Friday, August 3, 2012

McDonalds Rolls Out a List of Foods, 400 Calories or Less.....


This is for all my Fast Foodies out there.  Did you know that McDonalds just rolled out a list of “Favorites Under 400 Calories”?  It lists foods in categories of 100, 200, 300 and 400 calories.  You all know that I am not an advocate of fast food and will suggest that you eat anything but…..BUT, if you have to get something at McD's let’s look at their new list.

Don’t be fooled by this list, while it may seem appealing to you to get a cheeseburger and a diet soda for lunch that would be just 300 calories, you also have to consider other aspects of its nutrient content: 36% of its calories come from fat (as recommended by the AHA and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans your total fat intake should be less than 25% of your total calories for the day, so this high fat item does not help in reaching that goal) and not to mention it’s sodium content, 720mg (almost half the recommended amount for the day!).  So, with that being said, and just looking at one example (I won’t even mention the Filet-O-Fish sandwich with its hefty 43% fat content and 610 mg Na) there are more things to consider than the calorie content when looking at this list.

What I will recommend to anyone that needs to grab a quick meal or snack, stick with something liked the grilled chicken snack wrap, NO SAUCE (McDonald’s nutrient info only includes the wrap with the sauce, without the sauce it’s a good low fat alternative) or the Fruit and Maple Oatmeal (without brown sugar) that is only 14% fat and has a whopping 5 g fiber (we need about 25-30 g fiber/d). Of course I am all for a Latte, with non fat milk,  90 calorie snack which gives you one of your servings of low fat dairy (think Calcium) for the day. If you think a skim milk (non fat) latte won’t taste as good as one made from whole milk, try it. The skim milk foams up better and it tastes just as good!
So, here’s the list, if you must make a McD’s pit stop, but remember there is more to consider than a calorie.

14 comments:

  1. "there's more to consider than calories" - great line. People need to understand,accept, believe, and live by that quote.

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  2. As a college student I find this article really helpful and i now know which choices are a little bit more healthier at Mcdonalds. AG

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  3. This is a very helpful, informative piece of information especially for us young college students being that many of us still live at home with our family and only eat what they buy. Also many of us may not have the funds to always buy healthy things which are often very expensive as oppiose to a meal at McDonald's. Many of us also work as well as go to school so we dont have time for home cooked meals. thats being said this gives us a little oppertunity to maintain our healthy lifestyle to our best conveniece. Joanne M

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  4. This is a very helpful article because even though McD's is telling people they have foods under certain calories, many of the foods still have too much of something like sodium or fat. Joselin C

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  5. This is article is very helpful because as a college student your always on the go at school or work and stuck with going to your local fast food. Even though they have foods that are under 400 calories it still contains high amount of carbohydrates, fats, and sodium intake that can lead to an unhealthy weight. Melanie V nutrition 109

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  6. Its low in calories but I'm sure that its still chock full of sodium and is something that healthy minded individuals would steer clear of no matter how hungry they get.

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  7. I think this is a very good way to have a nice healthy meal at the same time not have to put it in thirty different containers to separate the food groups. Also this box is helpful for people who are not familiar with the food groups and can serve as a guide to picking foods from each group. I would definitely recommend this to parents for them and their kids to use. - Alyssa C. Nutrition 109

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  8. Ignore my last comment it was for the blog about the lunch box. As far as McDonalds, after seeing the video about it aging, I don't trust anything they say or make. The other day I found myself almost buying a meal from there but I thought about the video and couldn't do it. - Alyssa C. Nutrition 109

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  9. I appreciate all the comments from my college students. There are definitely ways to eat healthy on a budget...to be continued...

    BUT, if you feel you must drive through a McD's or other fast food restaurant there are foods you can choose that are not so high in fat, calories and sodium...It's all about balance.

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  10. I feel that this kind of menu was made for the people that are trying to cut calories, but who is just gonna buy one item off of this menu? A person might think that since they are lower in calories that they can get more different things. If you were to just buy a regular meal its going to include a drink, burger, and fries but with this you can get an apple pie, mcflurry to go with it. Consumers will think they are being healthy but really its all going to add up. - A.L. Nutrition 109

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  11. Seriously what you dont know won't hurt you until you are oriented. What I am trying to say is. For many years we the consumers have been purchasing these foods that are advertised so appealingly and only to find out they are not all that they make them out to be. That video is such a eyes opener, it only confirmed my skepticism about these franchisers.
    NOVIA H. NUTRITION 109

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  12. I WOULD JUST LOOK AT THE CALORIES WITHOUT EVEN CONSIDERING ALL THE OTHER UNDELYNING CONTENTS LIKE HOW MUCH SODIUM OR HOW MUCH FAT. SO I WOULD SAY THERE'S MORE TO CONSIDER THAN JUST CALORIES. FILET O FISH WAS ONE OF MY FAVS ON THE MCD MENU BUT READING HOW HIGH THE FAT CONRTENT IS I WOULD RATHER BUY A FISH AND BAKE IT AT HOME. MY MCD DAYS ARE LIMITED NOW . THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS INFORMATION:)
    MW NUTRITION 109

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  13. interesting article about list of foods
    thank you very much

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  14. Thanks for posting this info. I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it very interesting and informative. I can't wait to read lots of your posts. how much does sushi rice cost

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