With the obesity problem in the US growing steadily, fast food outlets have been subject to a lot of criticism for ‘over-sized’ portions, menus full of ‘fatty’ foods and the lack of nutrition guidance to customers.
McDonald’s, in a bid to turn things around and champion the fight against obesity launched a set of new entree salads, served up with signature salad dressings by Paul Newman. So if you decide to get McDonald’s you have a choice of a Caesar salad or California Cobb or Bacon Ranch.
Most people tend to choose fast food due to being price conscious and new, healthy menus could be good news for them. However it is yet to be decided if McDonald’s has really chosen to seriously combat obesity, or if this new move is simply a PR stunt.
Let’s crunch on a few numbers now:
If you opt for a plain McDonald’s Caesar salad which has tomatoes, mixed greens, carrots and Parmesan cheese – it totals upto 90 calories and 4 grams of fat. If you add in the grilled chicken, then you get an additional 20 grams of protein, 120 calories and 3 grams of fat. Ensure that you do not choose the Caesar dressing which is a whopping 190 calories and 18 grams of fat; instead choose the light balsamic vinaigrette which is only 90 calories. Taking this into consideration, this salad does not seem so bad for a fast food salad.
The bacon ranch salad of course is a completely different story, weighing in at 660 calories and 51 grams of fat. Instead, you might as well opt for a Big Mac which will give you 590 calories and 24 grams of fat. Forget the salad.
While McDonald’s must be lauded for its effort in trying to offer customers healthier options, it still remains a ‘buyer beware’ situation.