Eat clean at McDonalds

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  • niclagi
    niclagi Posts: 177 Member
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    McDonalds has an app (at least for iphone) and you can pick your food and it will tell you all the nutritional information on it.
  • chammich
    chammich Posts: 104 Member
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    Don't even GO NEAR Mc'Donalds.

    AGREED!!
  • HowieTwoPointZero
    HowieTwoPointZero Posts: 494 Member
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    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: , OH, you were serious? :huh: -______________________-

    umm lick the sidewalk outside, I heard that's about as clean as their food, lol or water

    For the record...

    I worked in almost a dozen restaurants when I was younger, by FAR the cleanest one was McDonald's. The food might not be good for you in any way shape or form, but as far as sanitation? McDonald's hands down. Half the minimum wage staff is there to clean stuff.

    And now re-reading this whole thread I just realized that half of you are just posting in here to prove to the rest of us how awesome and great you are and what horrible persons the ones of us who have busy lifestyles and make actual real life decisions that involve the best of a bad situation. Carry on with your superiority.
  • Nucky719
    Nucky719 Posts: 143
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    Don't even GO NEAR Mc'Donalds.

    McDonad's doesn't scare me...
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
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    Nothing is clean at mcdonalds. One of their salads has over 1000 calories. Obviously it's not going to kill you if you eat it once, but McDonalds kind of grosses me the frick out.
  • pgrant0328
    pgrant0328 Posts: 58 Member
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    I get this all the time

    Grilled chicken Caesar Salad, with Newman's Own low fat Balsamic Vinaigrette.
    Only 230 Calories, 8g Fat and trust me, its pretty big and filling.

    I actually got stuck at mcd's one time on my diet and googled the healthiest thing on the menu and thats what came up, and its pretty decent.

    This is what I always order with a large ice water...love it!!!!!
  • peacefulsong
    peacefulsong Posts: 223 Member
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    People are so funny. Eating at McDonalds once in awhile isn't going to kill anyone. If you don't like it for one reason or another, fine. The OP was asking for suggestions in the event that McD's was the best/only option available, not as a staple. No need to get all judgmental about it.

    That said, they have really great smoothies. And the southwest salad with grilled chicken is super tasty. They have their full menu on their website, with ingredients and nutritional info, so you can look and see what the best choices for you might be.
  • pippiagain
    pippiagain Posts: 19
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    If I even go in there, I am lost. Who is going to eat yogurt at McDonalds??? Just looked up the calories for Jack in the Box, and what a shocker!! Got to stay away from those places. Always carry something healthy in the glove box, and grab a piece of fruit or some string cheese each day. Snarf it on the way, and if the group drags you to fast food, and you will not be nearly as tempted.
  • traceracer
    traceracer Posts: 303 Member
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    Everything and anything in moderation and I dont think it will kill you right away. Personally, I just enjoy knowing where the food I eat is coming from and what people added to it before I eat it. Just my personal preference.....
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
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    Healthier choice does not = clean! The chicken and all meat is processed and full of junk....not possible to eat unprocessed there unless it is a lettuce salad no dressing.

    Processed foods =/= unhealthy. Something isn't healthier than another thing. Similarly, something isn't unhealthier than something else. McDonalds doesn't make healthy or unhealthy food. At the same time, grocery stores do not supply healthy or unhealthy food.

    so eating a box of twinkies as long as it is within your calorie allotment is healthy? i'm sorry - there is healthy and unhealthy. study after study have demonstrated that processed foods lead to obesity. i'm not saying you can't have them at all, but there is a HUGE difference in calorie quality in brussel sprouts versus the same calorie content worth of candy. can you lose weight eating nothing but junk? probably. is it a good lifestyle choice? i suppose if you want diabetes and cancer....
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
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    :flowerforyou: In my opinion, you CAN make Good Choices no matter where you are.
    Or you can make Excuses.
  • Jodi827
    Jodi827 Posts: 40
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    The Southwest Grilled Chicken salad with no dressing. It tastes great with the lime glaze that's on it and doesn't need any dressing. It's awesome! They also have a pretty decent grilled chicken sandwich, just get it with no mayo. Plus, apple slices are a pretty good snack and a great replacement for fries.

    Love their salad -- it's great!
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
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    My favorite thing to get is the Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich (no mayo). I think its in the 300 to 400 calorie range, has grilled chicken, tomato and lettuce on a wheat bun. It comes with mayo usually, but I'll get it without.

    I also occasionally do a fruit and yogurt parfait or one of their salads with either a Caesar or vinaigrette-based dressing.

    I haven't done it, but if you had to have that taste of a burger.... I'd recommend just one of their small hamburgers like what you would get in a Happy Meal. Not the healthiest, but the calories in it won't kill you. I believe its the lowest cal of their burgers.
  • HarlCarl
    HarlCarl Posts: 266 Member
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    Can you eat 'clean' at a fast food joint?

    IMO, it seems the nature of their business requires some form of processing or preservation to simulate 'freshness.'
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Healthier choice does not = clean! The chicken and all meat is processed and full of junk....not possible to eat unprocessed there unless it is a lettuce salad no dressing.

    Processed foods =/= unhealthy. Something isn't healthier than another thing. Similarly, something isn't unhealthier than something else. McDonalds doesn't make healthy or unhealthy food. At the same time, grocery stores do not supply healthy or unhealthy food.

    so eating a box of twinkies as long as it is within your calorie allotment is healthy? i'm sorry - there is healthy and unhealthy. study after study have demonstrated that processed foods lead to obesity. i'm not saying you can't have them at all, but there is a HUGE difference in calorie quality in brussel sprouts versus the same calorie content worth of candy. can you lose weight eating nothing but junk? probably. is it a good lifestyle choice? i suppose if you want diabetes and cancer....

    Can you link me to some of these studies that show that processed foods lead to obesity? I'd be interested in reading them.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    :flowerforyou: In my opinion, you CAN make Good Choices no matter where you are.
    Or you can make Excuses.

    ^ THIS!!!!!
  • peaceinside
    peaceinside Posts: 272
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    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: , OH, you were serious? :huh: -______________________-

    umm lick the sidewalk outside, I heard that's about as clean as their food, lol or water

    Yep, I would guess not much at McDonalds would be considered "clean" would rather go without eating then go there!
    Peace
  • reneegee23
    reneegee23 Posts: 233 Member
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    Unless you consider CAFO meats 'clean' eating, no, you can't eat clean at McDonalds.
  • spearfox
    spearfox Posts: 276 Member
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    Grab a burger and throw away the bun.
    Cheese and condiments are optional.

    Get rid of the bun at many of the burger places then see what the calories and sodium are.

    I think it was Burger King where the website has a burger builder application. It will show you the nutrition info without buns, condiments or whatever you choose.

    I've also eaten Gorditas and fresco tacos at Taco Bell. A beef Gordita supreme has 300 calories with about 550 sodium. A fresco steak taco 150 calories and around 500 sodium.

    I've grabbed an Arby's Max roast beef while on the go. Eat the roast beef, throw out the bun. 360 calories but a load of sodium, 1420.
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    so eating a box of twinkies as long as it is within your calorie allotment is healthy? i'm sorry - there is healthy and unhealthy. study after study have demonstrated that processed foods lead to obesity. i'm not saying you can't have them at all, but there is a HUGE difference in calorie quality in brussel sprouts versus the same calorie content worth of candy. can you lose weight eating nothing but junk? probably. is it a good lifestyle choice? i suppose if you want diabetes and cancer....

    First, dosage is important, of course. A box of twinkies is certainly devoid of micronutrients but just saying a box of twinkies means very little. How does it fit in the scope of a single year? If someone has three boxes of twinkies a year, are you going to tell me that he or she will be: (A) Obese and (B) Unhealthy? Your notions do not hold weight once we consider it on a much larger scale. Suddenly, a box of twinkies are not all that bad.

    Second, the USDA discretionary calorie allotment. "Discretionary calories are the “extra” calories that can be used on treats like solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol, or on more food from any food group." According to Alan Aragon, "the USDA’s discretionary calorie allotment averages at approximately 10-20% of total calories." This directly refutes your idea that brussel sprouts are better than candy. If brussel sprouts were truly better then 100 calories of brussel sprouts should ALWAYS be better but we know that isn't true since the inclusion of 100 calories of candy as opposed to brussel sprouts makes no difference.


    Third, something is not directly unhealthy or healthy. Consider saying that brussel sprouts are healthier than candy. If we say this then, no matter the situation, brussel sprouts should yield positive health benefits. But now consider this: what if we are consuming 10g of brussel sprouts and 10g of candy. Using your logic, eating a mere 10g of brussel sprouts should yield positive health benefits and eating 10g of candy is worse since we do not get said benefits. But when examining your logic in such a fashion, we can see that it really makes no sense since you cannot derive ANY benefit from such a small amount of food. Similarly, 1000g of brussel sprouts cannot be healthier than 1000g of candy until we are able to examine how it pans out across a span of time. If this was a single day then we cannot say it's healthy or unhealthy since you cannot be negatively or positively effected within a single day. Health is about time. If someone were to consistently eat 1000g of candy over 1000g of brussel sprouts every day then we have an unhealthy diet. This is not because the foods themselves are healthy or unhealthy but rather that the amount they are eaten in over a period of time makes the diet itself unhealthy.

    This has been my contention for ages. Diets themselves can be unhealthy or healthy but never the individual foods. Individual foods mean very little until examined within the context of a diet. Even then, the diet must be viewed over a period of time, not a short period such as a day or week.

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