Fast food is not health food. One may even call some of their offerings ‘food-like products.’ It seems like common sense, yet so many people are still visiting McDonald’s and similar fast food places on a regular basis. McDonald’s is not only unhealthy but you run the risk of eating plastic or dead mice. I’m not joking. Read on to find out more about McDonald’s’ scandals from past years and learn how to stay safe and eat better.
McDonald’s Recalled Over 1 Million Chicken Nuggets
Back in 2015, McDonald’s had to recall over 1 million chicken nuggets. Why? Customers complained after finding something odd inside their nuggets. Turns out it was some sort of plastic. It is not something you would want to eat, is it?
Another time a customer found a piece of vinyl in their chicken nuggets in Japan. However, this is definitely not the first time something like this has happened. For example, at a Canadian McDonald’s customers found a dead mouse in their coffee. In other instances, people found a human tooth and other oral materials in their fries. This is all exactly as disgusting and dangerous as it sounds if you ask me.
Furthermore, just the year before, McDonald’s got into a scandal when Shanghai Husi Food Co. claimed that it recycled and repackaged expired meat for fast food stores such as McDonald’s. This particular scandal ended with the arrest of several US meat company directors.
Do People Still Choose McDonald’s?
While McDonald’s name was damaged due to these scandals, their sales declined. In fact, the million nugget recall caused the sales of McDonald’s’ Corporation in Oak Brook, IL to hit it’s lowest point in 10 years. Despite all the scandals, decreasing sales, and increasing awareness on healthy nutrition, McDonald’s is still popular among many.
Some people visit McDonald’s due price and convenience. Others choose it for emotional reasons harkening back to childhood nostalgia. Some may not be aware of these scandals, or worse, don’t care. Others may believe that they won’t be the few who end up with plastic or dead mice in their meals. And some just may not be aware of how unhealthy McDonald’s food really is.
Let’s Face It: McDonald’s Is Not Health Food
Even if you ignore the scandals, the truth is that McDonald’s food is still bad for you.
A 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal has 440 calories. 243 of those calories come from fat (27 g)! It also has a whopping 74 grams of cholesterol and 840 mg of sodium. Not to mention 26 grams of carbs that definitely don’t come from good carbohydrate sources such as fruits, veggies, or whole grains. It would take you 2 hours to walk off all those empty calories!
Is it worth it?! I say not! You can do much better!
What to Eat Instead?
Living on processed and junk food, and visiting fast food places such as McDonald’s may have some long-term consequences such as weight gain, inflammation, pain, and disease.
If you want your body to thrive, you must consciously nourish it with foods beyond those that merely help you survive. So ditch the processed foods and McDonald’s! And start cooking! Choose nutrient-dense foods instead, such as greens, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Some healthy places to start include:
- Nutrient-dense breakfasts: green juice, green smoothie, superfood bowls, oatmeal, homemade granola, tofu scrambles
- Nutrient-dense lunches: vegetable soups, vegetarian chili, salads, pita with hummus, vegetable wraps, lettuce wraps, gluten-free pasta salads, quinoa salads, bean burritos
- Nutrient-dense dinners: baked potatoes, baked vegetables, vegetable casseroles, salads, sweet potato lasagna, soups, salads, vegan gluten-free pizza, vegetarian burrito, vegan burgers
- Nutrient-dense snacks: fruits, veggie stick with hummus or guacamole, nuts, seeds, green smoothies, green juice,
Even if you are a fast food lover, I promise you, your taste buds will quickly adjust and soon you will crave healthy, homemade options instead of McDonald’s.
Do you go to McDonald’s or fast food restaurants? Do you cook at home? What are your favorite healthy recipes? Share your thoughts in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you.
