Healthwashing…part 2

In part 1 (you can read that here) I introduced the healthwashing concept and provided some tips for next time you navigate the grocery store.

Today’s post is more about how commercial advertising can lure us into thinking something is good for us just because it is low in calories. And today, I pick on McDonalds because they have a commercial on TV right now where dad and daughter are having breakfast together, he says to her “Shhh…don’t tell mom”; she says “Dad, it only has 290 calories and a fresh cracked egg.”. I’m here to tell you that’s not all it has. Read on for more.

I want to talk about the recent McDonald’s commercials. The ones where they are telling you that it’s OK to eat their food every day because it only has 290 calories. Us Nutrition Warriors here know that a calorie isn’t a calorie…right?

Like, who gives a crap if it has 290 calories – let’s talk about the INGREDIENTS.

Let’s look at the Egg McMuffin – these ingredients are taken from their website.

White English Muffin – enriched bleached wheat flour, glucose-fructose, corn flour (GMO), diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides (whaaaa?)[this is an emulsifier made from GMO soy, palm or canola oil], azodicarbonamide (huh?) [you may recall, this is the Yoga Mat ingredient found in Subway sandwiches].

Margarine – canola oil (GMO), hydrogenated cottonseed oil (GMO), soy lecithin (GMO), soy mono and diglycerides (GMO), artificial flavour, calcium disodium EDTA [this stuff binds to minerals and leeches them out of the body. It’s used as a medical treatment for people who need that, but for the majority of us, this is bad news – minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium are vital for life], Potassium sorbate. (This is basically a science experiment).

Processed cheese – modified milk ingredients, soy lecithin (GMO), colour, Potassium sorbate.

Then potentially there is the ham or sausage from pigs that fare the same fate as those poor chickens. Not to mention all of the nitrates, cause who doesn’t want a dose of cancer with their coffee?

Do we really want to think about all this when we eat our food? Probably not. Should we? Hell yes. 

This information may be eye rolling to some people. Who cares? It tastes good. And yes, it does. I’ve had my fair share of Egg McMuffins. They are definitely tasty. But then I woke up. All of these ingredients are listed as “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA. But this is in amounts that are quite low. The issue is these ingredients are found in so many of packaged foods that we’re eating more than recommended servings and since no testing has been done to determine whether this is safe or not, it’s a game of Russian roulette when you decide to eat this way all the time.

So, next time you decide that you’re going to eat something just because it’s low in calories, think again. Consider this: don’t ask why healthy food is so expensive, ask why junk food is so cheap.  

Let’s Stop the Global Infestation of Crappy Food

The statistics don’t lie. North America is certainly fat, sick and nearly dead (to coin Joe Cross). And it makes me very sad when I hear of developing countries who associate fast food places like McDonalds as having status and affluence in the community. (“For lower-income Brazilians, eating a Big Mac holds far more social cachet than cooking rice and beans from the corner market. “It’s a way to climb the social hierarchy,” Moubarac said.” – see the full article here). The beans and rice combo I’m telling you to eat so that you REVERSE disease, is being shunned in places like Brazil because they want to appear ‘rich’. It’s very sad and I blame Monsanto. In fact, I blame Monsanto for everything. Stub my toe? Monsanto’s fault. Break a nail? Stupid Monsanto.

But seriously folks – let’s please get wise to this. We are being duped, conned, led like sheeple to the checkouts buying all of this less than good for you food. 

I beg of you to start reading ingredients. Ignore the calories (and all the other health washing), just read that ingredient list, and if you cannot pronounce half of it PUT IT BACK NOW.

Krisha 

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