Posts Tagged ‘McDonalds’

McDonald’s McRib Pop Quiz

November 5, 2011

Pop Quiz: What does a McDonald’s McRib sandwich have in common with your fitness routine?
Answer: Both contain a chemical used to make yoga mats and the soles of running shoes.

The McRib sandwich, made of pig intestines, hearts and scalded stomachs ( yes really!) formed to look like pork ribs, sits on a chemical laden bun.

The simple sandwich has 70 ingredients, according to the company’s website, including a flour bleaching agent that is commonly used to make foamed plastic!

The compound, azodicarbonamide is banned in Europe and Australia, but is approved in trace amounts in the U.S. and is classified as a respiratory sensitizer that potentially contributes to asthma.

Personally, they lost me somewhere around the pig stomachs, but it is truly frightening that it takes 70 mostly unpronouncable ingredients to create a sandwich.

So the real question of the day goes out to all the Mc Rib fans: Now that you know what’s in it, are you still “lovin‘ it”?

Happy Meals “Healthy” Upgrade

July 28, 2011


photo + analysis via The New York Times

McLobster Roll?

March 7, 2011





Sow Your Oats

February 27, 2011


Mc Donalds recently added oatmeal to their fast food breakfast line-up. So why does this “bowl of wholesome” as their marketing refers to it, contain 22 ingredients?

I just checked my box of the Quakers Old Fashioned Oats, and it contains just one;

“100% natural whole grain Quaker quality rolled oats.”

To prepare it, you need to add water, and cook it for about 5 minutes.  Easy, right?

So how did McDonalds take one of the simplest and healthiest foods and make it so complicated, and nutritionally deficient?

In making it more compatible with the average American taste palette, they have added cream, sweetened dried fruit and brown sugar, and a variety of unpronounceable ingredients that preserve, color and flavor the cereal.

There are also 32 grams of sugar, 6 grams of fat, 160 grams of sodium and almost 300 calories per serving.

Conversely, a Snicker’s bar has only 19 ingredients, 30 grams of sugar, and 280 calories. While hardly a sound breakfast choice, by comparison it’s not an unreasonable one.

The entire 42 oz. tub of Quaker oats contains about 30 servings and cost $5.89, at an overpriced New York City grocery store. Do the math, and it equates to less than 20 cents per bowl.

The McDonalds version costs $2.38 per serving, and I would gather that it takes at least 5 minutes to wait in line, order, and pay for it.

Unless you have a major craving for sodium stearoyl actylate, or carrageenan, the homemade version wins hands down.

Which one are you going to have this week?

photo: Glasshouse Images

Unhappy Meal

April 26, 2010





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