Someone needs to investigate McDonald's

[Rosemary2205]

What do they put in that stuff?

One of the smartest guys on the planet - all the greatest food he could ask for - and Bill Clinton eats his way to a bypass with McDonalds. My brother is one of those allied health people that does cardiac cath - he's had 2 heart attacks and still can't stay out of the McDonalds. He's made huge changes in his lifestyle but at least every 2 months he practically gets the shakes and nothing will do but McDonalds. He's not the only person I know like this. 2 local hospitals, I kid you not, has a McD's in the cafeteria area.

Seriously, are they slipping heroin or something into the cheeseburgers? What is it? Yes, I'm being a bit inflamatory here, but with the obesity rate, and the high cost of medical care, maybe someone needs to find out why fast food just seems to be so addictive for people.

[Skip Intro]

1. I think the guy in Super Size Me said something about McDonald's food

giving him some sort of dreamy euphoric feeling, and that the more he ate the more he craved.

[hlthe2b]

5. As much as we are currently concerned about trans fats...,

it is the high fructose corn syrup that is snuck in EVERYTHING (not just McDonald's fare) that is seemingly ignored, equally harmful and so damned addictive.

But, beyond "Super Size Me," see also the book FAST FOOD NATION.

re: your example
It IS hard to give up red meat totally, I think, which may explain why a cardiac cath tech continues along in denial. As with dieting, the thought of long term deprivation often sends the person straight for a binge on the "forbidden" food. As for me, concern over the deregulation of food production, BSE, and other related issues combine to make me very hesitant to eat hamburger from any of the usual players. But, once a month or so, if I'm craving, I go to Whole Foods and get them to grill me a bison burger or maybe go seek out a restaurant (like Ted's) that serves Bison pot roast (absolutely delicious, btw). I almost NEVER go to a fast food hamburger type restaurant anymore...

[Rosemary2205]

17. Is HFCS actually addictive?

I rant against HFCS too and I know it changes metabolism but I had not read anything about it being shown to be physiologically addictive. I'll have to check that out. Thanks.

[hlthe2b]

56. theorized because of the effect on blood sugar

high fructose corn syrup ingestion-->rapid drop in blood sugar-->stimulates hunger...--> vicious cycle

IOW, not quite documented currently at the scientific level of certainty to compare to nicotine or drug addictions...but some evidence points in that direction...

[Clark2008]

23. I've heard this before.

But, I can't stand McDonalds. It always makes me sick. And I don't mean that figuratively. I can't eat it without throwing up.

Maybe some people are more suseptable to whatever it is that they put in - the fructose, the carbs, not sure - and can't eat it in great amounts while, in others, it creates feelings of euphoria. Like smoking. Some cannot stand it and others can't live without (or with) it.

[we can do it]

25. McDonalds Makes Me Sick, Too - Subway Is the Only Fast Food I Will Eat

[ironflange]

55. Subway's good, but I got sick on it last week

My fault, though, I stuffed in a foot long when six inches would have sufficed. Looking at this phrase, I hope it doesn't get the thread locked. :(

[we can do it]

61. Too Funny! n/t

[mrcheerful]

2. Instant gratification plan and simple, I'm hungry, it smells good and I can't get it right now

Food can be just as addictive as drugs when hungry is used as a pleasure. Remember when parents told their kids eat this and you'll feel better? Pet dies, give the kid food. Puppy love ends give them food. Food then becomes a way toi escape ones feelings, just as drugs and alcohol do.

[Bicoastal]

3. America's greatest weakness when it comes to food...

We will always favor convenience over quality--and there's nothing more convenient than fast food. It's on practically every street corner and costs next to nothing--hell, you don't even have to get out of your car to get it!

There's no big conspiracy, IMO. This is why Europe's obesity rate is NOTHING compare to ours.

[muntrv]

6. The unhealthy fast food is also in our elementary and junior high schools

according to the movie "Supersize Me."

[Bicoastal]

8. Don't get me started--Clinton was right on with this one.....

I can vividly recall all of the vendors set up at my high school during lunch, sellling everything from Pizza Hut to Taco Bell to Carls Jr. These stands would always be mobbed by kids, and why not? It cost less than cafeteria food and was advertised in a way that couldn't be missed, with strategic locations near entrances and with bright designer colors. And if that wasn't enough, there were also vending machines, where all kinds of unhealthy crap sold for under a buck--a whole row of them lining the entire length of the quad. This was an ordinary large public school in the late '90s, and as far as I can tell, it's only gotten worse over time.

When you're under 18, and your income is either low or in the form of an allowance, you DON'T have the same freedom of choice that adults have at their disposal, especially when you're required to be at school every weekday. Parents can't watch what their kids eat during these hours, and often don't have time to prepare a bag lunch; to make things worse, it's always the lower income families that have to settle for cheaper (and invariably less healthy) food, and kids are no exception.

While I don't agree that fast food restauraunts should be held accountable for unhealthy consumers, we should make it a point to regulate corporations encroaching onto school territory. They're getting rich off of low-income, underage customers who have very little choice to avoid their product--the old "it's the parents' responsiblity" mantra doesn't apply here. I mean, would we let Camel place old cigarette machines on school property?

[LeftyMom]

14. And it would be cheap to give kids alternatives.

How hard would it be to put a few industrial microwaves in the cafeteria? Most colleges have them. Hell, most gas stations have them. What would a student-use refrigerator cost? Maybe a few grand? Heck, you could probably get the cash for one donated.

At least where I went to school, most teachers either had their own microwave and mini-fridge or used on in the staff lounge. Why? The overpriced food was lousy and they wanted to eat better stuff. Students? We ate the shit food the school sold us, because there were few alternatives for us.

How can we expect kids to bring their own healthy (and economical) food if there's no way to keep it cool or warm it up? There are only so many things one can keep at room temperature for hours and then eat- most things will either go bad or taste horrible. So they either eat the same few sandwiches over and over again, or they buy lunch. Mostly, they buy lunch. Since we don't seem to be having widespread success getting schools to sell meals that aren't criminally unhealthy, extremely nasty or both, we need to give kids a way to eat other stuff.

[we can do it]

33. Not All of Us, It Only Takes A Wee Bit of Planning Knowing You Eat Every Day

I really don't get people who spend their entire lunch hour in line at Fat Food places. They then have to chomp it down (maybe thats the only way someone could eat that crap), no real break for lunch. It is so much easier, healthier, cheaper and more relaxing to take a lunch with you. Again, you have to realize in advance that you will be eating lunch all during the week and buy it in advance.

:shrug:

[ray of light]

4. because it tastes good!

[Swamp Rat]

7. It's not food!!!

IT'S PEOPLE!!!

[teach1st]

9. Little America

Little America, a novel written by Rob Swigart and published in the 1970s, had as one of its many subplots a wealthy fast food entrepreneur whose secret, it turns out, was "opiating" the secret sauce.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-America-Novel-Rob-Swigart/dp/0595091962

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0595091962.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


(Edited for spelling)

[davsand]

10. It sells because it is EASY.

Have you ever tried to find real food in a hurry? It just can't be done very easily. Take it from one who has been working at it for the last year or so, there just isn't a lot of "easy" food out there that is good for you. If it is good for you it takes either planning or preparation--neither of which is on the agenda for us as a nation.

McDonald's and all the other crap food is what you can GET if you are in a hurry and hungry. The only addiction we are dealing with here is the addiction to convenience.

Regards!


Laura

[Clark2008]

27. What about salads.

You can get just a plain old salad and get the low-fat dressing (and it still has substainal grams - 8 or so compared to 25 in the regular dressing) or no dressing.

That's about the ONLY food I've found on the fast food market that's decent. Subway isn't horrid, as long as you stick to the roast beef or grilled chicken or veggie sandwiches. Anything else there is just as fatty as a hamburger from Burger King.

[PresidentObama]

60. Yes but.....

The market for the plain salads was low.

The bigger, fat filled salads sold alright. But the small side salads never did. And most of the time they didn't pick the low fat dressing.

Also, the apple slices at McD's aren't bad.

I used to eat the side salads and apple slices on my break.

[burythehatchet]

11. Studies have shown

that the heavily saturated fats in their products form chemical addictions in the human brain. It is not a coincidence that people need a fix from time to time. Their crap does, in fact, cause physical addiction.

[catmandu57]

12. They put in everything but the moo

At least they did back in the eighties when i took a temporary job making their hamburgers. let me tell you i haven't ate one since and will only eat fast food if absolutely necessary.

[BlooInBloo]

13. Yup - NEVER investigate people's ability to make their own fucking bad choices...

... it MUST be heroin.

:rofl:

[Raydawg1234]

15. stop blaming fast food companies because people have no self control

do you need big brother to do everything for you?

[burythehatchet]

16. DO corporations ever have the obligation to work in the public interest?

[Raydawg1234]

22. If people are too dumb to know when to say no to a Big Mac then they

deserve to be fat.

[burythehatchet]

26. DO corporations ever have the obligation to work in the public interest?

[Raydawg1234]

34. you can't force them to

[burythehatchet]

36. I was hoping for a "yes" or "no" type answer.

I'll guess you're leaning towards "no".

[Raydawg1234]

37. no, you cannot legislate morality, it is something one must gain on their own.

[burythehatchet]

40. Corporations cannot have a "morality", so what should guide them?

[Raydawg1234]

42. the people that run them can have morality

[burythehatchet]

43. and so if the corporation is being run by Ken Lay, how would

you propose the aggrieved parties deal with the lapse in his morality?

[Raydawg1234]

44. the legal system?

[burythehatchet]

46. so if the guy running McDonals decides to use dangerous transfats

to cook his burgers and fries, as opposed to healthier alternative unsaturated fats, and that leads to an sick, obese and generally unhealthier population, how should that guy be held accountable for the lapse in his morality?

[Raydawg1234]

51. As long as he doesn't keep the use of the transfats secret,

then it is the consumer's fault for buying the product. No one is forcing them to pay for this crap.

[we can do it]

35. !

:rofl:

[Rosemary2205]

19. Yeah, that's what I need.

:crazy:

[CoffeeCat]

18. The answer is....SUGAR

Whether it's high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, sucrose some other form of sugar--that is the ingredient
that keeps people addicted to McDonald's and other junk foods.

This was addressed in "Super Size Me". Morgan Spurlock, the guy who starred in the movie, said that
every single item on the McDonald's menu contains huge amounts of sugar. Even the salads. Even the
french fries. They add it to everything.

I eat when I'm upset, and I got myself in a very deep sugar-binge cycle. It was so hard to break!! I had
withdrawal symptoms that debilitated me. In "Super Size Me", we totally witnessed Spurlock's addiction to
sugar in the McDonald's food. At first it made him sick, then he got used to it. Then he started to deteriorate
mentally and physically. The man was so bloated and he was on this depressive roller coaster from hell. He'd
be depressed and foggy--then he's eat McDonald's and he'd get a high. Then he'd spiral down again, until he
ate McDonald's. It was really sad to watch.

There are tons of books about sugar addiction. High fructose corn syrup is the devil. I don't know the chemistry
behind all of this, but there must be some physiological addiction properties with this stuff--similar to heroin,
nicotine, etc. It's like this poison fits in certain key holes in our bodies--and when we give up those "keys",
our bodies retaliate.

I need to read more about this---but I'm convinced that McDonald's adds all kinds of stuff--including sugar--to
their food--to create addictive behaviors.

[Rosemary2205]

21. The industry doesn't use sugar anymore.

Nearly everything sweetened in this country is done so with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). There are bookoos of studies proving it changes people's metabolism and over time damages the pancreas (insulin). I think the jury is still out on whether the change continues even after someone cuts all HFCS out of their diet. Someone upthread said that HFCS is addictive. I'm behind on new studies so I can't vouch for that but I would not be surprised.

Sugar and fructose are not really addictive. Most humans are quite capable of consuming small amounts of it without having physical withdrawl. We are genetically predisposed to seek sweetness over sourness, but I don't know that translates into sugar addiction. -- Having said all that, I am aware there are people who just have limit all carbs (even fruit and whole grains) because their body reacts in an addictive way.

[yourout]

49. That would be me.....

When I get back on the low/no sugar horse it takes a week before I start feeling normal again. If I do nothing but cut my sugar intake as far as I can......after a week I feel good and the weight starts coming off. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are addictive in my opinion.

[Clark2008]

59. You know - you just answered something for me.

I cannot - and I mean CANNOT - eat a lot of sugary foods: breads, noodles, fast food, etc. in large doses without getting physically ill. My body simply won't handle it.

If I stay on an Atkins-like diet - not totally cutting carbs, but limiting them - and stick with fresh fruits, meats and veggies, I feel tons better than if I eat a lot of fast food.

Maybe I can't get "used to" the high concentration of sugars in McDonalds and other fast food places, which is why I usually get sick if I eat too much of them (I can't handle more than one meal a week at a fast food joint).

Edited to add: One caveat: I'm pregnant right now and have developed a "sweet tooth." My husband is amazed at how much more sugar I'm eating (and it's still not as much as the average American, trust me) than I normally do. It's become a running joke in our house that baby Hannah likes the cakie. LOL!

[NotGivingUp]

20. MSG...addictive...and it's in everything....and it's just hidden away and nobody will discuss it.

[Raydawg1234]

24. It is my right as an American to buy greasy, fatty, and artery-clogging foods if

I choose to do so. This obesity thing as just a culture trend.

[burythehatchet]

29. I can see you're pretty much the resident expert on this subject.

[dooner]

28. McD's subliminal ad on Food Network, seriously

I heard the story on NPR... it's on Utube now. Apparently there was a frame with a McDonald's Logo and "i like it" during Iron Chef America on Food Network.
Somebody caught it, and you can see it. Food Network says it was a "mistake"..

Here's the link to the NPR story
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7029425&ft=1&f=3

Here's the UTUBE link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMzbwa6PvEE

[Rosemary2205]

31. LOL yeah, I noticed that last night.

Iron Chef America - the golden arches were on screen pretty much the whole time. I thought it was pretty funny - in a sick kind of way. :)

[NotGivingUp]

41. a mistake??? yeah, right. that's disgusting. you know if they're doing it, they're all doing it

[NotGivingUp]

30. found some info....their stuff is loaded with MSG

"Supersize Me" Documentary

The current documentary about a man who gains 25 pounds in one month by eating McDonald's food for 30 days makes no mention of the fact that MSG has been shown to induce obesity when injected into humans, however, it should be noted that the following McDonald's foods contain pure monosodium glutamate as an added ingredient.

Grilled Chicken Filet
Hot and Spicy Chicken Patty
Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad
Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad
Seasoned Beef
Sausage Scrambled Egg Mix, Sausage, and Sausage Patty

PLEASE NOTE: The above list does not include the additional items at McDonald's that have MSG-containing soy sauce, natural flavors or hydrolyzed protein which can contain up to 20% free glutamic acid - the business end of MSG.

http://www.msgtruth.org/obesity.htm

[Rosemary2205]

38. Thanks for the link

Everything about McD's contributes to obesity. The fat, the calories, the chemical compounds etc. What I'm wondering is if it is actually physically addictive.

I'll check out the msg links as several people have commented on it. Thanks again.

[Balbus]

32. When they started chaining people down and forcing the Big Macs

down the people's throat, they definitely crossed the line. And I'm not talking about people that happened to walk into the restaurant. I've seen bands of roaming clowns randomly assaulting people on the streets of the cities, binding them with chains so they cannot move and literally shoving shakes and fries down their throats! Someone, somewhere, needs to do something...

[PresidentObama]

39. I worked for McDonalds for a year and a half.

And I can tell you, people go crazy over this stuff.

And it's funny watching people say they are trying to eat healthy by getting the salads. Well, the salads have the chicken on them. You can get the crispy or grilled. The crispy is deep fried, the grilled isn't much better for you. The salads are topped with cheese (well two of them) and you top that off with salad dressing. Add that together, and there is no healthy aspect to it. Minus the lettuce you are topping with cheese, chicken, and dressing.

In our area we have 42 ounces of soda for 95 cents. I love going to get a Coke at McDonalds, but I kid you not we had people getting three or four of these a day. Do the math, 42 ounces times three or four. And keep in mind, a lot of them got it without ice. So they were getting all 42 ounces.

I've had customers complain because the fries didn't have enough salt, the burgers didn't have enough sauce or other disgustingly bad for you ingredient smoothered on...

I had customers barely able to walk come in every day, twice or three times a day.

And one time I saw a kid CRY because we accidently put the apple slices in his Happy meal and not the salty as hell fries. HE CRIED. You've got to be kidding me people?

McDonalds is cheap. And addictive. America can't get enough.

[WindRavenX]

45. jesus

:scared:

[PresidentObama]

47. Yeah, I know.

First opportunity I got, I quit that seven dollar an hour job.

It just got disgusting. Speaking of investigations, investigate who McDonalds hires. A lot of shady characters, and all for that $6.25 an hour. I saw one guy so hopped up on something he dropped a patty of meat, and put it back on the burger-TWICE!! I turned him into the manager, but GEEZ-US is right.

McDonalds is shady all in all.

[WindRavenX]

48. yeah, I worked at Burger King for a summer when I was 16...

...that was pretty much the most depressing job ever.

[Rosemary2205]

50. I was a fast food manager for 24 years.

Worked for a small franchisee (3 Arby's stores) - personally I loved it and if the stability of our crew was any indication most of our employees enjoyed it too, but when I attended district meetings held by RTM (the main Arby's franchisee around here) I have to say, there were not many of those other managers I would want to work for. The general disrespect for their crew was astonishing.

[PresidentObama]

52. The disrespectful attitude is why I got out.

I was being tapped to be manager soon, but I couldn't take the way they treated the employees. I never felt valued, and if I asked for a day off several weeks in advance which was policy I saw my hours being cut and etc.

It just wasn't the environment I enjoyed. Very hostile, and disorganized. A lot of people who were low lifes worked there, and shady characters. Drug deals and stealing supplies wasn't uncommon among the employees at the McD's I worked for.

[fortyfeetunder]

53. One friend dead, another one nearly died

Two people dear to me, I knew were frequent McD's aficionados...one admitted, couldn't get enough. They both suffered heart attacks; one didn't make it.

I was never a fan of McD's but seeing the outcomes of these two friends pretty much sealed the deal. I won't eat McD's unless it's the only game in town, and even then, I'd go find an apple or keep a healthy snack in my purse to prevent that from happening.

[ironflange]

54. Read "Little America" by Rob Swigart (mild spoiler)

Hilarious book. Anyway, in this story it turns out that the Big Mac's secret sauce's big secret is cocaine. When you think about it, why else would anyone want to eat one of those things?

[Rex]

57. It is because McDs is an institution with a school and diplomas for

the uber achievers in the McDs empire. Think of it as Disney, yet with food and not cartoons.

[Evoman]

58. Maybe its the taste?

I crave McDonalds every now and then...not like an addict or anything, but everynow and then, I want Rotten Ronnies. Honestly, I think its the salt. Some of us just like a lot of salt....is it a coincedence that when I crave McDonalds, I aslo crave Red Lobster, the saltiest of Sea Food?

I don't think people are addicted to it. I just think that its a combination of poor will power, and habit. If it was HFCS like everyone says, then some candy would do just as good an McDonalds, right? No, its habit, individual taste, and poor will power.