Eating at McDonalds
81OK here goes a rant. You have been warned! I have been watching the Olympics and have been suprised by the number of commercials for McDonalds. Now lets take a moment here... Olympians spend their entire lives focused on one goal, getting and keeping their bodies in the best possible condition in order to compete in the World forum. Do we honestly believe that they would for a single moment put the junk that is in McDonalds or any fast food restaruant in their body?
Lets look at the facts of McDonalds and fast food locations in the US today. Not a single nutritionist would say, "this is the type of food you want to eat to ensure that you remain healthy." They are loaded with fat, preservatives, grease, and general junk.
If you have not taken a chance to watch the movie Super Size Me, I would highly recommend watching it. You will never look at fast food the same again. In the span of 30 days, he gained weight, looked sallow, his liver almost shut down completely it was operating in the same capacity as a 20 year alcholic, horrible acne, poor body function, and horrendous lung capacity.
There are simple inherent things in the US that we just need to take a step back and use some common sense! For example some friends of ours took their nephew to McDonalds because it is where he wanted to go. They have not eaten there in over 5 years. They had breakfast, of course the adults only had coffee, they couldn't eat anything else. The boy had pancakes and asked for butter. They didn't have any, and the response was, well we cook them in butter so we don't have any. They actually went back and gave him the lard they cook with.
I took my daughter there, to play in the play area and I wanted to see what she thought of the food. She usually eats grains, Kashi, fruits, vegtables, etc. I like most parents bought her the standard Happy Meal. She wanted nothing to do with it. She took a bite of one nugget and spit it out. I didn't make her eat it and when I got home and was talking to my husband he brought up another point.
How often do we as parents take our children to somewhere like McDonalds or Burger King, buy them the meal so they can get the toy, and then make them eat the meal since we bought it? We are teaching our children to be addicted to the fast food over a couple of dollars for a 10 cent toy. I have found that you can also just buy the toy seperate. It is about 50 cents and much better than addicting them to poor food for the rest of their lives which has expenses we don't even realize.
Now I will address two things written above. The first being the fact that fast food is adictive. This is proven, they put drugs in the food that give us a boost and then we crash craving more to get rid of the blah feeling we have. Sugar is also highly addictive and all foods in fast food locations are doused in it. Again take a few moments and watch Super Size me. This addiction is one that is very difficult to break and we as parents often start it again over a 10 cent toy.
The second is the price that we don't take into account. By this I mean, if we continue on our path of going for "fast and cheap" the results will be devistating. There are already reports that by the year 2048 EVERY American adult will be overweight. That is a scary thought! While the food maybe cheap when it is ordered, the affects on our body are VERY expensive. This type of diet will leave us needing medications just to live, and as Americans we already take over 75% of the medications in the world.
The medical issues are just begining to be seen, take a look around at the overweight children that we have already. Look around at how many of us are suffering from depression, poor body image, obesity, hypertension, the list goes on and onn.
Then the medical community gives us medications to artifically lower the issues without us having to change the way we are living. This means that people don't change anything and continue to eat this "cheap" way while adding more and more dosage until the drugs can't counter act what we are doing to our bodies. At that time we have to go in for surgery.
When all of that is done was it really cheaper? Please, please, please think before you follow the commercials and just go buy this junk and put it in your body or your children's body!
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Comments
Honestly I never understood why McDonalds was a huge sponsor of the Olympics. It's like an oxymoron. Very nice article and it's all very true! It's nice to see parents keeping their children healthy and keeping them away from the likes of fast food.
Growing up, my dad called McDonald's the "M" word--it wasn't allowed in our house. I've been distressed by the McDonald's olympic commercials, too. I'm sure athletes very occassionally indulge in fast food, but endorsing it for the olympic games? If I were an athlete, I would refuse. It's sending the wrong message to all the kids who are intently watching these American Heros compete for their country. Not a good thing.
As far as the Super Size Me movie, I've watched it, I even enjoyed it, but I still take it with a grain of salt because the guy making the movie also had an agenda to prove. I don't disagree that McDonald's and all fast food is generally unhealthy, but, I saw most of the movie as agenda-driven, since almost no one would eat in the way that he ate during the movie. As a rare occurance, McDonald's can fit into anyone's diet.
Good hub.
rochelle- Thanks for the comment!
starr- I agree, I guess money talks to everyone!
Boss- Thank you for the response, in defense of Super Size me, while I agree there was an "agenda" the facts are still pretty significant I thought. It was enough to keep me away most of the time! You may be suprised and sickened by how many people really do eat that way on a normal basis. I know personally I used to, it was cheap, fast and convenient so I literally ate from the dollar menu EVERY day. Suprised I was as lucky as I was with it...
I totally agree with you that fast food is a joke nutritionally. The commercial that makes me laugh right now is the Burger King one that touts this new "apple fries" and they show the King all proud of his little french-fry box with apple slices cut shaped like fries. They're all, "it's healthy" etc... then they cut to the commercial end with the disclaimers, and its like: "Apple fries and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese packs [shown in large images] are part of the new Burger King kid friendly menu" LOL. Way to work in the mac and cheese there at the end, riding the apple's coat tails. Like apple slices is going to bring people into Burger King. lol. So funny.
I will say, on the Super Size Me thing, while that was disturbing to watch, that guy was not acclimated to that type of food at all, and taking a vegetarian and in the span of one night jamming greasy, fatty meats into his body at absurd levels that no other human being does (nobody eats McDonalds 3 and 4 times a day for a month) with no breathing period or realistic rest for his body to acclimate was really front loading the "evidence" before the fact. I appreciate the point of the movie, but anyone who spends any time thinking it through understands that biologically, that movie actually said nothing at all. Which is too bad, because the point they tried to make was a good one. It's like a Michael Moore movie. He decimates his own credibility every time he makes a movie by being ridiculoulsy over the top that nobody with an active brain buys in.
Thank you for the great comment. All of your points with Super Size Me are very valid, for some reason though that movie gave me a new stance on the nutrition value (or lack there of). It is not that I ever thought fast food was good for you, I wasn't that far behind! But I didn't realize how bad until I saw that which made me look closer myself. While that and Michael Moore's movies are often over the top as you say, it seems like if you put it any other way most people don't get the point... nor would they get the publicity :)
The way I see it is that if the International Olympic Committee doesn't have a problem with McDonald's being a proud sponsor, then it makes as much sense for Smith and Wesson to co-sponsor Jerry's kids. Seriously, as obese as America is, a change is a vital thing for survival, but in spite of all the statistics, there will still be people who will choose not to change. It's an unfortunate but inevitable thing.
Very good point and one that I neglected to mention! I like you understand 100% why McDonald's is a sponsor, and why the Olympic committee allows it! It is simple math and the goal of advertising/sponsoring is to be seen by as many people as possible (come on we all know they don't just sponsor hundreds of thousands if not millions just because they like to watch sports!). It just amazes me that one of the most unhealthy things in our society closely followed if not passed by Coke (which is another rant all together) are the largest advertisers during the Olympics.
And yse as obese as America is a change is vital for survival but so many are turning to quick fixes with the medications for hypertension/diabetes/etc without changing that I don't see that happening. As you said very unfortunate but it is where we are headed. Somehow I don't see it happening, so where does that leave us?
My sarcastic side wants to say that leaves us in the midst of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, better yet, a true survival of the "fittest". What I can say from my own experience is that I've followed a strict diet of fast food before and the only thing it ever made me want to do is sit on my couch and watch the t.v. where I could probably find another fast food commercial. I used to be a hardcore smoker, but again, I couldn't be as active as I wanted to be plus everybody knows the inherent harm with smoking and fatty foods. The only way I quit smoking and heavily cut back on my fast food is because I wanted to make the change for myself. People who can be considered healthy can nag the unhealthy ones as much as they like, but the want and the desire for change has to be there before true change happens. Good hub and I'm stepping off my soapbox now.
I can't blame you for the soap box :) I agree and it is up to everyone, no one can change anyone else (even if it is for their own good!). I guess the "good" side of me just keeps wishing that people would wake up... I hate seeing what is happening around me but like you said nothing I can do but yell on my soap box for a little while, makes me feel a little better at least :)
I'm hoping that Health Warnings are put on Big Macs and Coca Cola, the same way as health warnings are put on cigarette packs. At the end of the day the threat to good health is put at risk by the unsuspecting, uninformed, uneducated. One day the lack of ethical concern for the general well being of the public will be fought in courts - I hope it happens and I hope the big commercial companies are taken to the cleaners for taking advantage of people. That's my soap box!
Jewels- It would definately be interesting to see what kind of warnings they would put on there! They would be VERY long!!!! Unfortunately I don't see anyone winning a case in the near future... Not that the legal standing is wrong, but they would be going agains corporations who have more money and more resources... The other problem is it is volentary to put this junk in our bodies (or so they say) I can say that finding "real" food is getting harder and harder though! Coke has been proven as one of the 3 things that will kill people faster than anything else that we put in our bodies!
Welcome to the soap box and maybe if we stack enough of them up someone may hear us?!?!?!
I found the commercials ludicrous. We were even joking at how many of the athletes held the product far away from their mouths because there was no way they were actually going to taste it.
My husband and I also joked that they were trying to make sure they didn't get any by osmosis :) Hence my soap box rant :)
rah rah!! good rant, NOT TO MENTION the terrible service, and lousy food -- this stuff doesn't even taste good. Protect your heart...I'm sad this is an American Icon!
Amazing isnt it? Our children can pick out and name Ronald McDonald, but many if not most can't tell us the name of our presidnet much less pick out his picture!
The health warning campaign on cigarettes in Australia has been very successful. And because death by cigarettes was becoming alarming it was costing the Government money, also businesses because of the time out people took to have a puff.
Because of the obesity problem worldwide, the diabetes epidemic and heart attacks being one of the most common forms of death, some authoritarian body has to start taking formal control of the issue. At some point ethics needs to come into play. Okay I'm ranting again. I honestly don't think enough is being done to highlight the dangers of what certain foods do chemically on the human body. It's not enough to say eat your 5 serves of fruit and veg a day. Someone has to say "too much sugar will make you hyper and then make you fall flat on your arse, especially if you do not exercise." And then the falling flat on your arse has to be emphasized - what does that actually mean. It means the possibility of depression for one. Things like that. It's time it was really pushed.
Box is getting higher. LOL.
Obviously I agree with you 110%! I really do hope someone or some authority steps in before it is too late. It seems that a lot of times the dollar comes before common sense anymore!
Back in the 70s when the recession was in full swing, I took a job working the counter at McDonald's because it was all I could find. I was putting myself through college at the time and I could walk there from the house I shared with four other students. I last a whole week. I had nightmares about the place. When I finally decided not to go back, they had to drag me there to collect my paycheck--I was just going to forget about the paycheck, just escape was enough for me. When I did show up to collect it, they were very nice--they were all like, oh we knew you weren't going to make it, we were taking bets on how long it would take for you to bail.
The food sucks, the corporation is evil, but the Asian salad isn't too bad, and it's not high calorie either. Despite that, it would be OK with me if McDonald's fell off the edge of the planet.
Great hub. Funny too. Thanks!
Bloggin2, I was discussing the exact things that are being said both by you and the comments. The valid point made during our talk was olympic athletes would not damage their bodies by eating fast food, But.... If you run this advertisement you may as well have beer and cigarette sponsers too. Thanks for being honest enough to bring this very valid point out !
I quit eating at Mcdonalds back in the 70's when I bought a 1/4 pounder and there was blood in the bottom of the styrofoam container, and the fries were ice cold. They wanted to give me more, I said no, just give me my money, and I was done.
I will have a sausage biscuit there when I head out on a road trip in the morning, but that's just a holdover from when my son used to travel with me. I figure one sausage biscuit a year isn't going to hurt me.
I know that I sometimes have those hold overs, but one a year I agree won't kill you :) That is rather gross with the blood in the bottom! Ugh! Thanks for the comment another reson to stay away! We all know that raw meat has major dangers as well (I am being generous calling their burgers "meat"!)
There's a youtube video of a year-old fastfood hamburger that a guy had put in his coat pocket but forgot about it's being there.
The burger looks like it's about an hour old!
Are we eating plasticizers? If no bug would eat it, why should we?
The best to you.
Kelley Eidem
Yikes! That is just gross!
Good, healthy thread here! Now McD's does have fruit for kids meals and water, so there's some hope :)
Thought this was interesting to add in... http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutritio That is McDonald's link on the nutritional value of the Happy Meal with all the different ways you can combo it.
The problem is that the food itself is addictive. They make it that way. Changing the fries for apples is just a way to get concienious people to say well it is OK since they have apples now. All they have to do is get our kids in there a couple of times and they make the food (if you want to call it that again) so addictive the children will come back for life.
We all know how bad it is for us, but our memories get us to keep trying it again or we just get that craving and finally cave. That is because they know what they are doing, they maybe feeding us plastic but it is good tasting addictive plastic! :)
You know, I saw the ad with all the olympic athletes eating at MacDonalds and I thought exactly the same thing. No way would you find them there. And I was just about to comment as such to my girlfriend when she piped up and made exactly the same comment.
BTW - Have you ever seen the documovie "Supersize Me"?
Glug- Yes I have, some have documented that it was agenda driven, but personally I know that everything has an agenda, and the facts are the same no matter what group he was doing it for. I have not seen McDonalds respond with anything remotely defending themselves from any of the information. He was completely accurate and the only change we saw in our area was they don't over Super Size anymore... It is Up Size!
Unfortunately, there are many people with addictive personalities who have been conditioned to enjoy the sickly comfort of Mickey D's since childhood, and along with an addictive personality they often have a healthy aversion to being told what to do, so McDonalds becomes almost a celebration of their freedom of choice, despite an over-abundance of information about the dangers of fast food. Jewels made a comment about safety warnings, which should definitely be on fast food packaging, but do smokers read the warnings on cigarette boxes, or give them any credence? I don't think this is a problem of a lack of information so much as a complete lack of self restraint and self respect, coupled with the addictive qualities of the "food."
I think for any campaign against fast food to be effective, there needs to be an emphasis on the fact that people are relinquishing their personal freedoms by being willing supporters of an industry designed to reduce the quality of their lives in order to rake in the profits. Moreso, people should realize that there are many inexpensive alternatives consisting of better-tasting foods that they could easily make themselves instead of ingesting toxic chemicals because they're conditioned to think that's what they want.
Thanks for this great blog and the interesting discussions it spawned. :)
Thank you for the compliments! I love how hubs can take on a life of their own! I can say in fairness that eating healthy has become very expensive, but the cost is made up for in less sick days, self esteem, etc. It is just hard in today's society of instant gratification to go back to actually making our own food (or heaven forbid growing it ourselves!). Thanks for the comments and you are absoluetly right we are conditioned from childhood to like places like McDonalds and too many are fooled by adding apples on the side to thinking this is "food" that is good for our children and ourselves.
I actually did a personal boycott against the Olympics this time around. It was in protest to the environmental and human rights absuses committed by China. Specifically, I feel that China's brutal occupation of Tibet is unjust.
Anyhow, I find it ironic that such a fatty fast food provider would be associated with peak fitness.
Well said! McDonalds is awful. Their food does not taste good and a lot of my friends get real pains in their bodies from eating at McDonalds, so they do not anymore. the worst thing I ever saw though, was the little flyer you get on the red tray you get when you orde food. It basically said that families should eat at mcdonalds more often because it's too stressful to cook dinner at home! That is just freaking retarded. But are you shure they put drugs in the food....? And how is that proven and how can they be allowed to do that...?
Hi Elena, yes I am 100% sure that there are drugs in their food. Now am I talking about cocaine or X or something like that, no, but the foods are 110% manufactured by groups to be addictive. This actually starts with many of the meats we eat (and produce unfortunately anymore). Antibiotics/steroids and hormones are all pumped into most of our foods. That is why you see all the ads for "hormone free" or "steroid free." If these things are given to the cattle/chickens (don't forget this goes into the eggs as well)/wheat/etc it becomes part of the molecular structure of the animal/plant. When we digest these we are literally eating these things and putting them in our body.
This does NOT include the items put in for processing purposes. Sugar is an example of a highly addictive LEGAL additive. Caffine is another. When people hear the word "drug" they think of the "illegal" variety, unfortunately far too many are actually legal.
The definition of a drug from the Webester online dictionary is as follows: 1 aobsolete : a substance used in dyeing or chemical operations b: a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication caccording to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1): a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary (2): a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease (3): a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body (4): a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device2: a commodity that is not salable or for which there is no demand —used in the phrase drug on the market 3: something and often an illegal substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness.
Number 3 is the one we want to focus on here. "A substance that causes addiction or a marked change in consciousness." Isn't that exactly the response you get when you eat a candy bar for a sugar rush? Or have a cup of coffee in the morning? Again Caffine and Sugar are just 2 prime examples of what you will find in McDonalds food that meets the drug definition and are legal.
Personally I have given up smoking as well as caffine and I can tell you hands down smoking was harder to break the habit of having something to do. BUT Caffine was literally debhilitating for 3 days due to withdrawls.
You will be shocked if you look in your cabinet how much you eat that really is not "food" but man made manufactured substances that "taste good."
A prime example is in my vaccine ingredients article as well. Scary isn't it?
Rochelle Frank says:
16 months ago
i think more people are beginning to get the right idea about his. Frequent reminders can't hurt.