McDonalds - The undisputed King of fast food, be it in India or anywhere else in the world has for years, now given us those yummy fries, burgers and equally mouth watering innovations such as Paneer Salsa Wrap and what not, so much so that it has become a synonym to snacking, fries and burgers! While there was always a debate raging as to whether the food served at McDonalds was healthy or not, very few went beyond the ‘Unhealthy’ part of it.
So what is it that makes McDonald’s really unhealthy?
Everyone keeps telling us that eating those burgers and fries, is not healthy, their only point of argument being that it will make us ‘fat’. But no one tells us what actually will make us gain weight! So we decided to delve a bit deeper and tried to understand that one ‘X’ factor, which makes McDonalds ‘Unhealthy’, instead we found many such factors that collectively work towards making that Happy Meal not so Happy after all!
Why it should be called an ‘UnHappy Meal’?
To begin with let’s first look at the list of some of the most popular items found on McDonald’s menu:
- French Fries (Large) – 400 Calories
- Veg Burger – 110 to 140 Calories
- Chicken Burger – 360 Calories
- Cheese Burger – 300 Calories
- Large Coke – 310 Calories
- Coffee – 180 Calories
*Calorie Count derived from mcdonalds.com*
But are the Calories to be blamed solely for making McDonalds a health hazard in today’s time? We think not! Instead we believe that it is the other ingredients that go into making your burger so yummy, that actually contribute to making McDonalds unhealthy and the happy meal quite, ‘UnHappy’!
Here’s why you should give Ronald a miss?
We are all aware of the by-now famous Ronald, the clown – like figure who greets us at the door of every McDonalds outlet, while Ronald is often found smiling and grinning, here are some reasons why he should not be so upbeat about the food that is served,
- Excessive Usage of Preservatives
McDonalds follows the tradition set by the fast food industry of excessive usage of preservatives, to the ‘T’. In fact McDonalds itself had made a statement saying that they would try and remove Sodium Benzoate from their products (namely dressings and sauces). This statement came in reply to the health fears that were raised by nutritionists, regarding the mixing of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, which is part of the ingredients used in making the bun, by McDonalds. The health fears were raised as, Sodium Benzoate on mixing with Ascorbic acid (preservative) leads to the formation of Chemical Benzene, which is a known Carcinogen – a substance that leads to Cancer according to FDA.
There are other concerns regarding the use of sodium benzoate in food products, a study by Professor Peter Piper of University of Sheffield, found that it can cause damage parts of our DNA structure and other study by Professor Jim Stevenson from Southampton University which showed that combination of sodium benzoate with other preservatives is linked to hyperactive behavior in children.
Similarly, French fries and the recently launched Chicken McNuggets are known to contain TBHQ as a preservative (TBHQ in large quantities has shown to cause cancerous signs in the stomach as well as causing DNA damage in lab animals.) However since they are present in extremely small quantities in Chicken Mcnuggets, TBHQ toxicity just through their consumption is rare.
Dr. Shweta Iyengar a renowned nutritionist says, “The preservatives used are especially bad for children and pregnant women and must be strictly avoided by them.”
French Fries – Bad! Those salty, crunchy French Fries that you love munching on, contain not only potatoes but citric acid as a preservative, pyrophosphate to maintain its color and TBHQ, another preservative.
With so many chemicals being used, it is no wonder that these French fries manage to stay almost fresh for about a year as published in a UK daily. But along with the preservatives, French fries are also perched quite high when it comes to the calorie counter as a small pack of French fries contains 250 calories and 140 mg of sodium or salt.
McDonalds is known to make excessive use of salt in most of its products. The main culprit here is the French fry, with a large packet consisting of 350 mg of sodium. The next to come are the famed veg burgers, which even surprised us with their 450 mg of sodium content! If you were to dip your fries and burgers into the ketchup provided by McDonalds you would be adding an extra 110 mg of sodium to your happy meal.
With the American Heart Association recommending, sodium intake to be restricted to 2,000 mg per day or less, the burgers and fries do not pose a threat when consumed alone. But, put a happy meal together and you have close to 1000 mg of sodium spread out on the table in front of you!
A Scary Calorie Count
As represented by the above mentioned calorie table, a normal outing at McDonalds which usually involves munching on an order of French fries, a burger and sipping on a coke will set you back by around 1100 calories! Now go for a second serving of any single item on the menu and you are saddled with a calorie count that’s close to 1500 calories.
Compared to the 1000 odd calories that a full Indian meal (rice, chapatis, vegetable preparation and curry) will leave you with, the 1500 calories you accumulate by means of the McDonald’s happy meal are definitely unhealthy, given their high chemical, high sodium and high preservative content. Not to mention the happy meal’s severe lack of nutrition making it quite an ‘UnHappy Meal’.
Not satisfied with just research, we decided to dig a bit deeper and spoke to healthcare professionals on the same, following were their views on whether McDonalds food is Healthy or Not?
So, Is McDonalds worth a bite?
Kirti Patil - dietician with Talwalkars gym says, “These foods are fried in oil which make you gain weight. Not to mention preservatives used like Monosodium glutamate which is bad for health when consumed on a regular basis. In my opinion the answer is no, McDonalds is not an advisable option for a meal.”
Dimple Naresh - nutritionist and dietician, advises toeing an occasional line when it comes to consumption of McDonald’s food products.
“There is no harm in opting for McDonalds, but it should be done just once in a while. Regular consumption of McDonalds is not advisable as any food product that makes use of heavy use of preservatives and additives is not good for health, be it in the long run or the short of things!”
Krishma Shah – Former dietician in Affix Gym, is completely against the consumption of any McDonald’s food product.
“Be it the burgers or French fries, McDonalds is not a healthy option owing to its high sodium content, as a diet high in sodium could lead to hypertension or High BP. Moreover with the excessive usage of preservatives to keep their food items fresh, consuming the happy meal is like consuming a horde of foreign substances that can have a very negative effect on our body, such as increasing our risk of developing Cancer.
Even the calorie count, if you were to compare, comes up to almost the same as any Indian meal. But the major difference here is that home cooked Indian food offers you a balanced diet that contains vitamins and minerals. While a McDonalds happy meal provides you with very less nutrition and is fattening!”
Dr. Shweta Iyengar – Nutritionist, “Having a burger once in a while is not that harmful, but do not use it to substitute a meal during the day. Have it as an add-on or a once in a while indulgence. That way you are not compromising on your daily nutrients. But you must keep in mind that it is not a healthy indulgence. There is no nutrition value as all the minerals and vitamins are killed in the frying and preservation process, and of course it is fattening.”
About the use of Preservatives, she says “All fast foods have preservatives and are devoid of any nutrition. Especially a fast food chain like McDonalds is no exception. Their sizing portion, for lower costs, are tempting and tend to make people over eat the unhealthy foods.”
Now that you know what goes in your ‘Happy meal’, does it make you happy? So we hope you would think twice before indulging regularly in fast food!
[Note from Team Medimanage.com- We have added references and quotes after comments about the authenticity of the research conducted.]
References:
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/Happy_Meals_Nutrition_List.pdf
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf
http://www.beveragedaily.com/Formulation/Fresh-health-fears-hit-benzoate-in-soft-drinks
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594973_tbhq-side-effects.html
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/25/a-tale-of-2-nuggets/
http://www.my-health-n-fitness.com/6313/what-preservatives-are-in-a-mcdonalds-happy-meal-and-how-long-does-it-stay-fresh/
http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2007/03/tbhq_mixed_feelings.php
