Sunday, September 11, 2005

McDonald's Part 1

Since we went to McDonald's for dinner on Friday, I might as well write something about McDonald's. We notice that they start to hand out the nutritional information of their products. They have been aggressively building a "healthier" image. And you think they start to offer leaner, healthier options? Think again.

Based on their nutrition table, a toasted deli sandwich normally contains 500~620 calories (except grilled veggie melt, 480 g). Their standard burgers contain 410~520 calories (except hamburger around 250 calories and Chicken McGrill, 380 calories). Sure you may argue that the new deli sandwiches are in general heavier than the standard burgers. But the sandwiches are normally consumed by units; you don't normally consume just 2/3 or 3/4 sandwiches, do you?

Having salad as the side dish is not necessarily a healthier choice than french fries either; it mainly depends on your choice of dressing. A small fries contains 220 calories while side salad w/ creamy caesar dressing can add up to 210 calories and coleslaw also contains 220 calories. I'll leave the rest of the math to you if you would like to break it down to nutrient proportion.

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