Support NeoGAF

[Nevasleep]

They are pretty good in the UK, and all the nutitional information/Guideline Daily Allowance % is clear to see, and usually printed on the boxes.
I love their deli options, especially the sweet chilli chicken deli sandwich.

They are certainly more healthy than the other fast food places.
Also their new Fruitizz drink for children is "made with grape, apple and raspberry juice and sparkling water. There’s no added sugar, artificial colours or flavours and it’s one of your five-a-day ".

Unhealthy people just need to be sensible, plus IMO it isn't that cheap to have meals in UK McDonalds.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

McDonald's really gets a lot of heat. It's not even remotely bad compared to those family style restaurants like Chiles or Applebee's. The nutrition value of a homemade burger is probably equal of not worse than a McDonald's burger using similar ingredients.


Edit: fly high, the sauce is thousand island salad dressing.

Agreed. Compared to other burger joints, and all of the chain restaurants, it looks like health food. They've actually made an attempt over the years to offer some healthy options. They also don't have as many huge ass burgers as the other chains. One of their worst is the Big Mac and that has 540 calories. At Applebee's, an appetizer alone has 2,400 calories.

 

[Kentpaul]

I eat a macdee's a few times week, I never seem to put on any weights.

* Shrugs*

 

[samus i am]

I'm shocked that I didn't find anything he said unreasonable. McDonalds is the most visible food chain, so they have a target on their back. McDonalds didn't make you fat, you made you fat.

 

[leadbelly]

What's in the Big Mac sauce?

That's an interesting question. I have occasionally had a Rustlers Microwave Burger (in the UK). It used to come with just ketchup, but now it has a different kind of sauce that is yellow in colour. It makes it taste just like a Mcdonalds burger.

 

[rezuth]

I eat a macdee's a few times week, I never seem to put on any weights.

* Shrugs*

That does not mean its good for you.

 

[SyNapSe]

Agreed. Compared to other burger joints, and all of the chain restaurants, it looks like health food. They've actually made an attempt over the years to offer some healthy options. They also don't have as many huge ass burgers as the other chains. One of their worst is the Big Mac and that has 540 calories. At Applebee's, an appetizer alone has 2,400 calories.

I think fast food being "bad" has been so pounded into the American Psyche that most don't realize that your average restaurant is probably far worse. Portions are far larger in general and it tastes good for the same reason.

The one that boggles my mind is Starbucks. I know healthy people who go there all the time. That seems like sitting down and eating a bunch of candy to me. You're pouring hundreds of calories down your throat that have little to no nutritional value.

 

[reggieandTFE]

Corporate PR bullshit. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year getting kids hooked on this shit and then abdicating all responsibility for Anericas obesity epidemic is insane; the marketing of toys with high calorie meals is insidious.

Cigarette companies preached the same bullshit about personal responsibility; how about some corporate/social responsibility to not poison our country?

 

[CrankyJay]

I always have one of these on tuesdays, for the low price of £1.99:

Pretty decent nutritional content as well:

420 Cal, 9g Protein, 14g Fat, 61g Carb, 4g Fibre

Carb to protein ratio is way too low. Calorie wise it's fine if you're eating nothing else with it. Including a drink.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

it's funny how they still claim that these "high fat" foods will make you fat when in reality it's of course MUCH more complex and fat itself has almost nothing to do with obesity as a main contributing factor!

Rather the combination of processed SUGARS with carbs+fat and individual metabolisms, insuline levels and lack of exercise etc.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Corporate PR bullshit. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year getting kids hooked on this shit and then abdicating all responsibility for Anericas obesity epidemic is insane; the marketing of toys with high calorie meals is insidious.

Cigarette companies preached the same bullshit about personal responsibility; how about some corporate/social responsibility to not poison our country?

Oh god. Spare us. Get your kid the mcnugget meal with milk. It has 400 calories total. Much less than 2 slices of pizza alone. And it has fruit.
And comparing happy meals to cigarettes? Please.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

Corporate PR bullshit. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year getting kids hooked on this shit and then abdicating all responsibility for Anericas obesity epidemic is insane; the marketing of toys with high calorie meals is insidious.

Cigarette companies preached the same bullshit about personal responsibility; how about some corporate/social responsibility to not poison our country?

sure, but you're looking in the wrong places for responsibility there... Corporations are there to make profit, not to be responsible

 

[beelzebozo]

i really love the combination of a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, with a crunchy salty tater tot-esque hash brown on the side. i'd love to have breakfast at a place that does an gourmet version of it with real thick cut bacon and a biscuit so buttery it stains my shirt.

mcdonald's may fail at many things, but it does a great job with flavor symbiosis. everything on the menu could be mashed in a bowl and eaten together and it would be tasty as hell. everything seems designed to be mixed and matched and paired in any way with anything else and to still hit some really fundamentally pleasing human senses.

 

[DarkFlow]

Yeah really. I enjoy a good Big Mac every now and then. Tip, order a Big Mac with quarter pounder patties.

You can do that? I might enjoy a big Mac then. As it is it's pitifully small.

 

[Zoe]

Carb to protein ratio is way too low. Calorie wise it's fine if you're eating nothing else with it. Including a drink.

Not everybody needs to be on a low carb diet.

 

[Kentpaul]

That does not mean its good for you.

Life ain't about waiting for the storm to pass its about learning to dance in the rain.

 

[SolidusDave]

healthy/unhealthy food...
Unless it's literally poisonous, there simply is no unhealthy food.

Or in other words, everything is unhealthy to you depending on the dosage.

Eat exclusively 20-30 super-healthy apples per day over months/years and you might actually get fat as well as look like some chemotherapy patient (if not already dead).

 

[SuperEpicMan]

I fucking love McDonalds, but I don't eat it every day for lunch. If I eat anything to excess it is considered unhealthy, McDonalds is the same. It is only providing a service, it is the customers responsibility to moderate their consumption of products that are less healthy than others.

That being said, I do think it is the responsibility of restaurants and fast food outlets to be able to provide nutritional information on the food they sell. It is pretty good here in the UK, most places do, but in countries where they don't, people should have a bit of common sense.

 

[Dennis]

I always have one of these on tuesdays, for the low price of £1.99:

Pretty decent nutritional content as well:

420 Cal, 9g Protein, 14g Fat, 61g Carb, 4g Fibre

Dat carb

 

[Darryl]

I don't think the food is that bad unless you're getting excessive with the soda and fries. I know more people who overeat at Subway.

 

[Johnlenham]

Carb to protein ratio is way too low. Calorie wise it's fine if you're eating nothing else with it. Including a drink.

Wouldnt that be because its a veg option, so unless they are packing in Tofu style stuff that thing is pretty veg in a wrap so ofcourse its going to be high carb.

 

[SeanR1221]

Not everybody needs to be on a low carb diet.

Yes some should go on the high carb processed diet.

Wouldnt that be because its a veg option, so unless they are packing in Tofu style stuff that thing is pretty veg in a wrap so ofcourse its going to be high carb.

Shouldn't the fiber be higher? My cup of broccoli packs more fiber than that.

 

[Gaborn]

Any time you go into a restaurant you're making a choice, the menu is another choice. No particular chain or individual restaurant is forcing you to either go to them or to order the items you choose or to eat the amount you choose. Instead of using a restaurant like McDonald's critics of fast food need to take responsibility for their own choices.

 

[Johnlenham]

Maybe? No clue how much of what contains. Not defending them just I know there is far far far worse option you can pick up for £2 that advertise as being healthy.

 

[WanderingWind]

I'm a chef, well used to be until my injury. We have some of the worst eating habits in the world. Stems from having to eat on the fly because we're too busy feeding other people at normal eating hours. Never base how good a chef is off of what he eats.

Truth. I was a chef before my career change. Sadly, while my cooking skills remain, my nutritional knowledge is utter shit.

 

[SeanR1221]

Maybe? No clue how much of what contains. Not defending them just I know there is far far far worse option you can pick up for £2 that advertise as being healthy.

I never understood this mentality. Its like saying eat this turd instead of this bowl of diarrhea.

Truth. I was a chef before my career change. Sadly, while my cooking skills remain, my nutritional knowledge is utter shit.

I also don't buy the time excuse people give either. Cooking healthy barely takes any time at all.

 

[WanderingWind]

I also don't buy the time excuse people give either. Cooking healthy barely takes any time at all.

...okay. Buy it, or don't, doesn't change how lifestyle affects eating habits. When you work 14 hour days, six days a week, shit is going to suffer. "Barely any time" > no time at all, which is what fast food offers.

I do agree that this is often just an excuse, but there is also a lot of truth in it.

 

[Zoe]

I've heard many chefs say the last thing they'd want to do when they leave work is cook.

 

[Johnlenham]

I never understood this mentality. Its like saying eat this turd instead of this bowl of diarrhea.
.

No its really not. What a stupid thing to say.

 

[Zeppu]

Carb/calorie/protein counting sounds like a great way to take all the fun out of food.

I eat whatever I want whenever the hell I want, but everything in moderation. If I see me getting a bit bloated I cut down for a few days.

I'm 60kg.

 

[JB1981]

other than his "i don't see anything on the menu that is unhealthy" comment, the guy sounds pretty reasonable. mcdonalds isn't to blame for the obesity epidemic. people and their behavior is.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

has anyone seen the new kids meal fries? its like some kind of joke.

 

[beelzebozo]

has anyone seen the new kids meal fries? its like some kind of joke.

what kind of joke?

 

[Simplet]

That's an interesting argument the guy is making, basically it comes down to this :

"Our found is not unhealthy at all, you just have so eat so little of it and eat it so rarely that it drowns in the amount of healthy food you eat the rest of the time, and you should be fine. I think the real question is : what are you guys eating when we're not giving you terrible stuff? Is it healthy enough to offset the shit that you get at McD?"

 

[PetriP-TNT]

It's healthier than A LOT of fast food places.
It doesn't deserve the bad rap it gets.

This is true.

 

[Nevasleep]

That's an interesting argument the guy is making, basically it comes down to this :

"Our found is not unhealthy at all, you just have so eat so little of it and eat it so rarely that it drowns in the amount of healthy food you eat the rest of the time, and you should be fine. I think the real question is : what are you guys eating when we're not giving you terrible stuff? Is it healthy enough to offset the shit that you get at McD?"

So a balanced diet then, seems sensible to me.

 

[Talon]

On a side note, we had McD as a client once, and they took us to their kitchen.

They asked us to try two sets of fries and asked us if they tasted the same. After we said, "Yes," the guy, while beaming, immediately goes "The first ones are about an hour old. The second set are two weeks old!"

Science.

 

[WanderingWind]

On a side note, we had McD as a client once, and they took us to their kitchen.

They asked us to try two sets of fries and asked us if they tasted the same. After we said, "Yes," the guy, while beaming, immediately goes "The first ones are about an hour old. The second set are two weeks old!"

Science.

And then you socked him in his face for feeding you two weeks old food, right?

 

[Dead Man]

On a side note, we had McD as a client once, and they took us to their kitchen.

They asked us to try two sets of fries and asked us if they tasted the same. After we said, "Yes," the guy, while beaming, immediately goes "The first ones are about an hour old. The second set are two weeks old!"

Science.

You did tell him they both tasted equally rubbish, right?

Edit: LOL WanderingWind, yes, that is certainly what should have been done. What a wanker. 2 week old food. Who thinks that is okay?

 

[Talon]

The only thing more absurd was the fact that they had those sanitary dispensaries for needles in the bathrooms - presumably for all the diabetics. And approximately 75% of the employees we met were obese. This is at their main campus in Oakbrook (also home to Hamburger University).

Probably doesn't help that they have soda fountains at pretty much every corner in their offices.

I did find out from a former employee at their corporate offices that the company was paying employees to use personal trainers. This was to undercut health insurance costs. Actually isn't that rare with larger companies to have incentives tied to healthy lifestyles. The previous company I worked at had a "health" week where they had sessions to have people be more active. One of the suggestions was to walk more briskly.

Anyways, I never eat fast food. I pack my lunch most days - the few days I don't I usually get a falafel, salad or splurge on a slice of pizza. Last time I've eaten at McDonalds was probably a Shamrock shake (ugh) about 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[Omegasquash]

If people don't like it, then they won't eat it, or they'll control their intake if they know what's good for 'em. I see people shitting on McDonald's all the time, yet I feel like other fast food chains revel in their unhealthy offerings sometimes.

And no, I typically do not eat there. I find their food to be semi-gross in taste. I do on occasion hit up Taco Bell. Shit's tasty.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Carb to protein ratio is way too low. Calorie wise it's fine if you're eating nothing else with it. Including a drink.

It's a little on the high side carbwise, but just fine if you're going for 200g carb a day.
Throw in a diet sod and mini carrots for a wholesome meal!

 

[linkboy]

what kind of joke?

Its really, really small. Literally has about 20 fries in it.

 

[.GqueB.]

I don't know why, but I absolutely love the regular old Mcdonalds cheeseburger. I will choose that over anything on the menu. They may not look like anything special but there is flavor country in there and also possibly crack. Every now and then I just get the itch and nothing else will do.

Agreed. When I ate there, I only ever got cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. Two of the most simple and delicious items on their menu. Everything else is bells and whistles. Big mac always fell apart on me.

 

[.GqueB.]

On a side note, we had McD as a client once, and they took us to their kitchen.

They asked us to try two sets of fries and asked us if they tasted the same. After we said, "Yes," the guy, while beaming, immediately goes "The first ones are about an hour old. The second set are two weeks old!"

Science.

I know this was a quick story you wanted to tell but I need further clarification. Did he mean "2 weeks old" as in they've been sitting around cooked and done for two weeks or "2 weeks old" as in they got that shipment of fries 2 weeks ago and they were cooked just then and they're fine?

 

[beelzebozo]

Its really, really small. Literally has about 20 fries in it.

that does seem parodic in some way, but paired with the apples, it is a lot more reasonable for little kids and makes a whole lot of nutritional sense. it actually syncs up pretty nicely with what the chef in the linked story is saying about balancing good healthy elements with less healthy elements.

 

[Cheech]

I used to work at McD's, so as a result, their normal lunch/dinner menu repulses me.

However, when I have to eat there, it's a Southwest Chicken Salad. Tastes good, and is good for you.

For breakfast, I will have an Egg McMuffin. Not the healthiest thing to eat, but if I'm hurrying to work after running a couple miles, that shit is getting burned off pronto.

The new grilled chicken sandwich is delicious as well. The oatmeal looks good, I haven't tried it yet.

The brilliance of this is they're realizing that as a society, many of us are moving over to healthier options but still have to cater to our kids once in awhile. If we're doing a family treat dinner, I'll consider McDonald's because I do like the salads. When I worked there in the 90s, the salads were sad as fuck and disgusting. If I was raising kids in the 80s/90s, they wouldn't know McDonald's existed.

I agree with whoever said that at least McDonald's is making an effort, and of all the giant fast food chains, they are arguably doing the most to make their healthy options appealing. Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, etc., their shit can best be described as half hearted. Their salads are gross as hell, and the grilled chicken has the character of a rubber hockey puck.

 

[The Technomancer]

Any time you go into a restaurant you're making a choice, the menu is another choice. No particular chain or individual restaurant is forcing you to either go to them or to order the items you choose or to eat the amount you choose. Instead of using a restaurant like McDonald's critics of fast food need to take responsibility for their own choices.

To reduce it this simply seems tantamount to saying that the only outcome of advertising is raising awareness of the existence of a product (or service)

 

[Talon]

I know this was a quick story you wanted to tell but I need further clarification. Did he mean "2 weeks old" as in they've been sitting around cooked and done for two weeks or "2 weeks old" as in they got that shipment of fries 2 weeks ago and they were cooked just then and they're fine?

Two weeks old as they were sitting around.

Yeah - that's not cool.

 

[Dennis]

That picture of fries reminds me how awful fastfood french fries are.

Greasy and gross.