Is food that fast food companies claim to be low-calorie and low-fat really good for you? There were six foods found that one may believe to be healthy but really aren't. One such food is McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, which sounds like a "healthy" breakfast choice, but actually contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than an Egg McMuffin. Even companies like Starbucks, which isn't really a fast food resturaunt, is in on the deception. Thake their egg white, spinach, and feta wrap. It may have only 10 grams of fat, but it also utilizes 78 ingredients. The egg whites alone are made from 11 ingredients, like whey powder, unmodified corn starch, and guar gum. Some resaurants like Applebee's use the tactic of promoting a dish's low calories and packing in the sodium. Applebee's Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp boasts as a meal under 500 calories, but it also packs in 2,440 mg of sodium, which is 140 mg over the upper limit of the daily recommendation.
These startling facts had me wondering: can we really trust any kind of food that any company makes to be fresh and healthy for us? These companies try to sell us the idea of being thin by eating food with less calories, but we may end up getting high blood pressure if we continue eating meals that have a day's worth of sodium in them. This health food craze began because people were worrying about their health, but it seems that all the companies producing the foods are trying to manipulate this health craze for their monetary benefit while selling us food that will just cause other health problems. Go figure.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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4 comments:
I am not surprised...all advertising for the companies are to get us to buy into their deception but we read UnSpun...and even though it's sort of cynical it is so true when discussing issues like this...the lying ads all around us...but still we fall prey to them so easily due to lower prices or great tastes (true testament from a starbucks - holic right here!)
This is why I always thought homemade food was the best. Except for cereal, I think cereal can be a healthy meal. I always knew there was never "the perfect healthy fast food." These companies are always hiding something in their "healthy" foods. And agreeing with Alex, after reading UnSpun, I do not like how these ads are lying to us saying we can get healthy eating their food. For instance, I remember back in health class freshman year Coach Sell was saying how a salad in McDonald's can be much worse than their burger. The reason was because of the dressing, he said that these foods have "hidden dangers." I think that if more people knew about these "hidden dangers" these fast food companies wouldn't be making as much money because more people will be informed about their product.
Although I agree with the general idea that most companies choose profit over people's healthy lifestyles, I would like to point out that not all "healthy" foods are low-calorie. The McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal may pack more sugar than a snickers bar, but an 8 oz. glass of apple juice packs almost the same amount of sugar (around 30 grams). However, a glass of apple juice would hardly be detrimental to your health when consumed in moderation. Same goes for the salad, although you should probably cut down on the dressing.
I don't complain too much about companies not selling us healthy food; what would we do, label some as "certified healthy"? However, I do believe strongly that the consumer should have the power to know what he/she is buying. Calorie counts at restaurants are definitely appreciated.
*The excessive use of salt is interesting, though. I have no response to that.
Like Alex, I'm not surprised to hear this as well. I think one of the only somewhat healthy fast foods is Subway, which has been advertised in weight loss television shows, such as Losing It With Jilian. When restaurants decide to become strictly fast food, they're essentially signing an unwritten agreement saying that their food is unhealthy, and they know it. That's what fast food is. The reason why it's so popular is because it's convenient and it tastes good, and in the moment of purchasing your processed foods, you, the consumer, don't really care. You're getting a cheap meal that is both tasty and filling. The only way to really dedicate yourself to healthiness is to cut yourself off from fast foods altogether, and to look more into organic foods, which can be found at Whole Foods or Trader Joes, and start exercising. Sure, these foods will be more expensive, but it shouldn't be surprising that healthiness comes with a cost. Unhealthiness, on the other hand, comes with an even bigger one.
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