Could you eat McDonalds as part of a healthy diet?

The real question is wha did you eat?

Emily Strunk is eating McDonald’s for every meal for 31 days straight. But don’t worry, it’s for a good cause.

According to ABC Local, Strunk, of Long Beach,Calif., is raising money for the Ronald McDonald house. The organization means a lot to her because she lost her brother from brian cancer at 13 years old.

“McRunnerette,” as some have called her, will end her fast food diet on Oct. 9.

it's been done before...the Morgan Spurlock film "supersize this". why is this person bothering? is there some new research that Morgan's movie didn't disclose??

That's a little cynical. Her brother died from brain cancer at 13 so she's supporting an organization that means allot to her in honer of her brother. Why bother is like saying cancer will always be there, ho hum, just let them die. It's kinda mean. I thought more people on here would have appreciated the kind heartedness of another to do something they have as a gift (marathon running) and utalize it for others (incorporating the Ronald Mcdonald house which helps many kids and families.

I don't get it. what does eating McDonald's "food" for 31 days have to do with supporting Ronald McDonald house? And how is her being a marathon runner tied in? Are we missing a piece of the story? Why doesn't she just donate directly to the house.

And I think the title is misleading, so people are responding more to the "can you eat McDonald's as part of a healthy diet?" question than what is posted about why she's doing it (and my answer would be no - it is in no way physically healthy, maybe psychologically for some, but not physically). Why she's doing it doesn't seem to have anything to do with whether or not it can be part of a healthy diet.

Emily Strunk is eating McDonald’s for every meal for 31 days straight. But don’t worry, it’s for a good cause.

According to ABC Local, Strunk, of Long Beach,Calif., is raising money for the Ronald McDonald house. The organization means a lot to her because she lost her brother from brian cancer at 13 years old.

“McRunnerette,” as some have called her, will end her fast food diet on Oct. 9.

it's been done before...the Morgan Spurlock film "supersize this". why is this person bothering? is there some new research that Morgan's movie didn't disclose??

That's a little cynical. Her brother died from brain cancer at 13 so she's supporting an organization that means allot to her in honer of her brother. Why bother is like saying cancer will always be there, ho hum, just let them die. It's kinda mean. I thought more people on here would have appreciated the kind heartedness of another to do something they have as a gift (marathon running) and utalize it for others (incorporating the Ronald Mcdonald house which helps many kids and families.

I don't get it. what does eating McDonald's "food" for 31 days have to do with supporting Ronald McDonald house? And how is her being a marathon runner tied in? Are we missing a piece of the story? Why doesn't she just donate directly to the house.

And I think the title is misleading, so people are responding more to the "can you eat McDonald's as part of a healthy diet?" question than what is posted about why she's doing it (and my answer would be no - it is in no way physically healthy, maybe psychologically for some, but not physically). Why she's doing it doesn't seem to have anything to do with whether or not it can be part of a healthy diet.

She is probably being sponsored by people, which would raise more money than she would likely be able to afford if she were to just give a donation... similar to a walk-a-thon, dance-a-thon, or any of those things... people agree to donate a certain amount of money if you can complete a certain task.

I have to agree here. You could do low calorie, but I couldn't imagine it could be healthy if it was something that was long term. I haven't seen 'Supersize' but from what I heard it was not a good result. I also read an article recently about the popular foods that add cellulose (wood pulp) to their ingredients. McD's was on that list.

I do admire her cause! This was a good way to get the attention to her effort. Hope it pays off!

Sure it can be part of a healthy diet. I wouldn't eat it all day every day but I have a quarter pounder once every week or two.

I agree that it really depends on your definition of "healthy". Can you lose weight while eating fast food? Sure you can. Do things like losing weight, maintaining a healthy weight, having muscle, adding strength training to your routine, and exercising regularly lower your risk of a whole bunch of diseases and health problems? Yes.

Do thin, physically fit, "healthy-looking" people still get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a bunch of other nutrition-related diseases? Yes, they most certainly do.

Everyone has a different definition of what being "healthy" entails. I go by the research, and I go by the idea that it's simply common sense (and makes sense in terms of evolution) to eat whole, real foods as much as possible. Is it wrong to have a Big Mac every once in a while? No.

I won't go into a lot of detail on this aspect of it, but I do want to mention that there are a ton of other things that happen in this world when we eat certain foods. There are environmental, business, cultural, and agricultural effects that we rarely consider.

/rambling.

ummm.... why not just donate the money directly to the charity instead of spending it on the toxic food?

ummm.... why not just donate the money directly to the charity instead of spending it on the toxic food?

Already answered but basically I'm sure she raised more money through being sponsored by friends/family than what she could have donated on her own.

, Exactly. It is supposed to be a lifestyle and mindset change. Eat McDonnell's wel then can you drink or smoke. McDonnell's is pure garbage. What is in their meat??Rats? The chicken isn't real.
I haven't cooked in years , now to be healthy and lose weight I am cooking, measuring weighing my food. I am exercising, and educating myself on nutrition. To me if you cannot give up McDonnell's, you are not ready and looking for the easy way out/

LOL the rat's parts a bit extreme isn't it. I'd gladly have a McDonald's as part of a healthy lifestyle, may not be the best but it's not like it's all the time, once a month or something like that.

Also, I do agree that the majority of the food should be healthy I don't have a problem with things in moderation.
When it comes to smoking and drinking, I don't see a problem with having a drink in moderation either, and while I've never smoked and don't think it's part of a healthy lifestyle (no doubt worse than mcdonalds) if a person had cut down to 1 cigarette on the weekend, like some people have a Mcdonalds I don't think it's going to be the end of the world, the thing is most smokers don't, they have several a day so you can't really compare it.

In my opinion, no way. It could be part of a low cal diet... but healthy, nope. It's so processed and full of sodium and junk. After I started using MFP and eating healthy, there have been days when we need a quick meal and picked up McDonalds and I feel so crappy after eating it, I'm talking headache, sluggish... bathroom "problems". I can't imagine eating it for 31 days straight. Whoever is doing that, well they can do whatever they want I guess. Stuffing myself with fast food and risking my health sure doesn't seem like a good way to raise support for a good cause. Raise they money by having a 5k or something.

Amen.

Totally agree !!!