The Truth About Food Chains- How Bad Are They, Really?
By: Sydney Y
McDonalds
The fact that McDonalds is rated the #1 food chain in America by Restaurant News may surprise you. Many individuals know McDonalds to have ill-prepared food that is overloaded with salt, grease, and calories, however, it does have some good factors. Aside to the Big Mac (530 calories), the Bacon Clubhouse Burger (720 calories), and the Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder (610 calories), they also offer a variety of salads, which have a significantly less amount of calories. Some examples of that are: The Premium Bacon Ranch Salad (140 calories)and The Premium Southwest Salad (140 calories), and you can add heartfelt and tasty chicken to both salads. Both of those salads together only equal roughly about 1/10 0f the average males diet, and 1/7 of the average female’s diet. So how bad is McDonalds, really? Well, before we move on, let me tell you one thing to consider: McDonalds is extremely guilty of leanwashing. On T.V, they show you what the sandwich is apparently going to look like. But it looks COMPLETELY different in real life. Here are some pictures below:
Big Mac on Commercial:
Yes, here it is. The Big Mac! Perfectly cooked, melting cheese, fluffy and seasoned bun, fresh and crisp lettuce… How far from the truth that is.
Big Mac in reality:
Oh, and the truth is released! Dry- yet soggy bun… And a chunky substance that cannot possibly be real meat. Okay, maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration. Limp, yellow-tinged, sour lettuce, and lumpy cheese. Well, maybe not exactly, but still- you can obviously see a major difference. But thats the truth about the food that we eat! So now its time to move on and compare McDonalds to many other fast food chains that are somehow considered to be “better.” How good are they- really? Join me as I compare many different food chains to the legendary Mickey D’s!
Subway
Subway. A classic sandwich shop, where you can “create your own masterpiece, just to your liking.” Everyone has been to Subway a few times in their life- how can you resist the fluffy yet crisp buns or the cool and delicious turkey? You can add healthy cucumbers, or tomatoes, or even banana peppers, right? “Eat Fresh,” they encourage you to do. Which seems easy enough, with complete and total freedom of what you choose to eat. The sandwiches taste fresh, but what do they put in to make it that way? According to multiple websites including www.abcnews.go , www.cnn.com, www.guardianlv.com, and www.newsweek.com , up until slightly more than a year ago, Subway was putting in a chemical used to make rubber or yoga mats in their bread! Does this make you want to go to Subway anymore? But, that's barely a reason. McDonalds is still much unhealthier, right? Here is another fact: The Big Mac at McDonalds has about 530 calories, but the Footlong Meatball Pepperoni Melt has 1,220 calories! Wow! That is VERY unhealthy. Although the Big Mac is not the most unhealthy sandwich at McDonalds, the worst has around 720 calories- around 700 less than the Pepperoni Melt. Give that some thought as we move on to the next chain.
Wendy’s
Yay for Wendy’s! Many people love Wendy’s Frosty’s, or their Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap (Including me), but what is the truth about this friendly-seeming, delicious restaurant? The delicious, crispy chicken, and the moist, rich burgers? What could be wrong? According to www.naturalnews.com, Wendy’s has some secret ingredients that they are including in their Baja Salad, Apple Pecan Salad, BLT Cobb Salad, and more! The first ingredient is Autolyzed Yeast Extract. Now what the heck is that? Autolyzed Yeast Extract is an MSG alias that possibly could cause neurological problems when you consume it. In other words, dementia/memory loss! Not only that, but they also sometimes include Soy Lecithin. Soy Lecithin is a residue left over from after the soybean “de-gumming” process. (Quoted from www.naturalnews.com) Hmm… I wouldn’t eat the BLT Cobb Salad if I were you! But Wendy’s still has some fantastic features. You can get a burger and a side salad for less than 325 calories! (Jr Cheeseburger Deluxe is 300 calories, Side Salad is 20 calories.) Also, the restaurant generally attempts to stay away from false advertising appearance-wise. Here is what they advertise their Chicken Nuggets to look like:
Here is what the Chicken Nuggets look like in reality:
Wow! The same thing… Thats because Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets generally do look like this. Although this photo was obviously posed and photographed very specifically and given a white background, you can still generalize that the chicken nuggets will remain crispy, browned, and yummy!
Burger King
Burger King! A yummy, heavenly place well-known by Americans. Who would turn down a fresh, warm, and downright delicious Whopper? Or a TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich? They even have a veggie burger! Now this place knows what it’s doing. Or does it? Well, thats the question. It may not have as many healthy choices as Subway, or even Wendy’s, but it still does include a few salads, such as the Chicken, Apple, and Cranberry Salad. Now that makes my stomach grumble! However, the Whopper Burger has 650 calories, which is more than 100 more than the Big Mac at McDonalds! Which did you originally imagine as less healthy? And what if you decided to get the DoubleWhopper? Or the TripleWhopper? Have you noticed that none of the other previously mentioned fast food restaurants include a triple version of the original? Well, think on this: the TripleWhopper has 1,160 calories! That is extremely unhealthy… Even more unhealthy than McDonalds, which, doesn’t even have something that high in calories on it’s menu. But now its time to find out a bit more about what Burger King includes in its foods that we are unaware about. Burger King includes Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Yeast Extract, and even Hydrolyzed Vegetable Proteins. These are all food additives that were created to replace MSG. MSG is a form of sodium/salt. The food is unnatural if it includes MSG, and these ingredients are also generally easier to include in foods. (Less expensive!) However, here is one fact that will seriously turn your stomach. All the rumors of fast food restaurants using horse meat have most likely crossed your mind, but have you ever considered the fact that it may be true?! Burger King has admitted to including horse meat in it’s burgers and Whoppers. Whoah! For two weeks, Burger King was assuring the public that it had nothing to do with using horse meat, however, in January of 2013, Burger King admitted to using horse meat in the UK! Who can you trust?
Facts From:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271440/Burger-King-admits-selling-beef-burgers-Whoppers-containing-horse-meat.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271440/Burger-King-admits-selling-beef-burgers-Whoppers-containing-horse-meat.html
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