Mc Donalds-The Demonizing Of A Fast Food Powerhouse

Last week, I received an email from the Los Angeles Dietetic Association inviting me to attend a behind the scenes tour of how McDonalds operates. Last year, due to poor timing on my behalf, I missed out on this opportunity. Being that this is the powerhouse of all fast food restaurants, I did not want to miss it again.

Ah, McDonalds…I know some of you shiver at the name and cringe at the site of those golden arches. I can recall a time when seeing those arches brought only happiness and contentment into my life. In my childhood, I recall many joyous Friday afternoons, where it was tradition for me, my best friend Jessica, and one of our mothers to take us to McDonalds to eat before ballet class. We would race into the restaurant in our little tutus and ballet slippers. We would each get a Happy Meal-which consisted of a cheeseburger, small fries and a small drink of choice. Yes, Happy Meals and happy times.

Back in those days, McDonalds was a positive place for me, my friends, and even my parents. That was before we knew or cared what calories or ingredients were. Not to mention, we were on our way to ballet class, so we would be burning those calories. We also ate Happy Meals, not supersize portions (they didn’t even have those back then!), and this was a Friday afternoon treat, not a daily occurrence.

Now we flash forward to current day, where to most of us working in healthcare (and non-healthcare!), McDonalds is looked at only in a negative light. We have criticized and scrutinized this particular fast food chain so much, the moment I tell people, “ I am studying to be a dietitian”, the first thing out of their mouth is  “Ooooh, well I never eat McDonalds, fast food is nasty.” Well, what about other fast food restaurants? And what about places like TGIFridays and Chilis, where an average hamburger with the bun starts at 800 calories?

So, needless to say, I was excited to finally get to tour a McDonalds. The tour was held at a McDonalds right off of 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. It has its own parking lot, which gives this McDonalds major bonus points. Inside, we were greeted by a PR representative for McDonalds, the liaison for McDonalds Corporate Offices, the franchisee of this particular McDonalds location, and McDonalds freelance dietitian Bonnie Modugno.

They had a little area roped off just for us. We each got a booklet that lists all (or most) of McDonalds menu items, calorie and ingredient content, food exchanges (for people who need meal planning assistance due to diabetes or weight control) and different 600-calorie meal combinations. I found looking through the 600 calorie meal combinations very interesting, because there are actually quite a few options that appear well balanced in this section. Mind you none of these options include French fries or a burger. I posted pictures of the four 600 calorie meal options that were in the booklet. I will tell you that if you want a burger and fries within the 600 calorie range, I looked up the information, and a plain hamburger, small fries and small low fat milk will set you back at about 590 calories. However, this is not considered one of McDonalds healthy, nutrient friendly 600 calorie meals.

The first part of this tour consisted of Bonnie talking to us about what she does for McDonalds and answering questions we have about McDonalds food. She has been with McDonalds for over 20 years and says during that time she has never been asked to cross the lines of what she believes in as a dietitian. Bonnie is a freelance dietitian for McDonalds, so she also runs her own practice and is not with McDonalds full time. Apparently, McDonalds has dietitians all over the United States, but Bonnie takes care of some of Southern California.

Bonnie says that, “we are challenged with a food issue NOT a fast food issue.” What she means by that is that McDonalds has a few healthy options as well as a reasonable calorie count for many of their less healthy menu items. Their hamburger has only 250 calories (if you only eat ONE!), which is slight considering some other restaurants burger options. You can also ask for no salt, no mayonnaise, etc…so it is not McDonalds fault when someone comes to their restaurant and orders two Big Macs and two large fries and eats them both in one sitting, is it? If a person decides to eat at Mc Donalds more than once a day? This is also not McDonalds fault. McDonalds is a restaurant, not a babysitter.

Bonnie then talks about how everyone is different. We all have different metabolisms, as well as different food preferences, genetics, activity levels, etc. So these differences would be part of the reason some people are obese and some are not. NOT because McDonalds made them that way. She has a good point here.

Before this tour, I wasn’t sure that McDonalds used real food products, but in the refrigerator I saw real tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sliced apples and real milk. I even saw real eggs that they use for the Egg McMuffin. They actually have a machine with little metal circles the eggs are dropped in to make that circular egg we see in the McMuffin sandwich. I also saw real chicken breasts and real hamburgers. I will admit in the freezer I did not get a glimpse of any of these meats before being cooked, but I think it is safe to say they have real animal protein products. I did not get to see any of the seasonings.

REAL lettuce and onion...along with the liaison for McDonalds corporate

REAL cheese!

REAL eggs!!

This is the cute little Egg McMuffin maker

These are REAL apples and REAL milk

The grill...where the magical burgers and chicken breasts are cooked

Couldn't leave without a shot of the famous french fries

This is a grilled chicken sandwich that I ate. Yes, I ate it...are you shocked? 

 I asked a question about the chicken nuggets and how they get their shape. Bonnie told me that real chicken breasts are sized up for the chicken sandwiches and cut so they fit the sandwich bun properly. The ends of the breasts that are not used are then used for the chicken nuggets. Sounds fair…right?

A few people asked about this whole pink slime ordeal, and Bonnie cleared that up pretty quickly. McDonalds DOES NOT use pink slime. According to Bonnie, the truth is, it is sold in stores where people who want the cheapest source of protein can buy it. It is a mechanism used to save product. Apparently just a few days ago, an article came out that says some meat product companies will list whether or not this product is in their meat on their labels, so now it will really be your decision whether or not you consume this so called slime. McDonalds will not be force feeding it to you.

But listen, this blog was not meant to go on and on about the pink slime. The point of me writing about my experience was actually to let people know McDonalds is NOT the devil. I prefer not to eat here, because although they do have some real, fresh products, I am skeptical of the seasonings they use and did not get to find out more information about them. Again, Bonnie did say you can ask for “no salt” and “no grill seasonings.” But are you going to remember to do that?

When I have a few extra dollars to spare for food, I will probably go spend it on fresh kale and expensive olive oils for a salad. I have time to go to the store and buy food and cook it and that is what I value. I make the time because it is important to me. Only you can decide what is important to you. If you chose to eat at McDonalds, as a nutritionist, I am not going to beat you up over it, because the reality is that PEOPLE EAT AT MCDONALDS, and although I personally do not plan on working with the kind of people who eat McDonalds regularly, some of these people might be my clients. McDonalds is a billion dollar corporation and they also sponsor the American Dietetic Association. If I have a client who eats McDonalds, I am going to try to make the healthiest suggestions possible because I now know there are a few items that are better choices than others and my job is to educate you on eating better.