McDonalds 'cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food' ?
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UNLESS19
Posts: 118
What is you view of this article?
It's not the Daily mail saying this, it's from a New York Post columnist and an economics blogger. I get the point of it's bulky for poor people but honestly- promoting McDonalds as a good thing? OK the calories in the burger isn't majorly bad but most people don't just have a burger. I'm interested to see what you guys think about this
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2380548/Is-McDonalds-McDouble-cheapest-nutritious-bountiful-food-existed-human-history.html
It's not the Daily mail saying this, it's from a New York Post columnist and an economics blogger. I get the point of it's bulky for poor people but honestly- promoting McDonalds as a good thing? OK the calories in the burger isn't majorly bad but most people don't just have a burger. I'm interested to see what you guys think about this
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2380548/Is-McDonalds-McDouble-cheapest-nutritious-bountiful-food-existed-human-history.html
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Replies
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Well yes.. if you only look at the calories.. and then assume the person is counting their calories. Also if you dont give a crap about, you know, nutrition.
Eating healthy food does not need to cost so much.. you just need to be smart about it... which I guess they assume "poor" people cant be? :huh:
ETA: I could live of a bag of nuts every day.. that would be fine in calories, and they have healthy fats! And cost pr calorie is fairly low too.0 -
Well yes.. if you only look at the calories.. and then assume the person is counting their calories. Also if you dont give a crap about, you know, nutrition.
Eating healthy food does not need to cost so much.. you just need to be smart about it... which I guess they assume "poor" people cant be? :huh:
ETA: I could live of a bag of nuts every day.. that would be fine in calories, and they have healthy fats! And cost pr calorie is fairly low too.
I agree, i was like, wow pretty offensive to basically say poor people can afford McDonalds but nothing else :P My first year of uni, i started this lifestyle change before leaving, so i had limited money and i still managed it!
I Just had to giggle a bit at the article, what happened to trying to get fast food healthier or trying to stop people going there so much?
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It's not though is it, for me and my three kids to eat at McDonalds you'd be looking at around £13 for one meal.
I spend £60 a week on all our meals, toiletries and cleaning products so £13 for one meal really isn't 'cheap'.
Also, I have never found McDonalds to satisfy, everyone's hungry again within an hour.0 -
At 390 calories, 23 grams of protein, 7-percent of the daily value of fiber, 20-percent of daily calcium and 19 grams of fat.
Those are good numbers, you add a salad to that and you have a great meal that will fill you up and keep you moving.0 -
You have to remember that when considering cost, time cost is also a thing.0
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I think the fact that the poorest counties in the United States have the highest incidence of obesity is strong evidence that getting enough calories isn't the problem.
I also argue with parts of their premise. I eat plenty of produce - although I rarely buy organic - and don't spend anywhere near 36 dollars a day to eat. Anyone who thinks a McDouble is more nutritious than a salad is crazy. Vitamins, minerals, and fiber from whole foods are always going to win over enriched white bread and an entree high in saturated fat. I'll take my mixed greens with chicken and chickpeas over the McDouble any day.0 -
At 390 calories, 23 grams of protein, 7-percent of the daily value of fiber, 20-percent of daily calcium and 19 grams of fat.
Those are good numbers, you add a salad to that and you have a great meal that will fill you up and keep you moving.
My mouth just started watering. I've been proudly McD free since last Halloween though.0 -
You have to remember that when considering cost, time cost is also a thing.
Yes ofcourse...
it takes me 15 minutes to prepare a weeks worth of chicken breasts for the oven, then just wait an hour and poof I have food I can pick up and eat in less than 5 minutes for the rest of the week.
It takes me maybe 10 minutes to prepare salat, it would probably take ca 20 minutes for a family sized bowl of sallat to last for a few days. And I'm a slow cutter!
It takes me 5 minutes to pick out the fish I had thawing in the fridge and put it on the pan. 10-20 minutes to wait for it to fry (or boil if you preferr) and I got a healthy meal.
Rice takes 10 minutes to boil.. and they are CHEAP if you buy in bulk.
Cooking doesnt have to take long, and it doesnt grow exponentially with the quantities.
For a "quick" meal out you need to go there, wait for your order, and then get back home. In that time I could have made chicken wrapped in bacon with sallat on the side.0 -
I think the fact that the poorest counties in the United States have the highest incidence of obesity is strong evidence that getting enough calories isn't the problem.
Yeah, the way they worded it, it sounded like getting enough calories was a real issue.
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the egg mcmufin0
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I think the fact that the poorest counties in the United States have the highest incidence of obesity is strong evidence that getting enough calories isn't the problem.
I also argue with parts of their premise. I eat plenty of produce - although I rarely buy organic - and don't spend anywhere near 36 dollars a day to eat. Anyone who thinks a McDouble is more nutritious than a salad is crazy. Vitamins, minerals, and fiber from whole foods are always going to win over enriched white bread and an entree high in saturated fat. I'll take my mixed greens with chicken and chickpeas over the McDouble any day.
I agree with this. The article suggests that a person has to eat organic in order to eat healthy and that is just hogwash. The fact is ppl are brainwashed into believing lifestyle changes are expensive by the very corporations that want them to remain addicted to high fat, salty, nutrient deficient foods.0 -
I think the fact that the poorest counties in the United States have the highest incidence of obesity is strong evidence that getting enough calories isn't the problem.
So you are saying only poor people eat at McDonalds? Last time I checked you could not get a McDouble with a foodstamp card. But you can buy Boxes and boxes of little debbies and Coke and pepsi. I for one thing McDonalds gets a bad wrap since they are a easy target.0 -
I think it's a fair point. It's a cheap, hot, cooked, tasty meal of (basically) bread and meat. No preparation, no cooking, no washing up.
I think that where I am, people use bakers more for fast food, though. Again, you can get hot/warm food fairly cheap, although you don't usually get as much meat content. But you do get a good amount of calories for your money. You could buy a cucumber for about the same price, but it wouldn't provide many calories, would be low in protein, would need to be washed and would be cold. If you bought a variety of ingredients to make a salad at home, it would end up costing you much more than something cheap from the bakers. Of course, I DO buy the ingredients and make salads at home, and only have "junk" food, occasionally, but I do see the point being made.0 -
You have to remember that when considering cost, time cost is also a thing.
Yes ofcourse...
it takes me 15 minutes to prepare a weeks worth of chicken breasts for the oven, then just wait an hour and poof I have food I can pick up and eat in less than 5 minutes for the rest of the week.
It takes me maybe 10 minutes to prepare salat, it would probably take ca 20 minutes for a family sized bowl of sallat to last for a few days. And I'm a slow cutter!
It takes me 5 minutes to pick out the fish I had thawing in the fridge and put it on the pan. 10-20 minutes to wait for it to fry (or boil if you preferr) and I got a healthy meal.
Rice takes 10 minutes to boil.. and they are CHEAP if you buy in bulk.
Cooking doesnt have to take long, and it doesnt grow exponentially with the quantities.
For a "quick" meal out you need to go there, wait for your order, and then get back home. In that time I could have made chicken wrapped in bacon with sallat on the side.
+1
People convince themselves that they don't have time to prepare nutrient dense, healthy foods and the fast food corporations reinforce this with their marketing schemes.
All a person needs to do is click on Youtube to find out how to cook chicken in bulk. Less time than it takes to drive to McD's and back.0 -
You have to remember that when considering cost, time cost is also a thing.
Yes ofcourse...
it takes me 15 minutes to prepare a weeks worth of chicken breasts for the oven, then just wait an hour and poof I have food I can pick up and eat in less than 5 minutes for the rest of the week.
It takes me maybe 10 minutes to prepare salat, it would probably take ca 20 minutes for a family sized bowl of sallat to last for a few days. And I'm a slow cutter!
It takes me 5 minutes to pick out the fish I had thawing in the fridge and put it on the pan. 10-20 minutes to wait for it to fry (or boil if you preferr) and I got a healthy meal.
Rice takes 10 minutes to boil.. and they are CHEAP if you buy in bulk.
Cooking doesnt have to take long, and it doesnt grow exponentially with the quantities.
For a "quick" meal out you need to go there, wait for your order, and then get back home. In that time I could have made chicken wrapped in bacon with sallat on the side.
+1
People convince themselves that they don't have time to prepare nutrient dense, healthy foods and the fast food corporations reinforce this with their marketing schemes.
All a person needs to do is click on Youtube to find out how to cook chicken in bulk. Less time than it takes to drive to McD's and back.
Prep time? Grocery shopping time? Washing up time? Standing around and waiting for it to cook time? Plus the fact you have to be much more organised to make sure you are using up food before it goes bad which also takes time and effort if you aren't a naturally organised person.
Just saying, if you are working long hours, possibly even two jobs, and driving long hours to get to work and back, picking up some fast food on the way does take less time and I don't think you can deny that.
Not that it matters to me. I think it's stupid that McDonalds gets the blame for obesity when it's between meal snacking that tends to creep up on people, and people are buying those snack foods with their groceries in very very cheap multipacks. Who is blaming the shops for selling people cheap junk food?0 -
As I sit here in my hotel, looking around for a microwave, a refrigerator, I see nothing here to create a nutritious meal. I do see a McDonalds next door. Watching the people come and go, I see many McDonlads bags.
I personally have a myoplex shake and a granola bar sitting on the hotel desk, so it keeps me from running next door for some easy food.
Lets not forget that not everyone has the same lifestyle as everyone else. I travel 3 weeks out of the month and being home every night would make this whole lifestyle easier, being with my family for support, being able to plan my meals, with the ability to actually cook would double my efforts..
Not everyone has access to the same tools and skills, I am betting most of the people coming and going from this hotel would burn boiling water, or after travelling all day, fighting traffic, the TSA, are beat down just like me and just calling for room service. A $34 grilled chicken breast and steamed veggies is as unappealing as my protein shake. Our expense accounts aren't what they used to be thanks to the economy, so stopping at Wally world or a grocery store is still the safest bet. Then again, I have my car, I can choose to go somewhere else. $34 room service or $9 McSomething.. Decisions, decisions.
I do however welcome McDonalds' efforts to keep those calories down.0 -
Cost per calorie - certainly.
Cost per nutrient - unlikely.
Having said that, for the cost that is a remarkably good value product. The problem, as ever, appears to be quantity - portion control.0 -
I loves me a chicken sandwich....
:drinker: :bigsmile:0 -
It's an OpEd by a film critic...nothing to see here.
Macro and calorie wise it is very cost efficient. He basically creates a false dichotomy (which many people on this site do) to bash supposed leftist-liberal marxists who shop at farmer's markets0 -
I see their point but if it's all I eat for lunch I'm going to be starving!0
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