Could you eat McDonalds as part of a healthy diet?

@ninerbuff: there is no proof that it is good for your health to incorperate McD into your diet either...

Tell that to a starving child or someone on low income. Eating any food is better than no food at all. Also there have been a few people who have ate nothing but junk food, lost weight and had cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure lowered. Look up the nutrition professor who ate Twinkies and Fathead on Netflix.



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"Until the naysayers come up with an equally tempting and affordable alternative, maybe they should hold off pontificating about what may well be the most widely consumed entree in history." Barry Glassner, The Gospel of Food

The disscussion in this thread is about whether or not McDonalds food is a healthy choice. The consensus is NO.. it is not a healthy choice. Again ... No one can claim otherwise.

Of course, you can eat the food .. It's a free country...but after reading the ingredients published by McDonald's themselves, the foods are high in calories, fat, sodium etc etc etc. We all know and understand what that kind of food can do to the body if consumed on a regular basis.

High in calories and fat means more energy for me?
I'm not here to praise fast food or bury it, just questioning it's easy portrayal as the root of all evil.

Getting rid of fast food was the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm sorry, but I can't see how anyone can live off this junk for 30 days. When I first started losing weight, I remember getting something from McD's after I had lost about 30lbs. and getting so sick from it. Just the smell of it digusted me. There are so many extras that are put into food like this, it just isn't healthy. Chili's used to be one of my favorite sit-in restaurants. I haven't been there in about a year. My body is no longer used to fast food, and I have no tolerance for it. Prior to my weight loss (I dropped 60lbs before starting MFP, 65 more to go here!) I was eating fast food & food from out every other day. I worked at a doctor's office, and we ordered take out many times for lunch. One of the first things I noticed when I gave it all up is how much better I felt - there is nothing good to come from fast food, not even salads from fast food places because that just leaves the door open for a sweet tea that I don't need, or a cookie, or an ice cream... to each their own, but giving up fast food has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

And the sodium and all the other 'trates' of one kind or another? Are you suggesting your body miraculously dispells them too?

My body, liver and kidneys work quite well. Thank you for your concern.

Glad to hear it. Please don't ever assume that all is fine just because you feel fine. Regular checkups with your doctor could detect thngs like high colesterol, heart disease, etc. Early detection may save your life someday. You have a few other factors like genetics that may be secretly working for you AND against you.

I am not saying healthy choices are the ONLY way to go .. just A way. We all have choices to make. The older you get, you find what works for you now, won't work for you later .. and consequences of choices we make now may not appear until later in life. Sucks getting old .. I can tell you THAT for free!

And the sodium and all the other 'trates' of one kind or another? Are you suggesting your body miraculously dispells them too? There are other healthier choices for high energy that are not laiden with these ingredients.

I eat beef jerky DAILY. Way high in nitrates and sodium. There's more in there per ounce than any fast food. Where's the proof? Where are the clinical studies showing that they are making people unhealthy? Sodium can be countered with potassium and water. Eat a banana and drink some water. Nitrites and nitrates need to be in very, very, very high concentrations to be toxic, which aren't even close in foods.
What you say may make sense, but having it scientifically studied and tested is another.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

The disscussion in this thread is about whether or not McDonalds food is a healthy choice. The consensus is NO.. it is not a healthy choice. Again ... No one can claim otherwise.

Of course, you can eat the food .. It's a free country...but after reading the ingredients published by McDonald's themselves, the foods are high in calories, fat, sodium etc etc etc. We all know and understand what that kind of food can do to the body if consumed on a regular basis.

Consensus isn't trumped by actual scientific proof. The consensus is that if you eat fast food, you'll get fat and unhealthy. I and MANY MANY others can refute that it's untrue based on ourselves eating it. If you get in your daily essentials, stay within your calorie limits and get in some good exercise, their isn't any reason(unless you are predisposed to disease) you couldn't have fast food everyday and still be healthy.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Not exactly .. I think the consensus is more realistic than that .. It's more like .. If you eat fast food to access, you'll increase your chances of becoming fat and unhealthy. There is no ONE rule that applies to absolutely everyone. We are talking about the majority of the population, not anyone particular individual.

By simply saying if you stay within your caloric intake limit and take in recommended daily nutrients, are you suggesting that it would be ok for someone to have a diet of, say ... a couple of burgers (high in fat, sodium and nitrates) and vitamin supplements? It would be within the criteria you mentioned. Is that what YOU would recommend?

I'm not sure if I understand why you are defending McDonald's foods which are clearly high in a number of ingredients that if taken on a daily basis would increase the risks of heart disease, and a number of other ailments when the sheer caloric intake of one hamburger would significantly decrease the 'room' for any other types of better quality foods...just from a caloric perspective.

Glad to hear it. Please don't ever assume that all is fine just because you feel fine. Regular checkups with your doctor could detect thngs like high colesterol, heart disease, etc. Early detection may save your life someday. You have a few other factors like genetics that may be secretly working for you AND against you.

I am not saying healthy choices are the ONLY way to go .. just A way. We all have choices to make. The older you get, you find what works for you now, won't work for you later .. and consequences of choices we make now may not appear until later in life. Sucks getting old .. I can tell you THAT for free!

I don't. I have regular physicals every year. No problems. EVER. I'm as fit as a male in their late 20's. At 47, that's great and I know that if I keep up what I am doing, that at 60, I'll still be doing it right.


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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Are you suggesting what works for you should work for everyone?

You say you eat junk food occassionally, and you obviously counter balance those choices with others .. The discussion on this whole thread is about the quality of the food .. I'm not sure we are even discussing the same thing.

If you think McDonalds food is such good quality, are you suggesting is ok to eat it daily, multiple times a day?

Not exactly .. I think the consensus is more realistic than that .. It's more like .. If you eat fast food to access, you'll increase your chances of becoming fat and unhealthy. There is no ONE rule that applies to absolutely everyone. We are talking about the majority of the population, not anyone particular individual.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism has done studies on calorie excess and regardless if food is healthy or not, YOU'LL GET FAT.

By simply saying if you stay within your caloric intake limit and take in recommended daily nutrients, are you suggesting that it would be ok for someone to have a diet of, say ... a couple of burgers (high in fat, sodium and nitrates) and vitamin supplements? It would be within the criteria you mentioned. Is that what YOU would recommend?

No, I stated that IF you got in your essentials (protein and good fats, along with minerals and vitamins) that whatever you consumed along with that and staying within calorie limits, you should be fine. I didn't mention supplements.

I'm not sure if I understand why you are defending McDonald's foods which are clearly high in a number of ingredients that if taken on a daily basis would increase the risks of heart disease, and a number of other ailments when the sheer caloric intake of one hamburger would significantly decrease the 'room' for any other types of better quality foods...just from a caloric perspective.

Because the fast food bashers usually don't have really any idea of what health is. You can eat healthy food and be overweight and increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, etc. Why do I defend them? Because I like their food and like that they (unlike many RICH corporations) actually give back to the community. For people who don't know how to count calories or eat within limits, it doesn't matter what food you eat. The South certainly isn't gorging on McDonald's to have the highest obesity rates among all states. I'm betting it has more to do with all the "home made" cooking they are doing.



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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'm not even going to bother reading whatever super-uptight responses probably popped up in this thread.

However...McDonald's does have some pretty decent salads...if you get the Southwest chicken salad grilled, leave off the tortilla strips, and don't use dressing (the chicken itself is dressed enough) it's a reasonable and healthy meal.

Also, Ronald McDonald House is a FANTASTIC organization, and if any of you could even bear the thought of having a sick child in a hospital 100 miles from home and wonder how the hell you can support them and be nearby w/o spending a fortune on hotel costs, you could imagine what a huge service they do for families of sick kids. For those of you that do eat McD's, I encourage you to do what I do and empty your wallet/car of change every time you go through the drive through. Hopefully the car behind you will see it and remember to do it, too. If we all contributed just our spare change to their fund, it's amazing how fast it adds up.

Ronald McDonald House really is great for the community. I've witnessed a few stories of how children and families survived some really life threatening episodes with their help. People take their own health for granted and if they had to experience some of the things that these kids go through, they might contribute even more to the cause. I staunchly support McDonald's just for Ronald McDonald House alone. But their cheeseburgers aren't bad either.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Are you suggesting what works for you should work for everyone?

As I stated in an earlier post, if you aren't predisposed to disease due to genetic factors, if you stay within calorie limits and have a good exercise routine, you shouldn't have an issue. If you are predisposed to disease and don't exercise or don't adhere to your calorie limits, then it won't work.

You say you eat junk food occasionally, and you obviously counter balance those choices with others .. The discussion on this whole thread is about the quality of the food .. I'm not sure we are even discussing the same thing.

Probably 80% of what I eat is "processed" food. Even the meat I buy from the supermarket is processed along with the wheat bread, cereal, oatmeal, Protein shakes, etc.
Unless you're growing your own food and killing your own livestock, chances are you are still eating food that's processed one way or another.
The OP's thread asks if you can have Mcdonald's as part of a healthy diet. The answer (and even nutritionists and dieticians will admit it) that yes you can IF you know how to moderate it in your life.

If you think McDonalds food is such good quality, are you suggesting is ok to eat it daily, multiple times a day?

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You have mentioned a few times " if you stay within calorie limits and have a good exercise routine, you shouldn't have an issue" . I think your 'message' is a little unclear..at least it is to me. Are you saying it's ok to eat nothing but chocolate bars, pop and chips, not to mention fast food, as long as it is within a suggested caloric limit? Is that your idea of advising someone to lose weight .. and further keep healthy? Is that why this continent is riddled with obesity issues ... because people haven't been consuming the wrong kinds of foods .. just too much of it?

MY message is about the connection between what we eat and the difference between THAT and two things (1) Losing weight (2) Increasing the level of 'health' .. One is not dependant upon the other.

Even very thin people can be unhealthy.