Thursday, December 26, 2013

11660: Mickey D’s Admits It’s Bad.

From The New York Daily News…

McDonald’s workers advised to slow down on cheeseburgers, eat healthier, stay trim

The McResource Line has a section dubbed ‘Fast food tips,’ which illustrates how a burger, fries and soda is not as healthy as a sandwich, salad and water.

By Caitlin Nolan and Larry McShane / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

You deserve a break today — from McDonald’s.

A website for the fast food giant’s workers warned that a cheeseburger, soda and fries is an unhealthy choice for a meal.

The words of wisdom on eating healthy came from third-party content provided on the McResource Line site, where a recent posting urged folks to slow down on the fast food.

“While convenient and economical for a busy lifestyle, fast foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt, and may put people at risk for becoming overweight,” the website advised.

Iris Harden, leaving a Brooklyn McDonald’s with her 6-year-old daughter Jayla, was surprised to hear about the online advice.

“Why would they do that?” wondered Harden, 38, of Red Hook. “I don’t see a lot of workers in there who are obese or anything. That’s funny.”

Kevin Reyes, 17, said the news that fast food posed potential health problems was hardly a revelation. “It’s not good for you, but everybody knows that,” said Reyes, who stops by the Golden Arches once a week.

A section of the McResource site dubbed “fast food tips” included a picture of a burger, fries and soda opposite a shot of a sandwich, salad and water.

Option one was dubbed “unhealthy choice,” while option two was labeled “healthier choice.”

“Although not impossible, it is more of a challenge to eat healthy when going to a fast food place,” the site advised. “In general, avoiding items that are deep-fried are your best bet.”

A McDonald’s spokeswoman said the fast food giant didn’t find the eat-healthy message hard to swallow.

“This website provides useful information from respected third parties about many topics, among them health and wellness,” said Lisa McComb of McDonald’s USA.

“It also includes information from experts about healthy eating and making balances choices. McDonald’s agrees with this advice.”

The venerable international business, once best known for its Quarter-Pounder and Big Mac burgers, now offers an assortment of menu items including oatmeal, grilled chicken, egg whites and real-fruit smoothies, McComb noted.

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