fast food - let's try this again

They HAVE to put that much crap in it... how else would they fit 11g of fat in two eggs??

I had jury duty this week and failed to bring my lunch. We all took lunch at McDonalds and while I was there I got a little chuckle out of a sign they had up. It said something to the effect of: "It's so good because we make it the way you would" Really? Seriously? I couldn't believe my eyes. cuz last time I made eggs I'm pretty sure I just cracked an egg into a frying pan that I had wiped with a little canola oil. And don't even get me started on what's in the french fries.

My biggest beef with McDonald's and other fast food is not the calories, it's the ingredients. Our tastebuds have been trained to think that this is what food is supposed to taste like so this is what we crave. When we eat something natural, it doesn't taste as good to us at first because it lacks the enhanced flavor of all these chemicals. Fortunately our taste buds can be retrained to enjoy natural food again.

Oh and BTW, I DID eat there. I had one of the WORST things on the menu... a FiletO'Fish and even though it has been about 6 months since I ate fast food, it still actually tasted good to me. How sad is that? I can't even count the ingredients here is a complete list of ingredients: Fish Filet (Hoki and Pollock), water, food starch-modified, yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, salt, whey, dextrose, dried yeast, sugar, sodium polyphosphate,
potassium polyphosphate, cellulose gum, paprika and turmeric extract (color), natural flavors (plant source). Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean
oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup,
sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten,
ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated
monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.Milk, water, milkfat, cheese culture, sodium citrate, salt, citric acid, sorbic acid (preservative), sodium phosphate, artificial color, lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, soy
lecithin (added for slice separation).Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, vinegar, salt, capers, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), calcium chloride, spice extractives, polysorbate 80],
egg yolks, water, onions, distilled vinegar, sugar, spice, salt, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), parsley.

Wow. I'm not sure where to go with this....you know? Is it uneducation? Is it poverty? I KNOW most people know this crap is bad for them, yet they continue to consume it. My mom and my sisters eat this way quite a bit - mom said once "you know, $10 is 10 hamburgers" cheap, fast, filling (for awhile, then you **** - and are hungry again) but if you eat like this all the time - do you just not know? Or do you not care? Or is it because it's cheap? I mean, think of all the food you could get with $10 at MickyD's - vs. a nice salad (that you have to go buy the ingredients for - I know, I know you can make more than one salad w/the stuff you buy, but it's a lot to initally get started).

I don't know. I do think it sucks and there should be a tax on this crap - just like cigarettes.......

I don't think there is anything at McDonalds that is healthy....except maybe water

They probably put beef fat in the water, too!! LOL

Mmmmm beef fat. I wish they went back to using beef tallow for frying stuff again instead of stupid vegetable based oils, but since people seemed to think that was somehow less healthy, we get hydrogenated oils.

Good rule of thumb I heard: "If it comes in a paperbag through the window of your car, it's not food".

Thank god, Starbucks doesn't come in a bag :laugh:

McDonalds pours their eggs out of a container which is why they need so many additives and preservatives. Egg Beaters have a lot of additives and preservatives, too:

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2010/08/19/egg-beaters-and-cholesterol-confusion/

Egg beaters contain 20 ingredients:

Egg Whites, Less than 1%: Natural Flavor, Color (Includes Beta Carotene), Spices, Salt, Onion Powder, Vegetable Gums (Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum), Maltodextrin. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Sulfate, Iron (Ferric Phosphate), Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrate), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin D3

I totally agree that there really isn't much at McDonalds that's good for you. But there's not much in any pre-packaged foods that is good for you.

MMmmmm Cake....

Why does it need so many ingredients?

I dont understand the point of this thread? Okay no nothing at McDonalds or any other non home place is going to be real healthy.. But you know most of what Americans cook at home isn't healthy either. However, those eggs have a lot of protein, which is great for your muscles and are about the same calories as 2 real eggs and way better for you then a BIG MAC or a sausage biscuit or whatever else you're thinking of getting from there. Not jumping on you for posting.. Not sure what point you were trying to get across eithe though.
As far as pronouncing what's in them. Can you pronounce everything in the pasta, or the cereal, or protein shake, or the anything not able to be grown?

Hmm pasta let's see, here's what's in the Barilla plus pasta: semolina, lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, spelt, oats, egg whites, oat fiber, durum flour, niacin, iron, thiamine, ribolavin, folic acid. Pretty simple not super healthy by a long shot, but also not loaded with unnatural things.

Stupid double posting MFP.

The ONLY thing I get at this place is sliced apples and water

I haven't eaten at a McDonald's since childhood (I am a vegetarian, we really can't trust anything there, people may actually be right about the water) but that photo would be enough to turn me off their food. That was all I got from the link, but I don't need convincing there isn't any food in their food.

I honestly don't get the appeal. No judgement, I have cravings for stuff that is unhealthy, too, and I understand the attraction of food that we know full well is bad for us (like a huge hunk of crusty rustic bread smeared with some type of fatty-creamy imported cheese and roasted fig-rosemary jam and a big glass of wine...then a huge plate of pasta...then maybe dessert...then more wine). I just think that 99% of fast food places serve *kitten* nasty food that doesn't even look or taste very good.

I walk in between a Jack in the Box and a McDonald's to get to the hiking trail where I exercise my dog and the smell is unbelievable, not to mention the piles of litter everywhere. Even the photos they have posted of their menu items look unappetizing. My partner isn't vegetarian and he gets fast food every once in a while and then complains about it being gross, soggy or cold and then tells me we make better burgers at home for less than half the price! (note: this always leads to me having to make burgers and oven fries within a few days because, "Please baby, that burger didn't get rid of my craving!")

Please don't jump down my throat if you think fast food is yummy. I am not saying you are a bad person or have crappy taste in food, I am just saying that I don't get it. I like stuff other people think sucks or is nasty (like Kimchi, extra stinky and spicy) and try not to judge other people for what they think tastes good.

Even if they are wrong. (Joking!)

You made me hungry with all that bread and cheese and wine talk, Jenny!!

I completely agree though - it certainly does not taste better than anything you can make at home. The last time I was at a McDonald's (I haven't gone by choice in -years-, but I was on a roadtrip and the rest of the car wanted to stop), I got a grilled chicken with no sauce and pulled it off the bun to eat, and it still tasted greasy!

I don't see the convenience excuse either - it takes me 10 minutes on Sunday to cut up all my veggies and put 5 salads into tupperware for my week's lunches.

I don't think there is anything at McDonalds that is healthy....except maybe water

They probably put beef fat in the water, too!! LOL

Mmmmm beef fat. I wish they went back to using beef tallow for frying stuff again instead of stupid vegetable based oils, but since people seemed to think that was somehow less healthy, we get hydrogenated oils.

Hear, hear!

And this.....ewe!

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-contain-silly-putty-ingredient-2077590