fat, 86% of daily | | | | its food" (Source: cnn.com; 10-26-2005). |
| carbohydrates | | | | McDonald's is to be commended for their efforts |
| * Chicken Selects Breast Strips (5 pc), Large | | | | to educate their customers. This new informative |
| Fries, Large Coke, McFlurry with M+M's Candies | | | | label goes a long way towards answering |
| (12 oz.) = 2,290 calories, 151% of daily fat, 131% | | | | nutritional concerns. Expected to be in most |
| of daily saturated fat, 100% of daily | | | | stores by the end of 2006, the new labels will |
| carbohydrates | | | | include the amount of the nutrient (calories, fat, |
| * Bacon Ranch Salad/Crispy Chicken, Newman's | | | | protein, etc.) and the percentage of the daily |
| Ranch Dressing, Large Coke, McFlurry Oreo (12 | | | | recommended intake, based on a 2,000 calorie |
| oz.) = 1,390 calories, 73% of daily fat, 81% of | | | | diet. |
| daily saturated fat, 69% of daily carbohydrates | | | | -> Is It Enough? |
| (Source: mcdonalds.com) | | | | The fast food industry has heard the public asking |
| Some consumers, in an attempt to reduce the | | | | for healthier options and more nutritional |
| number of calories and fat they're eating, have | | | | information, and they have responded. But it is |
| opted for salads instead of traditional burgers and | | | | enough? |
| fries. Unfortunately, some fast food salads are | | | | McDonald's and others still sell high calorie and high |
| almost as bad for us as a Big Mac. A California | | | | fat products, and we shouldn't expect those to |
| Cobb salad with Newman's Own Cobb Dressing | | | | disappear anytime soon. In our free market, as |
| from McDonald's, for example, boasts 490 calories | | | | long as there is a demand there will be someone |
| and 42% of your daily fat. Compare that to a Big | | | | with a supply. "Data from USDA's food intake |
| Mac, which has 560 calories and 47% of your | | | | surveys show that the food-away-from-home |
| recommended daily fat. | | | | sector provided 32 percent of total food energy |
| Although chastised in the movie 'SuperSize Me', | | | | consumption in 1994-96, up from 18 percent in |
| McDonald's isn't alone in offering high calories | | | | 1977-78. The data also suggest that, when eating |
| foods. The Original Whopper with Cheese from | | | | out, people either eat more or eat higher calorie |
| Burger King will cost you 800 calories and 49 | | | | foods-or both-and that this tendency appears to |
| grams of fat. Make that a Double Whopper with | | | | be increasing" (Source: usda.gov). |
| Cheese and you'll consume an incredible 1,060 | | | | Even with more information at their fingertips, |
| calories and 69 grams of fat. The Big Bacon | | | | there is some doubt that consumers will actually |
| Classic from Wendy's is better with 580 calories | | | | use that information to make healthier choices. |
| and 29 grams of fat, while the Bacon Ultimate | | | | Consider the limited impact from warning labels on |
| Cheeseburger from Jack In The Box is the | | | | cigarettes and alcohol packaging; despite such dire |
| highest on the list with 1,094 calories and a | | | | warnings, people still use these products. There is |
| tremendous 78 grams of fat. | | | | evidence that Americans will continue to eat what |
| Clearly, high calorie fast food has become a | | | | they want, no matter how much information they |
| problem. With approximately 65% of Americans | | | | have available to them. "According to a 2000 |
| classified as overweight, people are pointing | | | | Roper Reports survey of a nationally |
| fingers of blame. "In a lawsuit filed in 2002, two | | | | representative sample of 2,000 Americans 18 or |
| Bronx teenagers accused McDonald's of making | | | | older, the percentage of Americans who say they |
| them fat by serving them highly processed food | | | | are eating "pretty much whatever they want" |
| that affected their health. A judge tossed out the | | | | was at an all-time high of 70 percent in 2000, up |
| case a year later, but an appeals court reinstated | | | | from 58 percent in 1997" (Source: usda.gov). |
| part of the suit earlier this year, according to | | | | The question of 'is it enough' seems to be |
| published reports." (Source: cnn.com; 10-20-2005). | | | | misdirected. Instead of asking the fast food |
| McDonald's isn't the only chain being accused of | | | | industry to do more to educate the public and |
| making people fat. "A New York City lawyer has | | | | offer healthy options, perhaps what we as a |
| filed suit against the four big fast-food | | | | country should do is ask ourselves if the |
| corporations, saying their fatty foods are | | | | information we have right now is enough. If we |
| responsible for his client's obesity and related | | | | look for it, is there enough health, fitness and |
| health problems. Samuel Hirsch filed his lawsuit | | | | nutritional information out there to help us make |
| Wednesday at a New York state court in the | | | | the right dietary choices? As uncomfortable as it |
| Bronx, alleging that McDonald's, Burger King, | | | | may be for some, the answer to this question is |
| Wendy's and KFC Corporation are irresponsible | | | | probably yes. |
| and deceptive in the posting of their nutritional | | | | -> The Overlooked Answer: |
| information, that they need to offer healthier | | | | All too often, when participating in a discussion of |
| options on their menus, and that they create a de | | | | diet and weight control, we fail to mention the |
| facto addiction in their consumers" (Source: | | | | most obvious answer: exercise! Consistent |
| foxnews.com; 7-24-2002). | | | | exercise can balance out and make up for the |
| The fast food industry initially responded by | | | | occasional high calorie fast food meal, while at the |
| arguing that customers have a choice of what to | | | | same time providing countless other health |
| order when going to a restaurant. "It's senseless, | | | | benefits. |
| baseless and ridiculous," National Restaurant | | | | Exercise is the only path to quick weight loss that |
| Association spokeswoman Katharine Kim said. | | | | virtually every doctor in the world agrees upon. |
| "There are choices in restaurants and people can | | | | Exercise is safe, effective, and brings many more |
| make these choices, and there's a little personal | | | | benefits to our lives than nutrition labels ever will |
| responsibility as well." (Source: foxnews.com; | | | | alone. Exercise is fun, invigorating, motivating and |
| 7-24-2002). | | | | the single most powerful way to improve our life |
| Our elected officials seem to agree with that | | | | and well-being. |
| assessment. "The U.S. House of Representatives | | | | Reaching your ideal weight via a healthy and |
| passed a bill Wednesday that would block lawsuits | | | | active lifestyle has been found to lower health |
| by people who blame fast-food chains for their | | | | risks and medical problems in 90 percent of |
| obesity. The 'cheeseburger bill,' as it has been | | | | overweight patients. In addition to the exercise |
| dubbed in Congress, stems from class-action | | | | benefits listed above, fit people are eight times |
| litigation that accused McDonald's of causing | | | | less likely to die from cancer than the unfit, and |
| obesity in children" (Source: cnn.com; 10-20-2005). | | | | 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases. |
| This bill is not yet law, having passed the House | | | | Fit people are also eight times less likely to die |
| but not yet the Senate. In the last Congress a | | | | from heart disease. |
| similar bill passed the House, but the Senate never | | | | Yes, nutrition labels are important insofar as we |
| acted on it. About 20 states have laws similar to | | | | actually use them. But without a doubt, regular |
| the 'cheeseburger bill'. | | | | exercise is the most important piece of the |
| -> Fast Food Makes A Change: | | | | puzzle and the best way to achieve rapid weight |
| To their credit, McDonald's and some others in the | | | | loss. Exercise is the safest way to achieve |
| fast food industry have made changes to their | | | | permanent fat loss, and when combined with a |
| menu making it easier for us to stick to our diet | | | | sound diet and nutrition program the body is |
| program or weight loss plan. | | | | turned into a virtual fat-burning furnace! |
| McDonald's allows consumers to substitute Apple | | | | Consumers would be wise to use the new tools |
| Dippers with Caramel Dip for the french fries in | | | | from the fast food industry. Order the healthier |
| their meal, cutting calories from 350 to 100 and | | | | items off the menu, pay attention to the |
| reducing fat from 16 grams all the way down to | | | | nutritional labels, and above all else remember to |
| 1 gram (comparison vs. medium fries). McDonald's | | | | participate in regular exercise. |
| also allows a no-cost substitution of 1% milk | | | | |