Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

I thought the following article and linked youtube video will provoke some discussion regarding fastfood:

McDonald's outrage at health ad

In a television advert that could kill your appetite, an overweight, middle-aged man is seen lying dead in a morgue holding a half-eaten hamburger as a woman weeps over the linen-clad body.

McDonald's ubiquitous golden arches then trace the dead man's feet with the text "I was lovin' it", a stinging pun on the fast-food chain's long-running slogan "I'm lovin' it".

A voiceover says, "high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian".

the rest is here: http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/well ... utostart=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, do you feel like a burger?

Health problems are not just because of meat. The buns are white flour. The soda is full of high fructose corn syrup. The fries may be vegetarian, but they are deadly.
Having said that, if McDonalds is against it, then I'm for it.

Hi alan
I'm not sure that the fries are vegetarian. Some years ago when McDonalds' was introduced to India, there were widespread protests when it was discovered that the fries were cooked in oil containing beef tallow which gives the McD's fries their distinctive taste.
However you look at it, McDonald's food, "healthy choice" options included, are not a healthy choice. I think its about time that McDonald's insipid marketing message which is to normalise the consumption of junk food, was directly challenged by governments and public interest groups.
kind regards

Ben

Agreed, Ben.
I've heard that because of the outcry, McD is now cooking their fries in veg. oil, at least in some locations.
Either way, I'm sure we agree that fast food is not just a health problem, but also a social problem.

alan wrote:Health problems are not just because of meat. The buns are white flour. The soda is full of high fructose corn syrup. The fries may be vegetarian, but they are deadly.
Having said that, if McDonalds is against it, then I'm for it.

There's a picture somewhere of a hamburger which has ben sitting around for years and looks the same as when it was made. Even the *bugs* are smart enough not to touch those things.
/ either!
Kim

There's a popular urban myth here in the US that McDs imports kangaroo meat for their burgers when there is a beef shortage.

Hi MM

Monkey Mind wrote:There's a popular urban myth here in the US that McDs imports kangaroo meat for their burgers when there is a beef shortage.

I can assure you it is a myth. If my memory serves me well, one needs a licence in order to export kangaroo meat. And supplying McDonald's with kangaroo meat would not be something that would go unnoticed. Ours and the worlds media would be over that story like flies to a freshly dropped turd. Kangaroo meat, if you haven't tasted it, has a very strong and distinctive flavour - in the same way venison has a very strong and distinctive flavour. It doesn't taste anything like beef.
Personally, I don't like it.
kind regards

Ben

Ben wrote: I think its about time that McDonald's insipid marketing message which is to normalise the consumption of junk food, was directly challenged by governments and public interest groups.
kind regards

Ben

Same goes for a lot of crap people are fed through the ads and pop-culture messages.

As for roo meat, that wouldn't be so bad since roos are culled in Australia and forests are not cleared for their pastures. So at least this wouldn't be contributing to suffering in the same way as beef production is. But as Ben said, it is extremely unlikely.

My girlfriend likes eating at Mcdonalds once in awhile. Will I make a big deal about it and refuse to eat? No. I like a double bacon cheeseburger w/ fries and a shake as much as the next guy. Having said that, my cholesterol is fine and I am not overweight.

You know why?

Moderation.

McDonalds is not killing anybody. People with food related obesity and cholesterol are killing themselves by their own own hand.

bodom wrote:McDonalds is not killing anybody. People with food related obesity and cholesterol are killing themselves by their own own hand.

That is indeed very true, bodom. However, McDonalds, as with other very large fast-food conglomerates, also have a responsibility to public health. These companies spend billions of dollars each year on marketing and advertising and are very adept at the art of persuasion. While you and I might go to McDonalds on the odd occassion and under duress, their bread-and-butter comes from millions of people who don't think twice about going multiple times a week.

As an aside, A few years ago,a law was passed in Australia that fast-food companies such as McDonald's Hungry Jack's (Burger King) and KFC had to declare the breakdown of nutritional information (including energy and salt) and the percentage of nutrient as per recommended daily allowance on the packaging of all their take-away products. Very salutory reading while you're chowing down on your quarter-pounder!
kind regards

Ben

bodom wrote:My girlfriend likes eating at Mcdonalds once in awhile. Will I make a big deal about it and refuse to eat? No. I like a double bacon cheeseburger w/ fries and a shake as much as the next guy. Having said that, my cholesterol is fine and I am not overweight.

You know why?

Moderation.

McDonalds is not killing anybody. People with food related obesity and cholesterol are killing themselves by their own own hand.

McDonalds are in fact killing millions of cows every year, along with all those other critters whose homes get destroyed for pastures and soy plantations (although under pressure they have modified their behavior in respect of the latter).

Of course I do take you point about moderation. But in order for that to work people need to be able to exercise free choice and when they are bombarded with ads on the tellie and bill-boards, like it or not, they get brain-washed.

Ads like the one above is to counteract that. Of course it is also brain-washing, just of the opposite kind.

Ignorance kills.

Certain companies like to promote it.

bodom wrote:My girlfriend likes eating at Mcdonalds once in awhile. Will I make a big deal about it and refuse to eat? No. I like a double bacon cheeseburger w/ fries and a shake as much as the next guy. Having said that, my cholesterol is fine and I am not overweight.

You know why?

Moderation.

McDonalds is not killing anybody. People with food related obesity and cholesterol are killing themselves by their own own hand.

And you have McDonalds in many countries, with similar economic access to food, that do not show high levels of obesity.

Sure a burger has lots of unhealthy fat, as do fries, and too much proteins, but we also eat too much sugar and too much salt anyway. I wouldn't blame McDonalds more than Hagen Daz or M&M's. IMO The real problem is lack of moderation, lack of physical exercise and lack of knowledge about the caloric and nutritive value of what we eat.

For those struggling with overweight I recommend using this site EverydayHealth.com were you can keep a detailed track of what you eat. Noting what food contains is really helpful in managing weight.

I do, once or twice a month, have my McTasty and I have no problem with cholesterol.

Ben wrote: As an aside, A few years ago,a law was passed in Australia that fast-food companies such as McDonald's Hungry Jack's (Burger King) and KFC had to declare the breakdown of nutritional information (including energy and salt) and the percentage of nutrient as per recommended daily allowance on the packaging of all their take-away products. Very salutory reading while you're chowing down on your quarter-pounder!
kind regards

Ben

Our new health care bill that was passed in March also requires that, for any restaurant that has 20 or more locations. Some of them were already doing that and offering healthier stuff on their menus but now it will be required. I think when people see just how much fat and calories are in some of the items, the trend for chains to offer healthier stuff will continue.

On the topic of informed consumers, I saw a story yesterday that the producers of high fructose corn syrup are asking the FDA to let them change the name of it to "corn sugar" because their sales have been dropping so much lately. They want to disguise it by switching to a new name.