The benefits and harms of eating from McDonald's. McDonald's as a guiding light for obesity

It turns out that even at fast food restaurants you can eat healthy! The main thing is to know what to choose from the menu.

At our request specialist in therapeutic nutrition and author of the EdaiFizСultura blog Anna Malovichko inspected the menus of popular fast food chains and chose the healthiest and healthy dishes. (Although at first, upon hearing our request, she threw carrots at us!) So, over to Anna!

In all chains, I chose dishes that do not contain harmful food additives. Well, they fit at least a little into the concept of a healthy lifestyle. This is why sandwiches with pork (bacon) are not on my menu: it contains saturated fats, and this means excess weight, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and heart disease.

I also tried to exclude bread rolls - they are a simple carbohydrate. It provides calories, but none nutrients. It breaks down quickly, causing a sharp jump in blood sugar, then a sharp decline. After a sharp drop in blood sugar, a feeling of fatigue, loss of strength and hunger appears. Excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates wears out the pancreas and can lead to diabetes.

For drinks I recommend mineral water, tea, coffee without milk and sugar. All sugary carbonated drinks contain a lot of sugar and a lot of calories. Consuming sugar requires the body to spend a lot of energy. To process it, it spends reserves of B vitamins and an essential microelement - zinc. In return, the body receives only a large dose of glucose without nutrients. By depriving the body of vitamins and minerals, sugar weakens the immune system. Sugar-containing foods are the main reason for the development diabetes mellitus and problems with excess weight.

McDonalds

Breakfast

Oatmeal with honey, jam or cranberries and raisins. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate containing fiber. This will not cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. Result: stable well-being without a sharp surge of strength, followed by a sharp decline; satiety and energy for a long time.

Omelette. It is better to eat it without a bun, which provides calories but does not contain any nutrients. For an omelette, it is better to take carrot sticks or apple slices as a side dish. They contain fiber, which we need for good digestive system function, daily detox and overall well-being.

It is better to accompany any protein food with foods containing fiber. It helps move food through the intestines and improves the functioning of the excretory system. Protein foods, on the contrary, inhibit these processes. The better the excretory system works, the less waste and toxins accumulate in the body.

Main menu

Burgers at McDonald's are prepared with beef, chicken and fish cutlets. The best choice is a hamburger. I recommend eating it without a bun, which, as we remember, is a simple carbohydrate.

Here's what I suggest:

Hamburger meat patty with tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard + vegetable salad. Salad dressing - oil or wine vinegar.

Dessert

Chocolate or strawberry smoothie. A small portion is better - less calories and sugar.

For those who are on a diet - apple slices and carrot sticks. I think everything is clear with them: fruits and vegetables, few calories, vitamins and fiber.

Burger King

Main menu

I would prefer a hamburger: beef steak, no mayonnaise, no additional sauce, the composition of which is unknown. As a rule, sauces contain a lot of fat or sugar, as well as preservatives, thickeners, flavorings and flavor enhancers.

Not a bad option - chicken barbecue grill. Its main component is chicken fillet(it’s better to put the sauce and bun aside). Chicken has fewer calories and saturated fat and is a lighter protein. Other burgers with chicken cutlet breaded and deep-fried contain more fat.

The best way to complement meat is vegetable salad(called salad mix). You can also eat king wings without breading and skin (peel off) + salad mix.

Dessert

Ice cream cone. Small portion (less sugar, fat and calories), practically no dough, no additional sugar in the form of syrups.

"Little Potato"

Main menu

The fewer ingredients in the form of bacon, cream, butter, sausages, cheese, the better: all of these products contain saturated fat. That's why optimal choice will become potatoes with vegetable oil and potatoes with vegetable oil and dill.

Salads and snacks

Right choice - 8 grain croutons. This is a complex carbohydrate + fiber.

Soups

I recommend borscht, it contains only meat and vegetables, and beef is the leanest version of red meat, it has less saturated fat than pork and lamb. Chicken Noodles: Chicken is a lower-fat, lower-calorie meat option.

Dessert

Strawberry fresh, if in fact it consists of strawberries. And I would clarify the presence of sugar.

KFC

Breakfast

Compared to breakers, brusters, twisters, biggers, boxmasters, which contain bacon, eggs, cheese, breaded cutlets (all together - a cholesterol bomb), sauces, cheesecakes and scrambled eggs look the most harmless. Scrambled eggs - yes, fried, yes, they contain fat and cholesterol, but just an egg is better than with cheese, bacon, mayonnaise or sauce and a white flour bun. The scrambled eggs come with bites (clean off the breading).

Main menu

Chicken pieces, wings without skin (less fat, less calories) and without breading. Strips without breading + Heinz ketchup. Strips are made from fillet, so they have less fat. No breading, as breading absorbs frying oil (excess fat and toxic substances). Classic Heinz ketchup has natural ingredients.

Dessert

Ice cream cone “Summer”.

"Teremok"

The simpler the composition of the dishes, the easier it is for our digestive system to cope with them. We exclude fried, high-calorie, containing saturated fats: sauces, cream, butter, bacon, hard cheese.

Pancakes and cheesecakes

Cheesecakes with honey, pancake with honey, pancake with sour cream, pancake with cabbage and egg, pancake with banana.

It is better to combine pancakes with vegetables (simple carbohydrates + fiber), lean meat dishes with vegetables (protein + fiber).

Main menu

Buckwheat, buckwheat with chicken breast grill, buckwheat with salmon, buckwheat with boiled pork, buckwheat with cabbage and egg.

Soups

Borsch (meat and lean), rassolnik, chicken noodles with meatballs, lean pea soup.

Salads

Salmon vinaigrette, lean vinaigrette.

Dessert

Banana dessert with nuts.

chicken in sweet and sour sauce with vegetables (protein + fiber); Turin meat with vegetables (protein + fiber); spaghetti with ragu sauce.

Pizza

The combination of dough and cheese or dough, cheese and meat/fish is not the best combination (lack of fiber, simple carbohydrates and cheese - strengthens; protein and dough - strengthens). It’s better to give preference to pizza with vegetables and dilute this whole bacchanalia with fiber to minimize unpleasant consequences. Or take pizza and vegetable salad.

Despite the fact that many people are aware of fatty additives and artificial ingredients, not everyone stops visiting fast food restaurants. On the other hand, McDonald's is transforming itself and gradually introducing healthier options. Think you're familiar with this place? Read these facts - some will definitely surprise you!

The cafe serves more than just coffee

In addition to the main restaurants, there is also a chain of cafes where there are no potatoes, nuggets or burgers - they sell coffee, various salads and desserts. This place is reminiscent of a stylish coffee shop, and if you are conscious of your health, it will be more suitable for you.

Food does not change appearance even over time

Photographer Sally Davis placed the food under a glass cover. After five months, the McDonald's fries and burger still looked edible, but the KFC fries were moldy the next day. Six years later, the hamburger and fries are still the same. The thing is that these products contain too much salt, which protects them from decomposition.

McDonald's once owned Chipotle

Surprisingly, one of the unhealthy brands once owned a healthy Mexican restaurant (the shares were sold in 2006). Now the Mexican restaurant is developing independently, and here you cannot buy food directly from your car and there is no separate menu for breakfast, although this is what the owners of McDonald's once wanted.

Many visitors keep fish at home

This is a strange fact: the average visitor is a woman between 25 and 39 years old, who has a small income, most often a fish as a pet, a hobby like sleeping or watching movies.

Some cocktails are corn syrup

The cocktails are based on vanilla ice cream with corn syrup, the syrup itself and whipped cream. Even a small serving contains 73 grams of sugar, which is extremely unhealthy.

Did you know that McDonald's is run by Bill Gates and Monsanto, the world's largest producer of GMO seeds?

The UN has already recognized McDonald's as more dangerous than AIDS. Powerful, isn't it? But even understanding this problem at the UN level does not give anything. The MD case is dragging on, people are getting fat and dying, and the American authorities are still giving the go-ahead for the distribution of these products. Why? I think the answer is obvious: McDonald’s brings huge tax contributions to the US treasury, because probably half the world is addicted to this food (if you can call it that). There is evidence that all profits from this company go to the needs of the US Department of Defense!

What is McDonald's really like? Let's try to figure this out together.

To maintain its image as an "eco-friendly" and "environmentally conscious" company that also serves as an enjoyable dining experience, McDonald's spends more than $1.8 billion annually on advertising. Toys and other techniques attract children, who in turn persuade parents. But behind the smiling Ronald McDonald lies the reality - the company is only interested in money, making a profit on everyone and everything, just like all multinational companies. McDonald's annual reports talk about "world domination" - their main goal is to open more and more locations around the world - but this ongoing expansion means limiting freedom of choice and destroying local food culture, not to mention local producers.

The truth about McDonald's

1. A breed of chicken with huge breasts, “Mister MD,” was bred especially for McDonald’s. White breast meat is used to make a popular menu item, Chicken McNuggets. This changed the entire chicken industry. They began to sell chicken not whole, as 20 years ago, but cut into pieces. McDonald's consumes the most pork, beef and potatoes in the US, and chicken - slightly less than Kentucky Fried Chicken.

2. Videos in Los Angeles fast food restaurants showed teenagers sneezing into food, licking fingers, picking their noses, putting out cigarettes on food, and dropping them on the floor. In May 2000, three teenagers from a Burger King in New York were arrested for spitting and urinating in dishes for about 8 months. Cockroaches live in mixers, and mice climb at night on hamburgers left to defrost... It is known that many fast food workers do not eat in their own cafe until they prepare a portion for themselves.

Everyone likes the taste of McDonald's potatoes. Previously, it depended solely on the fat in which it was fried. For decades it was a mixture of 7% cottonseed oil and 93% beef tallow. In 1990, people were up in arms about cholesterol, and fast food went to 100% vegetable oil. But the taste had to be left the same! If you ask McDonald's today for information about the ingredients of its dishes, at the end of a long list you will read the modest "natural flavor." This is a universal explanation of why everything in fast food is so delicious...

About 90% of all the products we buy are pre-processed. Canning and freezing kill the natural taste of food. Therefore, neither we nor fast food could have survived the last 50 years without chemical plants.

3. Recipes for potatoes and hamburgers should be looked for not in cookbooks, but in the works “Food Industry Technology” and “Food Engineering”. What we eat there has changed more in the last 40 years than in the previous 40,000. Both the taste and smell of hamburgers and co. are made in huge chemical plants in New Jersey.

4. In addition to the taste of products for McDonald's, International Flavors and Fragrances produces the scent of 6 of the 10 most popular perfumes in the world, including Beautyful from Estee Lauder and Tresor from Lancome. And also the smells of soap, dishwashing detergents, shampoos, etc. All this is the result of one process. You actually shave with the same thing you have for dinner.

5. Farmers' cows ate grass, as they were supposed to. Cows destined for the big fast food meat grinder are driven in huge herds three months before they are killed to special sites, where they are fed grain and... anabolic steroids, which dramatically increase muscle mass!

Rising grain prices worsened an already dire situation. Before 1997 - the first call for mad cow disease - 75% of American livestock ate... the remains of sheep, cows and even dogs and cats from animal shelters. In one year in 1994, US cows ate 3 million pounds of chicken manure. After 1997, supplements from pigs, horses and chickens remained in the diet, along with sawdust from chicken coops.

6. Obesity is the second leading cause of death in the United States after smoking. Every year 28 thousand people die from it. The obesity rate has doubled among the British, who love fast food more than any other European. In Japan, with their seafood and vegetable diet, there used to be almost no fat people - today they have become like everyone else.

Coca-Cola can make you hunchbacked

If for many centuries children and teenagers drank mainly milk and dairy products, now they drink Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola, which contain no calcium and a lot of phosphorus. As a result, teenagers do not reach their peak bone mass. Adolescence is a very important stage of life when bones are formed. Many scientists in the West note with alarm the use large quantity artificial drinks and a sharp decrease in milk consumption, which makes a significant contribution to the development of osteoporosis. It can be said that the cornerstones of the disease in older people are laid in adolescence.

The McDonald brothers relied on family. As a result modern child eats hamburgers and drinks three times more cola than 30 years ago. In America, even 2-year-olds drink cola. (Today, many companies have adopted Kroc’s tactics, realizing that children are a win-win category of buyers, on whom guilt-ridden busy parents spend everything more money.) By by and large, the entire fast food industry is aimed at children. This is what feeds children and is fed by them at the same time: the main labor force These cafes are high school students. Two-thirds of all fast food chain workers are under 20. They work for very little pay, performing simple tasks. In 1958, the first 75-page instruction appeared in MD, describing in detail the procedure for all food preparation actions and methods of communicating with customers. Today, such a book has 750 pages and is called the “McDonald's bible.”

Low wages and lack of labor protection are replaced by the creation of a “team spirit” among young workers. For a long time, McDonald's managers have been taught how to competently praise their subordinates and create the illusion of their indispensability. After all, it’s cheaper than raising wages.

Injuries among young personnel are twice as high as among adults. Every year, 200,000 people are injured in their cafes.

Be careful: minced meat!

Things are even worse with minced meat. Research has shown that 78.6% of ground beef contains germs that are spread through feces. The medical literature on food poisoning is replete with euphemisms: “level of colibacteria forms”, “aerobic number”... But behind these words there is a simple explanation why you can get sick from a hamburger: there is manure in the meat.
The situation is also dangerous because, at the current level of processing, the mince of one hamburger contains meat from tens and even hundreds of cows. And without colibacteria, there is enough infection in it. Every day in America, about 200,000 people suffer from food poisoning, 900 are hospitalized and 14 die.

Sandwiches change people

In fact, both the Japanese and all other McDonald's customers turn into fat people in just a few years. 54 million Americans are obese, 6 million are super fat - they are 100 pounds (45 kg) overweight. No nation in history has gotten fatter so quickly.

10 terrifying facts about McDonald's. McDonald's damage.

Did you know that you may be eating crushed bugs and duck feathers along with your burgers?

Below is a list of the most disgusting additives that a person uses when “indulging” himself with food from McDonald’s.

1. Ammonium sulfate - this substance is used in the mass production of bread, to fertilize the soil and kill bugs, and most often in the manufacture of strong household cleaners. Incredibly, the US FDA food products and Medicines found low levels of ammonium sulfate in food products to be safe, but raised questions about the effect of this substance on people who eat bread every day. Ammonium sulfate has been linked to gastrointestinal irritability, which in turn causes diarrhea and nausea.

2. Silicone oil. McDonald's chicken nuggets are high in dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone oil often used in contact lenses and other medical supplies. Dimethylpolysiloxane is also an antifoaming agent.

3. Tertiary butylhydroquinone. This additive can be found in eighteen McDonald's dishes. Tertiary butylhydroquinone is most often called an “antioxidant”, but nowhere is it mentioned that it is not a natural antioxidant, but a synthetic one Chemical substance, which has antioxidant properties. McDonald's pampers us with obvious chemicals that are not suitable for food.

Tertiary butylhydroquinone stops the oxidation of fats and oils, which allows you to extend the shelf life of semi-finished products. This substance is used in the production various types semi-finished products, and is also found in varnishes and pesticides.

Additionally, tertiary butylhydroquinone is used in cosmetics and perfumes to reduce evaporation rates and increase density. This chemical preservative is so dangerous that just five grams can kill a person. But don't panic, the Food and Drug Administration says the substance is generally safe.

4. Cysteine-L. Fast food restaurants use cysteine-L, an amino acid derived from human hair, duck feathers and pork bristles, to flavor meats and soften breads and baked goods. This amino acid also reduces baking time in mass production of bread. Cysteine-L is primarily produced in China by dissolving hair or feathers in acid, and then distributed throughout the world as a bread softener.

5. Prescription drugs. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University studied the feathers of farmed chickens and discovered interesting facts. Antidepressants and other drugs are added to the feed of chickens whose meat is intended for fast food restaurants. medicines prescription drugs. Essentially, chickens are raised on a diet of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as illegal drugs.

6. Propylene glycol is chemical compound, which is contained in antifreeze, electronic cigarettes and fast food food.

7. Carminic acid is a substance obtained from Carminiferous bugs, which is used to color foods, especially meat, red. Carmine is one of the harmless additives used by the McDonald's restaurant chain.

8. Dimethylpolysiloxane is found in almost all fried fast food products, and can also be found in contact lenses, smart plasticine, cosmetics, shampoos and hair conditioners, polishes and heat-resistant ceramic tiles– and this is not the whole list.

9. Silicon dioxide is commonly added to processed beef and chicken to prevent caking. Silicon dioxide is listed as an ingredient in American fast food products such as Wendy's and Taco Bell. Experts suggest that silica is not harmful to consume, but interestingly, the meat's palatable and anti-caking ingredients are also a major component of diatomaceous earth, which is widely used as a natural insect killer.

10. Pulp is processed wood pulp that is included in almost all fast food menu items. Cellulose is used in almost everything from cheese and salad dressing to muffins and strawberry syrup. Food manufacturers use cellulose to thicken and strengthen foods, replace fat, and increase fiber content. Also, the use of cellulose leads to a reduction in cost by minimizing components such as oil or flour.

Powdered pulp is produced by cooking virgin wood pulp in chemicals to separate the pulp, which is then purified. Modified versions require additional processing, such as exposure to acid, to further break down the fiber. Some of the fast food restaurants that contain cellulose in their products are McDonald's, Arby's, Jack in the Box, KFC, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Taco Bell and Wendy's.

And finally: the golden arches of McDonald's, according to psychologist Louis Cheskin, are a Freudian symbol. These are “a pair of huge breasts” from Mother McDonald...

IN modern world There is a strange trend regarding nutrition. Along with the ever-increasing number of healthy food supporters, the number of fast food cafes is rapidly growing. People usually explain their passion for fast food by lack of time. In addition, they say that this food is tasty and satisfying.

Despite the fact that scientists and nutritionists have been sounding the alarm over the past few years about the dangers of food from the McDonald's chain, the popularity of this food is growing exponentially.

They associate their concern primarily with the fact that today, more than ever, the problem of obesity among the population is more acute. Even more alarming is the fact that this problem is getting younger every year, because fast food is very popular among children.

History of success

The first fast food cafes appeared in California in the first half of the 20th century. The very first of them was a roadside establishment where drivers could have a snack.

At that time, cars were no longer a curiosity for local residents, therefore, food from restaurants was in demand among motorists driving along the roads.

Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald, working at their own film studio, which did not bring in any significant income, decided to organize their own fast food, where the main dish was hot dogs.

In the process of developing their business, the brothers faced many problems:

• "Turnover" of personnel. Typically, waiters who wanted to work in cafes were young. After working for a short time, they all left their jobs, so the owners of McDonald's had to constantly be on the lookout for new employees;
• The establishment's clients were mostly teenagers who did not always behave decently in the cafe;
• Visitors did not treat the dishes very carefully, they damaged and beat them, so the brothers had to constantly replenish their supplies.

They rested for several months, suspending their business. And when they returned to business, their establishment looked completely different. Now large grills were installed in it, dishes that had to be eaten with a fork and knife disappeared from the menu, and easily breakable dishes were replaced with paper ones.

The main advantages of the restaurant were the speed of service, satiety and simplicity of the dishes. The brothers began to hire only boys as waiters, so that pretty girls did not attract the attention of teenagers. This approach was successful - in addition to teenagers, adults began to come to the establishment en masse.

Soon symbols appeared above the cafe - two golden arcs, which are known today throughout the world.

The surprise and envy of the competitors knew no bounds. To attract the attention of visitors, many owners of other establishments placed a sign next to the name of the latter stating that their cafe was the same as McDonald's.

One of the secrets to the popularity of the cafe chain is its focus on family. People can come here with children, who, in turn, adore the establishment not only because of the nourishing and pleasant-smelling food. The brothers decided to attract the attention of young consumers with the help of toys given to them as gifts.

In addition to delicious food and toys, young consumers are offered various competitions and sweepstakes where they can win, for example, a trip to Disneyland. This technique still works successfully today, allowing establishments to gain tens of thousands of new fans in the form of children every year.

Advertising is also important. Have you noticed that in pictures and videos we are shown dishes richly flavored with herbs, in particular lettuce? Subconsciously, such information is perceived positively by our brain, and there is a feeling that this food is healthy.

But we know what the food at McDonald's really is - fatty, high-calorie, and practically free of vitamins.

Benefits and harms

In the second half of the 20th century, having studied “fast” food and its effects on health, scientists and nutritionists, at every opportunity, try to convey to the consumer how harmful food from McDonald’s restaurants is. The dishes they offer are filling, but not nutritious - they contain virtually no nutrients.

Along with this, a lot of sugar is added to the dishes, which makes the food tasty, simple carbohydrates, additives, and flavor enhancers. Even at the beginning of the history of fast food, meat from specially bred chicken with large breasts was used for hamburgers and other dishes.

It is possible that the poultry is fed substances that contribute to its obesity, and this subsequently negatively affects the health of the person consuming this meat.

Thus, what brings huge profits to network owners can result in serious health problems for consumers.

Among them:

1. Obesity. This is the scourge of our time, and doctors and nutritionists blame fast food for it. A rounded figure today is becoming typical not only for adults, but also for teenagers and even small children. This is caused by the huge calorie content of food purchased at McDonald's. For example, in a hamburger there are 252 kcal per 100 g of product, and in French fries for the same amount of food there are 316 kcal;
2. Diabetes . With regular consumption of fast food, metabolism is disrupted, which is the main cause of the development of the disease;
3. Diseases of the cardiovascular system. This food contains a huge amount of cholesterol, which not only leads to rapid weight gain, but also causes blockage of blood vessels. This impedes blood flow, causing the heart to experience severe strain;
4. It turns out that high calorie content – is not yet the worst characteristic of fast food dishes. Doctors have found that the additives contained in them can provoke cancer.

Many nutritionists are inclined to believe that the food and drinks consumed at McDonald's are addictive. It is due to the additives and flavor enhancers present in the dishes. Regular healthy food seems tasteless after eating fast food, so the body craves food rich in these ingredients.

This poses the greatest danger to young consumers who do not receive the necessary substances. Coca-Cola, beloved by children, also causes considerable harm, to which they also become accustomed. They completely refuse to drink milk, as well as fermented milk products rich in calcium, necessary for the normal formation and development of the skeletal system and dental health.