One of the things that really peeves me about the food industry is their marketing techniques. They can get you to believe anything and they know just the right audience to target if they want you to buy their product; children.
Most people in this country will do anything for their children. As the apple of your eye, you want to do everything you possibly can to make sure they grow up healthy; listen to the latest nutritional information, absorb everything your doctor tells you, and buy products that toot the benefits of a healthy life!
The only PROBLEM with all of this is that most of these claims are not being properly regulated and marketers are telling you just about anything you want to hear! Your doctor falls for it too!!
McDonalds. After the movie Super-Size Me, McDonalds was facing some tough critics. People didn’t want to hear that their beloved fast food restaurant could actually kill them slowly! So what did McDonald’s do? They revamped their menu, made nutritional information available, and changed the way they marketed their product. No longer were they advertising BIG, BEEFY, BURGERS! Now the star players were their salads and “healthy” Happy Meals. But are people actually buying those “healthier” options or still sticking to the same old fair? (and how healthy is a “white meat CHICKEN NUGGET? It is still deep fried and processed!)
Yesterday I read an article from the online Chicago Tribune about the current law suit against McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is trying to get California to ban all marketing of Happy Meal toys.
According to the article, McDonald’s has responded to “intense scrutiny” in the past several years by giving people healthier options, including alternative side items in those Happy Meals. Healthier? Maybe if you consider caramel dip for apples and “white meat chicken nuggets” healthy.
Aside from the fact that McDonalds Happy Meals really are not healthy, the argument against McDonalds is that advertising for Happy Meal toys is SO strong that they influence young children, who do not know any better, to want to go there every day or week. Kids will BEG their parents to the point of annoyance in order to go to McDonald’s to get their favorite toy. Because the toy alone costs more money than the whole Happy Meal, parents buy the Happy Meal and the kid ends up eating McDonald’s more than once a week. This kind of behavior leads to unhealthy habits that carry on later in life; contributing to the obesity epidemic and many other health problems.
To give you my complete and honest opinion without beating around the bush, I don’t think anyone should ever eat at fast food restaurants. I literally feel that they are so far removed from being REAL food, that they do nothing but give you a stomach ache and fill your arteries with a lot of cholesterol.
When we walked in to a McDonald’s earlier this year to use the restroom, Brandon and I noticed a bit of a trend taking place. We saw nothing but little kids with their parents mowing on burgers and fries. Ya know what each one had in common? They were obese. And the worst part? Some of the parents were not even eating the McDonald’s! Why would you feed your kids something that you wouldn’t feed yourself? I could never understand this.
Does THIS really look appetizing?
After careful contemplation, Brandon left McDonalds stating that we will never take our kids there. I was dumbfounded and could not have been more proud. He was finally getting it.
With 2010 coming to a close, I encourage you to take a step back and look at health from a new perspective! Ignore the health claims and just ask yourself a few questions:
- Do I regularly eat fast food?
- Do I eat more meat than I do produce?
- Am I physically active?
- Do I eat out more than I pack lunch?
- Do I listen to my body when it is hungry or full?
- Can I cut back on dairy?
- How many sweets do I eat each week?
- How much soda do I consume (diet and/or regular)
- How can I be healthier?
If you are a regular reader, you know that I’ve covered a lot of topics this past year which are excellent ways that YOU can make a change; change for yourself, for your kids, for the environment…whatever your motivator. Make an effort to be better in 2011. One small change can lead to another and another. And it WILL make a big difference! Trust in yourself, not food industry marketing, and you and your family will be much healthier!
QUESTION: How often do you eat fast food?
Its not just the toys that are luring the kids and their parents into McDonalds its the commercials that play during their favourite TV Shows! I can remember watching cartoons when I was younger and drooling over dessert-like cereal commercials and ads for candy. The marketing of whole-foods needs to be more prevalent on Tv in the near future. Something needs to change.
This is such a great post! I can’t remember the last time that I ate Fast Food, as defined by Mcdonalds/Wendy’s/White Castle. Not only is it unappetizing, but since my son and I are vegetarians, they aren’t any options for us any way! It makes the choice to avoid fast food must easier.
We do, however, enjoy Chipotle and Panera a bit more than I’d like to admit. It’s our ‘fast food’ of choice!
I appreciate your directness in this post. I rarely eat fast food, with the exception of the occasional Subway, Quiznos, or Chipotle. But fast-food burger places just make my body feel BAD. I’m not one to rule out any food completely, because that’s often just setting myself up for a binge. But I do try to focus on which foods make my body feel its best…McDonald’s is certainly not on that list.
First off, i heart taco bell on a long road trip. They let me sub beans for meat, and that makes me realy really happy. But that’s a road trip… I Don’t do those babies often
Second, those NUGGETS have over 23 ingredients in them. They are disgusting processed sludge posing as food. Just because the chicken used is the white meat portion of the chicken (or so they state) doesnt mean that the nugget is all chicken. It’s all crap, that’s what it is =)
I LOVED this post. I think you made some really great points =)
xoXoxo
jenn
I agree that eating fast food regularly is NOT a good thing, but I must admit, about once a month I find myself on the road and need to grab a bite ( I travel a lot). WHen no Whole FOods is available to swing into (YUM… I love WF!), then I’ll get a chick-fil-a grilled chicken sandwich and fruit or a veggie burger from Burger King… which I don’t actually even like… but I’ll grab it out of desperation.
I’m not perfect! But if I have to have fast food, I stay conscious of my choice
Great info!
Amen. Ryan and I stopped eating fast food about 4 years ago, and we haven’t visited a McDonald’s to eat since then (we’ve gone to the bathroom on road trips though…isn’t it sad how few quality food options there are in parts of the country?) I know that when we have children, there will be pressure to take them somewhere fast and easy. But my health and my children’s health is the most important priority…we will be making a lot of yummy dinner and lunches together! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, my sweet friend. I hope your week is full of good and nutritious food, friends and joy!
I don’t know the last time that I had fast food, honestly. I used to eat it a ton, but now, no more.
Ironically, when I saw super-size me, all I wanted were nuggets. What is that all about?
I think fast food restaurants marketing toys towards kids is a huge problem. I remember when the teenager was little, there were so many toys he wanted from the meals (he never really ate the food…). I didn’t take him very often, but we went once in a while.
We eat fast food very rarely, but I don’t want to completely forbid it. I grew up not being allowed to eat fast food at all and ate my first fast food hamburger when I was about 16. I felt soooo guilty, and had eventually to “confess” to my parents… It was a big deal! Once I moved out, however, I developed a bit of an “obsession” with fast food. I ate it maybe twice a week (which felt very “bad” to me, and was indeed not very healthy…).
I want to set a good example for my kids. We shop at local farmers’ markets several times a week, we belong to a CSA, we cook together. We hardly ever eat out. But I don’t want to be as extreme as my parents were, as I don’t think it was the best thing for me in the long run. I remember being a teenager and just wanting to be “normal” and eating what everyone else was eating… I know that what my parents did was ultimately in my best interest, but I wonder if I would have maybe not gone through my “fast food phase,” had I had a hamburger a few times growing up…
Anyway, I think limiting fast food to maybe a few times per year or eliminating it all together is a good idea.
It’s so refreshing to read from someone who subscribes to the same beliefs about this kind of food as I do! Adam and I never eat fast food. Literally, never. The only exception is long road trips (if we didn’t pack enough snacks!) we’ll stop at Subway for veggie subs. As you said, I truly don’t believe that it’s real food, and can only imagine the disgusting damage it does to one’s body. As a side note, I LOVED the movie “Supersize Me.” Classic
Thanks for posting on such an important topic!
What an interesting post. I RARELY eat fast food. No desire for it.
Great post! We stay far from fast food and know we’re doing our bodies a favor!
I love this post! I do my best to never, ever eat fast food. There are days it’s tough, but I hate caving and giving in to such an unhealthy meal. I don’t have kids yet, but am already frustrated by the marketing aimed at them. Thanks for touching on this topic!
I LOVE this post! I wish more people would express their outrage and disgust with the fact that the fast food industry directly targets kids. It breaks my heart when I see overweight kids. As someone who has struggled with weight most of her life, I can’t stand that kids who are fed that junk are at such a disadvantage. If they have eaten terrible fatty fast food their entire childhood they are probably already overweight, and even if they wanted to fix it they don’t know any other way to eat! Sorry for the rant!
Anyways, I very rarely eat fast food, and if I do, it’s usually on a road trip. When this happens, we usually try and stop at subway or I get whatever salad that particular fast food restaurant offers. The picture of the hamburger on your post sums it up beautifully- it looks disgusting!!!
Good Post…..The story with you and Brandon is funny because I do notice the same thing but I have been there and taken my kids there on more than one occasion. I used to say that my kids would never have sugar, eat at fast foods or taste pop. Now my son is 2.5 and has done each of those! Of course it is not a daily (or even monthly) adventure but sometimes a mommy just needs to get out! Fast food (although incredibly unhealthy) does have it’s advantages, fast, easy, kid friendly and best of all….mom doesn’t have to clean up!
I am usually very good about planning my meals and am rarely ever in the car at meal time without a packed meal of some sort, but using McDonalds for a “night out” is fine by me every now and then. The smoothies, parfaits and salads keep us happy!
I really appreciate your directness with this post! I thinks fast food’s marketing to children is awful. And new data says they’re ramping it up! I hear people blame parents all the time, saying that it doesn’t have to do with the marketing — parents just shouldn’t take their kids there. But seriously — if marketing to kids didn’t work, these companies wouldn’t be spending so much money on it! Yes, we still need parents to make better choices for their children, but I also would love to see stronger regulations against these companies targeting kids. It has to work both ways.
We eat fast food very, very rarely. If something happens and we are forced to eat on the run, we might stop at Wendy’s (baked potato!). I avoid McDonald’s and others like it at all costs, an I will never take my son there. I’m very proud to say that he is 13 months old and has never had a french fry or a chicken nugget, and when he does, it will be because I made them at home out of good, quality ingredients. I’m far from perfect in my eating habits, but to me, staying away from fast food is just a no-brainer. And I won’t even get started on having birthday parties in those awful playplaces…
The thing that really baffles me is when people say “We don’t eat fast food every day. We just get it as a treat once in a while.” When I think of giving my son a treat, food that will harm him sure is NOT the first thing that comes to mind. Right now, a treat would be some organic berries or asparagus! He loves them! I hope to never even start the idea that junky food = rewards/treats.
This makes me think of the kids I work with at Camp Endeavor – we really stress the importance of real food and teach them the dirty secrets in food advertising and how it is directed towards them, but we also say that nothing is off limits and recommend getting kids meals or give better options because unfortunately, lots of people are still going to be eating fast food. I get really frustrated when people say that they eat fast food because it is cheap – it’s not!!
I think that law suit is ridiculous. As a parent, just tell your kids no! I think fast food places have come a long way with having healthier options like apple fries and milk, but they’re still only ok in moderation. I’m not saying I’ll never be stressed, busy, and give my kid a happy meal and I don’t think it’s the end of the world if they have one, but there’s no way I’d let my kids eat that on a daily or even weekly basis. Fast food is usually a last resort for me. I eat it maybe once a month? Less than that, and usually only when we’re on long roadtrips. I certainly wouldn’t let my kids have fast food because they wanted the toy in the happy meal. That’s a silly reason to eat junk.
Great post once again Erin! The closest thing I’ve eaten to fast food in the past year is Subway. I haven’t consumed McDonalds since I was (around) 10, and I have no desire to ever eat it again. You’ve raised some great ‘take a step back and consider’ questions, and I’m definitely thinking about them for 2011. I’m content with many of my health habits, but intuitive eating is something I want to focus on some more.
I need to print out those questions and put them on my board at home. Seriously, if I stopped and think about things my choices would be better.
I saw an ad for the Hello Kitty watches in the Happy Meals, if I was a kid I would be all over that. Sad.
I have kind of mixed feelings, too. I had a Happy Meal every once in a while when I was little, and I knew it was something I couldn’t have everyday. I think it helped me learned balance. But I agree with you, I don’t want to feed kids something I wouldn’t eat, which isn’t okay.
I think it’s important to define fast food first. If we’re talking McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and the like, then I only visited a fast food place once this entire year.
However, if we include places like Panera Bread and Chipotle, that number goes up.
And what about Subway? If that counts, the number goes up more. But still, including ALL of them, it’s not more than a few times per month.
I cant remember the last time I got fast food (except for coffee or icecream at mc d’s… lol)… it really just makes me feel gross and totally NOT worth it!
Never! I agree with you, stomachaches are all fast food joints are good for:) Whenever my husband and I travel, we pack all our snacks or meals.
I’m guilty of having fast food on occasion, more so during pregnancy. But even though its still MAYBE once a month. I don’t really include things like Subway in there though. I love the bluntness of this post. It’s all things we really need to sit back and consider. I know I plan to this upcoming year with improviing my eating habits even more.
I honestly don’t do a lot of fast food. The closest thing I might do is chipotle or baja fresh.
I definitely agree with you. It is funny cause when I was little my mom would sometimes go to McDonald’s and just buy the toy that they were offering in the kids meal. Apparently I was not as concerned with the food as I was with the toy.
i actually really don’t eat fast food unless i absolutely have to (ie long road trip), and even then try to find something healthy on the menu. however, i did have the occasional happy meal growing up. i don’t think that is a bad thing every once and a while but i do think it is the parent’s responsibility to make the decisions. companies can advertise however they want, but the parent is the one who can say yes or no to what a child eats. i think that fast food companies are trying to compromise with some healthier options as well, like apples as a snack or low fat milk instead of soda, but they aren’t deciding what a customer chooses.
When I was young, my parents would occasionally take us to McDonald’s for a “treat” while we were on a road trip. I remember feeling a rush of excitement because it meant that I got to play in the “Fun Zone” (or whatever they call it!). Those bright colored plastic balls were sooo alluring! Haha…Honestly though, it was never about the food. Sure, I loved french fries, chicken nuggets and sweet n’ sour dipping sauce, but it was the “happy” image that I associated with McDonald’s that attracted me. For this reason, I think parents need to resist the urge to satisfy their kids’ requests to visit fast food joints and show them that eating healthier foods can be just as fun, if not more fun.
That said, I’m not sure that banning toys in Happy Meals is the way to go. McDonald’s will find other ways to appeal to children (advertising, Fun Zones etc) and continue to attract parents with their “bargain” prices. I know the city of San Francisco passed legislation that states that toys can only be included if the meal contains “under XXX amount of calories and XX fat grams.” Maybe this is a better way to go.
I never eat fast food anymore. Occasionally I’ll buy the apple slices when I’m at the airport though!
I have mixed opinions on this. I grew up eating a Happy Meal about once a week and I certainly don’t think it killed me. I’m quite healthy and have really good eating habits. I think it is up to the parents to teach the kids moderation and to balance ‘junk food’ with healthy foods.
First of all, I love your blog header! Second, I mostly eat fast food while traveling – there aren’t a lot of choices off the highway and I usually pack last-minute, so no time to pack snacks. Anyway, it’s fun to eat fast food every once in a while (mostly Subway or Coldstone Creamery for me), but I really don’t make a habit of it in my everyday life. I prefer to use wholesome ingredients for simple meals prepared at home most of the time.