Fast food effectively affects our taste preferences – they are fatty, contain a lot of sugar and salt – that is, a complete set – unfortunately, our taste buds are keen on this.
Perfectly developed composition of taste and aroma, short waiting times and many other aspects mean that, despite the awareness of the dangers an instant diet, instant foods have adapted well around the world.
Apparently, the taste of Big Macs is the same everywhere, be it Tokyo, New York or Warsaw. In my opinion, most hamburgers taste similar, fries always taste, and ice cream differs only in the icing.
Does the McDoland’s diet make you fat?
The first was Morgan Spurlock, a journalist who took up the challenge so that Americans and, indeed, the whole world, know how harmful it is to tell the McD cashier “yes”.
His 2004 paper “Super sieze me” shows the effect of a 30-day diet on McDoland alone, and when asked “if he wants an extended set,” he replies “of course yes.”
In 30 days, he gained 11 kg, and, even worse, his health deteriorated significantly: there were problems with the circulatory system, lipid profile disorders, problems with sleep and blood pressure.
This is a great activity for children and adolescents, which is caused by an overabundance of “fast food” in the diet.
But, as always, there is always someone who says otherwise and tries to prove it. And that is exactly what John’a Cisna is. The teacher who decided to lose weight on the McDonald’s diet. So what? And of course he succeeded.
After 1.5 months of a 2,000-calorie fast food diet, he lost 9.5 kg (that is, over a much longer period of time he lost less than Spurlock gained in 30 days), and after 180 days he lost 25 kg.
At first glance, the slogan “lost 25 kg at McDonald’s” sounds like a pillow and a tabloid article, but it is slightly different from what everyone imagines.
Firstly: he ate 3 times a day, secondly: he monitored the calorie content of what he eats and drinks, and thirdly: he began to move systematically, which he had not done before.
Of course, Cisna has come under fire for its decision to promote fast food restaurants and has little to do with health. As it turns out, calorie balance is at the heart of the weight loss process. Because this is not a complete picture of what he was doing. This is the same as saying: “I smoked cigarettes all my life and lived to 90”, but actually smoked one cigarette a year …
Even before that, there was Ryan Williams, who first challenged the fattening effect of fast food, of course, tracked calories and lost 7 kg in a month. Well, but the guy is working out in the gym, watching 2,400 calories … no wonder he fell because he probably had a 700-1000 calories deficit compared to his needs.
During the McD diet, Spurlock consumed about 5,000 calories, so it’s no surprise that he was not feeling well, he had problems with his lipid profile, and he gained so much weight.
Anyone who eats that many calories for such a long time, even in their grandmother’s kitchen, will achieve a similar effect weight and health.
For some reason, none of these stories convince me, because they are a little colored.
Let’s put it another way … differences between McDonalds
As I already wrote, Big Mac tastes the same everywhere, all burgers in McDonald’s taste the same, sauces, additives and perhaps rolls matter … But look at this comparison, I took the same iconic set that is served in the USA and Poland:
United States of America
- Big Mac + large french fries + large cola.
- Calorie content: 540 + 510 + 290.
- Total 1340 kcal.
PL
- Big Mac + large french fries + large cola.
- Calories 503 + 434 + 213.
- Total 1150 kcal.
The difference in the calorific value of the same sets is 16.5%! And apparently they are the same ?! The main difference is the serving size, for example, below is the large serving in Japan and the average serving in the US – Cola in the states is 30 ounces, which is almost 900 ml:
The Big Mac Kit in the States provides:
- 80% of the daily fat requirement, including 67.5% of the daily saturated fat requirement.
- 92% of sodium requirement.
- 64% of the daily carbohydrate requirement.
- 99% of the need for sugar! And the Polish Big Mac?
- 66% for fat, including 59% for saturated fat.
- 53% of the need for salt.
- 57% of the need for carbohydrates,
- 69% of the need for sugar. But what amazes me as a nutritionist is that McDonald’s slightly distorts the reality of the recommendation … According to the Institute of Food and Nutrition, which sets the demand standard for the population, it is assumed that the daily need for sugar must not exceed 10% of the calorie requirement, which at 2000 kcal equals 200 kcal, or 50 grams of sugar, and McDonald’s shows us that this value is 90 g, which is 80% more than the the standard!
The WHO standards are even more stringent and say that sugar should not exceed 5%. Well, let’s stick to Polish standards. Do you see a little difference?
Demand standards provided by McDonald’s:
- energy – 2000 kcal – OK.
- fat content – 70 g – 31.5% – in the standard from NIFA.
- saturated fat 20 g – 9% of the total energy – in the NIFA standard.
- carbohydrates – 260 g – 52% – normal with IŻ.
- sugar 90 g – the norm 50 g / day is 80% higher than the norm.
- salt – 6 g – the norm <5 g / day is 20% higher than the norm. Thus, the Big Mac set should be treated a little differently, it turns out that the Polish set provides 62 g of sugar, that is, we We provide not 69%, but 124% of the daily need for sugar and 64% for salt – no wonder we are so committed to maintaining McD.
Let’s take a look at other products that McD has to offer, taking into account Polish standards and a 2000 kcal diet. I have noted for you foods that are much higher than the norm for one meal.
| # | Энергия (ккал) / порции | Жиры / порция | Жир % От RDI | Угли г / порция | Простой сахар г / порция | Сахар всего% RDI | Белка г / порция |
| Классическое предложение | |||||||
| гамбургер | 253 | 8,5 | 12,1% | 30 | 6,4 | 12,8% | 13 |
| Чизбургер | 302 | 12 | 17,1% | 31 | 6,9 | 13,8% | 16 |
| Биг Мак | 503 | 25 | 35,7% | 42 | 8,5 | 17,0% | 26 |
| McRoyal | 521 | 27 | 38,6% | 37 | 9,5 | 19,0% | 32 |
| VillageMac | 581 | 37 | 52,9% | 33 | 7,1 | 14,2% | 30 |
| МакЧикен | 427 | 17 | 24,3% | 45 | 6,4 | 12,8% | 21 |
| Филе рыбы | 331 | 13 | 18,6% | 37 | 4,8 | 9,6% | 15 |
| McDouble | 393 | 19 | 27,1% | 31 | 6,9 | 13,8% | 24 |
| McWrap | 486 | 18 | 25,7% | 54 | 8,6 | 17,2% | 24 |
| McWrap Bekon DeLuxe | 586 | 30 | 42,9% | 51 | 6,8 | 13,6% | 26 |
| Салаты | |||||||
| салат | 39 | 0,4 | 0,6% | 5,4 | 3,1 | 6,2% | 1,9 |
| Куриный салат премиум-класса | 321 | 17 | 24,3% | 17 | 3,5 | 7,0% | 24 |
| Добыча | |||||||
| Куриные Макнаггетсы (4 шт.) | 179 | 9,1 | 13,0% | 12 | 0,3 | 0,6% | 11 |
| Куриные Макнаггетсы (20 шт.) | 893 | 46 | 65,7% | 62 | 1,4 | 2,8% | 56 |
| Куриные крылышки (3 шт.) | 365 | 24 | 34,3% | 14 | 1 | 2,0% | 24 |
| Куриные крылышки (8 шт.) | 974 | 64 | 91,4% | 37 | 2,8 | 5,6% | 63 |
| Полоски Chiceken (3 шт.) | 316 | 16 | 22,9% | 20 | 0,2 | 0,4% | 24 |
| Чипсы | |||||||
| маленький | 231 | 11 | 15,7% | 29 | 0,3 | 0,6% | 2,8 |
| В среднем | 330 | 16 | 22,9% | 41 | 0,4 | 0,8% | 3,9 |
| Большой | 434 | 21 | 30,0% | 54 | 0,5 | 1,0% | 5,2 |
Desserts don’t need to be commented on, take a look at the last column on the right … fat and sugar is an explosive mixture and can be easily overdone.
| # | Энергия (ккал) / порции | Жиры / порция | Жир% RDI | Угли г / порция | Простой сахар г / порция | Сахар всего% RDI |
| Десерты | ||||||
| Шоколадный ледяной сон | 357 | 19 | 27,1% | 52 | 48 | 96,0% |
| Ледяная карамельная мечта | 383 | 17 | 24,3% | 63 | 48 | 96,0% |
| клубничное мороженое | 296 | 13 | 18,6% | 48 | 44 | 88,0% |
| Маленький шоколадный коктейль | 203 | 6 | 8,6% | 36 | 30 | 60,0% |
| Большой шоколадный коктейль | 326 | 9 | 12,9% | 57 | 48 | 96,0% |
| Небольшой ванильный коктейль | 196 | 5 | 7,1% | 36 | 33 | 66,0% |
| Ванильный коктейль из кабачков | 326 | 8 | 11,4% | 57 | 52 | 104,0% |
| Мороженое в чашке с шоколадной глазурью | 278 | 12 | 17,1% | 45 | 42 | 84,0% |
| Мороженое в чашке с клубничной начинкой | 227 | 6 | 8,6% | 43 | 37 | 74,0% |
| Мороженое в чашке с карамельной глазурью | 286 | 9 | 12,9% | 53 | 38 | 76,0% |
| Макфларри Лев | 274 | 12 | 17,1% | 43 | 35 | 70,0% |
| McFlurry Lion в шоколадной глазури | 400 | 18 | 25,7% | 63 | 54 | 108,0% |
| Макфлурри Кит Кэт | 299 | 15 | 21,4% | 45 | 38 | 76,0% |
| McFlurry Kit Kat с шоколадной глазурью | 424 | 20 | 28,6% | 65 | 57 | 114,0% |
| яблочный пирог | 228 | 17 | 24,3% | 28 | 9,2 | 18,4% |
Summary:
- 2000 calories equals 6.6 cheeseburgers – are you full?
- 2000 kcal equals 1.7 sets of Big Macs (large) – will you be full?
- A diet based on McDonald’s foods is unhealthy, contains too much fat, salt and sugar – and that’s just one meal a day.
- Of course, it is possible to lose weight on the McDonald’s diet, history knows such cases, but you need to monitor the calorie content and remember that these products have a low nutritional value, i.e. they do not contain all the ingredients the body needs.
- If you’re already at McDonald’s – go for low calorie drinks like water, Sprite or Zero Coke – why do you need extra calories?
- If you are thinking of dessert at McDonald’s, you better leave the restaurant as soon as possible.
- If you are on the road and do not want a gastrointestinal revolution – then you can use the McDonald’s menu with your head, of course, you can not have any reservations about cleanliness. Perhaps you have seen articles or videos about spoiling McDonald’s products or a lot chemical additives added to products. As there are differences in the calorific value of the American and Polish sets, there are also some differences in composition and production.