McDonald's May Drop Health Plan

[Sandy Eggo]

Research is the key here. Without it you won't know.

[me]

Oh btw Lolly, wasn't meaning to dispute what you said here I was just pointing out it's still ultimately the person who makes the decision on healthy eating and has little to do with the where it's bought or what it is.  Just because it's offered or quicker to fix doesn't mean you have to buy it or eat tons of it.

[Sandy Eggo]

That's simply not true.

[Palehorse]

No, it isn't true at all! My wife lost 50+ pounds over the last year by counting her calories and reducing portion sizes. While we aren't eating out as much as we used to either, we still do though. And when we do she checks the calorie charts before ordering to ensure she is consuming only what she is allowing herself to.  .  And those places that only offer high fat menu's and no "smart choices" no longer see us at all.

[Sandy Eggo]

*  The food itself is mass produced in a factory and then frozen. Restaurants store this frozen food in large, walk-in freezers. Cooks reheat it rather than making it from scratch.
    * The factory adds artificial and natural flavors to the food to make sure it all tastes the same. These flavors are manufactured separate factories.
    * The equipment in the kitchen cooks all of the food for the same amount of time. For example, in some chains, a conveyor belt carries hamburger patties through a broiler. The broiler cooks the patties on both sides simultaneously, and the conveyor belt makes sure they're cooked for precisely the right amount of time.
    * The employees in different restaurants follow the same instructions for cooking, dressing and packaging the food.

   
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/fast-food1.htm

[Sandy Eggo]

It is believed by scientists through some valuable experiments that it is not the calories that are damaging the people's health. The Food and Drug administration in US has stated that there are certain chemicals present in fast foods which cause diseases and weight gain. Those chemical additives are aspartame and monosodium glutamate.

Plant and animal products only can nourish our body but not man-made chemicals like aspartame. The unused chemical allows the body to put on weight and become prone to diseases. But one cannot deny that fast foods have lot of fats, cholesterol and sodium that can cause serious problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

Fast foods have poor dietary fiber levels which lead to the destabilization of blood sugar levels, a weakening of immune system and poor functioning of the colon. According to a report the adult should take in maximum of 6 gm of salt per day and children a maximum of 3 gm per day. But fast foods will provide almost 4 times to that of what is necessary for our body. So fast foods can only deplete the body of minerals and vitamins.

http://www.knowswhy.com/why-fast-food-is-unhealthy/

[Sandy Eggo]

Trans fat, or trans fatty acids (TFA), are fats found in foods such as vegetable shortening, some margarines, and many processed foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.

Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL (or "bad") cholesterol that increases your risk for heart disease, according to the FDA.

"The cooking oil used for French fries in McDonald's outlets in the United States and Peru contained 23 percent and 24 percent trans fatty acids, respectively, whereas the oils used for French fries in many European countries contained only about 10 percent trans fatty acids, with some countries as low as 5 percent (Spain) and 1 percent (Denmark)," the researchers write.

Fast Food Fattiest in U.S., Study Finds

Your theory that french fries are universal just went up in smoke.

[Sandy Eggo]

(NaturalNews) Americans spend about 90 percent of their total food budget on processed foods - and we wonder why we have a health care crisis. Besides being enzyme deplete, processed foods are often crammed with chemicals, including colors, flavors and preservatives. Apparently, many people don`t think twice about filling themselves and their children with chemicals, so let`s look at the effects of just a couple of them.

So who in their right might thinks that foods enhanced with colors, flavors, and preservatives wouldn't pose health risks? Further, who wouldn't be concerned about growth hormones and pesticide saturation?

Aspartame
Aspartame is common in diet sodas; it`s also found in chewing gum, sweets, and diet foods. It`s even sold in packets as chemical sweeteners and placed on most restaurant tables. Actually, aspartame is found in about 6,000 foods on grocery store shelves.

The fact that aspartame was once listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent should be all the information you need to avoid it. But if you need more, have a look at these rats fed aspartame daily. http://myaspartameexperiment.com/in...

BPA
BPA has been in the headlines lately; it`s often used in making baby and water bottles. The chemical then leaches into the liquids inside. BPA is also used in the lining of tin cans, and it`s being found in canned foods. Even if you are eating otherwise healthy green beans or peas - if it`s canned, it`s likely contaminated with BPA.

Consumer Reports took a look and found BPA in several popular canned foods:
Green Beans: 35.9 to 191 ppb
Vegetable Soup: 67 to 134 ppb
Chicken Noodle Soup: 54.5 to 102 ppb

BPA is dangerous even in small amounts; it`s been linked to reproductive abnormalities, diabetes, neurological problems, heart disease, and cancer.[/quote

http://www.naturalnews.com/027969_processed_foods_chemicals.html

[Sandy Eggo]

It's not just about eating small portions, me. It's about knowing where your food is coming from and what's in it. It's about doing the research to ensure that you know what you're getting. Having soy in your hamburger (which is BS) would be the least of your worries.

The mom and pop places that I go to get their food from certified organic sources. The one that I mentioned previously gets all of the products it uses to prepare food locally and those places are listed on the menu. As luck would have it, many of those places sell meat and vegetables at the local farmer's markets. We meet the farmers and we can ask questions. It's fresh produce and meat w/out coloring, additives, steroids or preservatives. I would rather spend a little extra to know what I'm eating.

That being said, I do shop in grocery stores, but I read labels and ingredients. When I'm left without options, for whatever reason and we have to eat fast food, then like Mrs. Horse, we go for the low fat options. If we have a taste for a burger and fast food is our only option, then we pick one which uses a grill rather than a griddle so that the grease drips off rather than sits in it.

Is that enough? probably not, but I feel a whole lot better about eating and feeding my family after I've done the research.

[Sandy Eggo]

Let me just say, that I'm not a food Nazi

I get carried away when I feel passionate about something. I'm annoyed more w/the food industry than the individuals. While we make the final choice on what we eat, but they aren't very informative about exactly what it is they're feeding us. Just like any corporation, our well-being isn't their bottom line.

My point, even though I got carried away is to please research and purchase based on nutrition rather than price tag.

[me]

I knew that fake sugar was a bad thing from the get go and I don't even do diet soda anymore because of it.  Even though I don't particularly like McD's any more I sure think they're gettin' a bum rap by being singled out to be the only bad guy in restaurant business.  People still need to learn restraint and kids need to get out from in front of those video games and get exercise as well as parents need to learn to say no to the kids and limit their intake of junk food. 

[The Troll]

  Since the invention of television and the cartoons, it became the babysitter for the kids.  Stick them in front of the TV and forget them.  And then came the computer and computer games, cell phones and texing.  Then, oh my God.  Face Book and Twitter and wonderful tweets.      Brain damage.