The Truth About Fat and French Fries
It’s right here.
If your child (or you……) has a thing for crispy (it’s a texture thing……) fried fast food from the Golden Arches or one of its competitors, caution may be in order should you read this study on fatty foods and acne and take a look at these photos (hint: there’s a Big Mac that looks more like Big Mess; if you were expecting one sort of sensory experience, you might be disappointed, and also in a gustatory way). I’ve yet to find a French fry that Charlie will not eat—-there is something about the ones from Mickey D’s that causes him to empty the box at the speed of light. Who knows what that secret ingredient could be……….
Thanks to Health Bolt for the fast food “ads vs. reality” link.
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POSTED IN: Charlisms, Food and Diet, Health
13 opinions for The Truth About Fat and French Fries
Jennifer
Jun 10, 2007 at 8:24 pm
I happen to agree with Charlie — McDonald’s has the best French Fries, fast food, table service, or otherwise. :-) It’s a texture thing for me, too.
(And, in a wonderful twist of fate, I only like the crunchy ones and my brother only likes the “mushy” ones…worked out very well! :-))
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 10, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Charlie like them all—just had a box and a burger on the way back from the beach.
Julia
Jun 10, 2007 at 9:04 pm
When I have the option (and I know of several locations that give me the option, one of them reasonably close to home), I go to McDonald’s, get fries, and then head over to Sonic for a sandwich (burger or grilled cheese) and iced tea with lime. Sonic fries just aren’t terribly tasty by comparison, and if you have the option of McDonald’s fries, why settle for tater tots or onion rings? :)
As for the pictures — “food” in photographs for advertising are very often NOT the food advertised. One common trick is using mashed potatoes instead of vanilla ice cream, for one thing. For another, some of the things they photograph are a synthetic substance which would not be at all good to eat. I was looking at the pictures and thinking, “Yeah, that’s about what it’s like out of the box — but it’s probably tastier than whatever it was they photographed.”
pickel
Jun 10, 2007 at 9:49 pm
I certainly have a thing for McDonalds, I won’t deny that. Little Pickel does as well. However, just recently McDonalds stated that the oil they use contains milk and gluten…perhaps why it is tastier than others. But, also why Little Pickel reacts so badly to the french fries. http://specialchildren.about.com/b/a/243918.htm
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Julia, your last sentence has the best point!
Pickel—-was it a year or so ago the announcement came out about McD’s fries, previously advertised as gluten free, not really being so? We’ve been moving away from Charlie being totally gf—-not that too many fries are good for anyone!
mcewen
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:23 pm
that’s why there is a whole industry devoted to just photographing the stuff!
cheers
Kathy
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:28 pm
I am very wary of fast food. Who knows what goes into some of the stuff!
Apart from that, I have to say that a lot of these burger joints, eg ,Macdonalds and Burger King, produce bland soggy fare.
Up until a year ago, it had been 10 years since I had a Big Mac..
I had forgotten.. 10 years is a long time after all..
I really think that there is something in this sort of fare that seems to be addictive. People go mad for the stuff!
Okay the fries are alright.
But the burgers are mushy and tasteless.
I actually prefer to make my own, so the buns aren’t soggy, and the lettuce is crisp.
Oh, and it’s also nice to get more than one piece of tomato in the burger.
Perhaps I am just fussy.
When we do get take out on occasions it is usually chicken and chips from Chicken treat.
At least the barbecued chicken tastes like chicken.
As my husband likes to cook(and actually hates fast food) I am not always stuck with the cooking!.
It is hard though, in todays world. Many people work long hours and don’t feel like cooking when they get home. Often take out is the only solution…..
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 10, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I can’t eat fast food at all myself. I think McDonalds is the only place we go to tough the quarter pounder I’ve been getting for Charlie actually has a burger that looks burgerish (versus the hamburger patties—Jim called them “chips” as they were so tiny). Personally I prefer a good salad….. We tend to get Charlie something and then look elsewhere for ourselves!
That said, I must reminisce: My paternal grandfather, Yeh Yeh (Charlie’s namesake) loved McDonald’s hamburgers. He had diabetes when he was older and he wasn’t supposed to eat the bread but he sure did enjoy it all when he could.
Joeymom
Jun 11, 2007 at 12:10 am
McDonald’s had a wonderful Cobb salad for a while- but they ditched it for the Asian salad, which I can’t eat (too much sugar). Chicken McNuggets were the first chicken I could get to pass Joey’s lips. He likes fries OK now, but when he was a baby, he didn’t like them. He still prefers the apple dippers.
Julie
Jun 11, 2007 at 8:09 am
Our children love McDonald’s fries but not much else. They still prefer to go to subway which I have to say makes us very happy. I agree it has been over three years since I have had BK and it does not even sound good anymore. I think the secret ingrediant it something that keeps you wanting more.
Kathy
Jun 12, 2007 at 9:30 am
Actually I should also mention that, like Kristina and Jim, Rory and I don’t usually have what the kids are having.
The kids will have Chicken Treat, on some weekends ,… Rory will cook a stir fry, curry, or a Thai dish for us.
Rory cooks . Friday to Sunday..
Julia
Jun 12, 2007 at 9:42 am
I’m often cooking for kids separately. However, a lot of the stuff my husband cooks is greeted enthusiastically by at least one kid — my daughter will eat anything he prepares, my younger son will ignore whatever else is on the table if there’s any toast (especially garlic toast), and my older son is very, very wary of new stuff and doesn’t trust us not to give him something that will upset his tummy (he doesn’t tolerate gluten very well and had stopped trusting new stuff by the time we figured this out).
(The younger two will eat fish sticks enthusiastically as often as we allow them to have them. My daughter might be more interested in a fish sandwich than a burger.)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 12, 2007 at 9:52 am
Charlie is usually game at least to poke at new things—-not yet curry, though…..
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