Thursday, June 10, 2010
Mmmmm.....
Wow! I must agree I learned an incredible amount of skills when it come researching. Throughout my life I must have written countless papers. But none of them have been so in depth and with actual facts to back up my arguments, beliefs and ideas. Thanks to my ENG 101 Professor, I can now say I’m master Jedi when it comes to researching for a paper. I learned how to use “the force” of the internet not just to Facebook and twitter (which I hate by the way) but enrich my writing and my mind as well. Lexis Nexis was a great tool in writing my final paper. I never thought I could find so much info with the tip of my fingers instead of going to the library for countless hours to look for books. As well as researching, I also learned how to cite properly the newspapers, books, journals, articles and even movies without being a victim of involuntary plagiarism. Most importantly, I learned that to be great researcher one must have a great “Yoda” to teach the right way. I wouldn’t change my “Yoda” (Prof. McCormick) for any other. Though at times, she seemed to enjoy making us research so much.
Ambrosia....Reloaded
For over 60 years, McDonalds has been at the top of its game. In 1948, Richard and Maurice McDonald, founders of this dynasty, opened the very first McDonalds in San Bernardino , California . And for over six decades, people all over the world have feasted upon what they think to be a meal fit for a god, but in reality this “ambrosia” is nothing but smoke and mirrors. A farce of a meal that when it comes to nutrition and health is not even fit for an animal. In this essay I will embark on a mission from “Hell’s Kitchen” to uncover some of the real nutrition facts about the world’s renowned McDonalds cheeseburger.
Before a cheeseburger can be made at any McDonalds restaurant, it needs its major component, the beef. As we could appreciate in the movie FOOD, INC., the conditions under which the cattle is raised, what it is fed and how it is slaughtered can be detrimental for the meat that results. Lopez Foods is one of the top beef grinders in the country and McDonalds biggest supplier of beef (www.Lopezfood.com). Lopez Foods gets its beef from numerous sources. Most of them are feedlots, but what are feedlots really? Well, in my opinion, I would say feedlots are the equivalent of a Ford Lincoln Mercury car factory. “Most cows spend the last several months of their lives crammed into pens in feedlots where they are fattened up for slaughter. There, they are fed a diet that consists mostly of corn, but often contains such items as rendered chicken parts, chicken manure and feathers. They are also fed a sort of protein slurry spiked with vitamins and antibiotics. Meanwhile, hormones are implanted in the cows to promote faster growth.” (Knightly). The cows in these feedlots have to be fed antibiotics to fight off the bacteria they often develop because of the corn diet they are submitted to. These are some of the conditions cattle have to endure in the mooing stage before it is used to make the mighty cheeseburger. This is definitely something you are not told when you order a cheeseburger from the dollar menu. After being slaughtered, the processed meat gets grinded and mixed several times. Soon after the patty is created, it passes a rigorous change of temperature. It goes from a chilling 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) to a freezing 0 degrees (Fahrenheit), all in under 2 minutes. Following the freezing stage, the beef patty passes through a metal detector to ensure that there is no any metal in it. Am I the only one who find that a tad bit weird? According to CNN’s Brian Todd; “The U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general said federal agencies have failed to set limits on many potentially harmful chemical residues…When it comes to pesticide traces, only one type is tested for, according to the report. There are also no set limits for some heavy metals, like copper.” Picture that! As if the cheeseburger didn’t have enough negative side effects and ingredients, now you have to look out for copper and lug nuts in it. The only copper I’m interested in getting with my food is the kind I get back in pennies when I get change.
After the beef goes through its final test, it is finally shipped off to various locations throughout the country. Once it gets to its final destination, the beef patty is ready to be cooked. In sets of 9, the beef patties are positioned on the grill where they are cooked for a minute and two seconds. The burger is then assembled with all of its other components (Regular bun, American cheese, Ketchup, Pickle slices and Rehydrated onions). The question begs though collectively ignored by the majority of consumer until recently, how nutritious is it really once is finally made? And further still, what exactly is in each of the components of a McDonalds Cheeseburger? To help answer these questions, on the next page we will peruse the nutritional fact chart from the McDonalds website.
Cheeseburger Serving Size: 4 oz (114 g)
Nutrition Facts Nutrition Info (PDF)
100% Beef Patty
90
60
7
3
0
25
125
0
0
0
8
0
0
6
0.5
Regular Bun
150
20
2
0
0
0
270
28
1
4
4
0
0
110
1.5
Pasteurized Process American Cheese
50
35
3.5
2.5
0
15
230
1
0
1
3
230
0
70
0
Ketchup
10
0
0
0
0
0
85
2
0
2
0
50
1
0
0
Mustard
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Pickle Slices
0
0
0
0
0
0
40
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Onions
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total :
300
110
12
6
0.5
40
750
33
2
6
15
270
1
190
2.5
% Daily Value ** :
-
-
19
28
-
13
31
11
7
-
-
6
2
20
15
The McDonalds website provides us with a very detailed list of some of the ingredients found in their cheeseburger. The bun alone is made out of over 21 different ingredients. In the midst of some of these ingredients we find bleached wheat flour, salt, sodium propionate (preservative) and high fructose corn syrup. The cheese has fat, salt, sodium phosphate (now, that’s one salt too many!) and sorbic acid (which is a preservative), milk fat and soy lecithin. The ketchup has high fructose corn syrup and salt. The sliced pickles have salt and potassium sorbate (another preservative). And the onions, well, they’re just dehydrated, and all they need is water. After doing the math, we realize it is not that nutritious or healthy for at all. Studies conducted at the University of Chicago have shown that the combination of salt, sugar and fat are addictive (Ruisch). Which are the main ingredients three found at the top of the list in every McDonalds cheeseburger across the world. Yet knowingly, these restaurants try to “green wash” the evidence by offering “healthy choices.” Introducing salads and veggie burgers is McDonalds cunning approach to deflect the attention from the real problem.
For the past ten years McDonalds had been successful in getting the attention of millions of Americans by introducing salads and fruit bowls to its dollar menu (Warner). Yet, McDonalds has managed to increase its income by 33% not by introducing these so called healthy choices but by selling more cheeseburgers. Ironic, isn’t it? We live in a fast paced country, and for a lot of Americans, it is definitely more convenient to buy these substitutions for real food than it is to actually take the time to eat right. That, plus the combination of not enough activities or exercise, leads to an array of debilitating consequences from ingesting said foods. Even though McDonalds offers salads and other “healthier choices”, millions of Americans who have become overweight and obese as a result of repetitive fast food consumption such as McDonalds have developed countless health conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, breast, colon and prostate cancers, stroke, hypertension, reproductive hormone abnormalities, lower back pains and even impaired fertility (just to name a few). Wow! Its amazing how for merely five dollars any individual, regardless of age, can have a risk head start in the road race to suffering from any of these conditions. And if any individual is already suffering from any of these conditions, well consuming “McDooks” will only give the condition a super boost to get to the end quickly (Death). “It’s extremely difficult to eat in a healthy way at a fast-food restaurant. Despite some of their recent healthful offerings, the menus still tend to include foods high in fat, sugar and calories and low in fiber and nutrients.” (Pereira). I wonder what would happen to the McDonalds empire if people all over the world became fully aware of the risks of eating their fast foods and just stopped consuming them. Would McDonalds go extinct like the dinosaurs did? Or would they continue to just wither away slowly? Like Morpheus said,” Sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” McDonalds is The Matrix and its customers need to be saved.
Lastly, McDonalds has gone from making beef patties and getting Americans fat to also playing the role of a tycoon when it comes to real estate, retailing, franchising as well as the political world. In 2004 the McDonalds managed to get the US House of Representatives to pass what’s become known as the “Cheeseburger Law” which blocks anyone who tries to blame McDonalds and its food for their obesity. “As one judge put it, if a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of super-sized McDonalds products is unhealthy and could result in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It is clear that McDonalds is aware of the cause and result of the products they carry (as akin to the tobacco company…but that’s another story), but with the amount of money the make and the almost infallible way to advertise and keep people, especially children, who seem to render themselves helpless every time they see a happy meal toy. It is extremely difficult for those who are hooked on this “fix” of Mcjunk to break away from the spell the cheeseburger has casted upon them. However, the cheeseburger law is not fully bulletproof. Individuals who can prove they have gotten ill as a consequence of the fast food ingested may still sue.
In conclusion, even though McDonalds has become a permanent part of our modern culture not just as a food empire but as a major player in other aspects of society, it is not impossible to see and understand that eating McDonalds cheeseburgers isn’t the best choice of nutrition as they would have us to believe and sadly, not even if taken in moderation
Before a cheeseburger can be made at any McDonalds restaurant, it needs its major component, the beef. As we could appreciate in the movie FOOD, INC., the conditions under which the cattle is raised, what it is fed and how it is slaughtered can be detrimental for the meat that results. Lopez Foods is one of the top beef grinders in the country and McDonalds biggest supplier of beef (www.Lopezfood.com). Lopez Foods gets its beef from numerous sources. Most of them are feedlots, but what are feedlots really? Well, in my opinion, I would say feedlots are the equivalent of a Ford Lincoln Mercury car factory. “Most cows spend the last several months of their lives crammed into pens in feedlots where they are fattened up for slaughter. There, they are fed a diet that consists mostly of corn, but often contains such items as rendered chicken parts, chicken manure and feathers. They are also fed a sort of protein slurry spiked with vitamins and antibiotics. Meanwhile, hormones are implanted in the cows to promote faster growth.” (Knightly). The cows in these feedlots have to be fed antibiotics to fight off the bacteria they often develop because of the corn diet they are submitted to. These are some of the conditions cattle have to endure in the mooing stage before it is used to make the mighty cheeseburger. This is definitely something you are not told when you order a cheeseburger from the dollar menu. After being slaughtered, the processed meat gets grinded and mixed several times. Soon after the patty is created, it passes a rigorous change of temperature. It goes from a chilling 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) to a freezing 0 degrees (Fahrenheit), all in under 2 minutes. Following the freezing stage, the beef patty passes through a metal detector to ensure that there is no any metal in it. Am I the only one who find that a tad bit weird? According to CNN’s Brian Todd; “The U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general said federal agencies have failed to set limits on many potentially harmful chemical residues…When it comes to pesticide traces, only one type is tested for, according to the report. There are also no set limits for some heavy metals, like copper.” Picture that! As if the cheeseburger didn’t have enough negative side effects and ingredients, now you have to look out for copper and lug nuts in it. The only copper I’m interested in getting with my food is the kind I get back in pennies when I get change.
After the beef goes through its final test, it is finally shipped off to various locations throughout the country. Once it gets to its final destination, the beef patty is ready to be cooked. In sets of 9, the beef patties are positioned on the grill where they are cooked for a minute and two seconds. The burger is then assembled with all of its other components (Regular bun, American cheese, Ketchup, Pickle slices and Rehydrated onions). The question begs though collectively ignored by the majority of consumer until recently, how nutritious is it really once is finally made? And further still, what exactly is in each of the components of a McDonalds Cheeseburger? To help answer these questions, on the next page we will peruse the nutritional fact chart from the McDonalds website.
Cheeseburger Serving Size: 4 oz (114 g)
Nutrition Facts Nutrition Info (PDF)
100% Beef Patty
90
60
7
3
0
25
125
0
0
0
8
0
0
6
0.5
Regular Bun
150
20
2
0
0
0
270
28
1
4
4
0
0
110
1.5
Pasteurized Process American Cheese
50
35
3.5
2.5
0
15
230
1
0
1
3
230
0
70
0
Ketchup
10
0
0
0
0
0
85
2
0
2
0
50
1
0
0
Mustard
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Pickle Slices
0
0
0
0
0
0
40
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Onions
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total :
300
110
12
6
0.5
40
750
33
2
6
15
270
1
190
2.5
% Daily Value ** :
-
-
19
28
-
13
31
11
7
-
-
6
2
20
15
The McDonalds website provides us with a very detailed list of some of the ingredients found in their cheeseburger. The bun alone is made out of over 21 different ingredients. In the midst of some of these ingredients we find bleached wheat flour, salt, sodium propionate (preservative) and high fructose corn syrup. The cheese has fat, salt, sodium phosphate (now, that’s one salt too many!) and sorbic acid (which is a preservative), milk fat and soy lecithin. The ketchup has high fructose corn syrup and salt. The sliced pickles have salt and potassium sorbate (another preservative). And the onions, well, they’re just dehydrated, and all they need is water. After doing the math, we realize it is not that nutritious or healthy for at all. Studies conducted at the University of Chicago have shown that the combination of salt, sugar and fat are addictive (Ruisch). Which are the main ingredients three found at the top of the list in every McDonalds cheeseburger across the world. Yet knowingly, these restaurants try to “green wash” the evidence by offering “healthy choices.” Introducing salads and veggie burgers is McDonalds cunning approach to deflect the attention from the real problem.
For the past ten years McDonalds had been successful in getting the attention of millions of Americans by introducing salads and fruit bowls to its dollar menu (Warner). Yet, McDonalds has managed to increase its income by 33% not by introducing these so called healthy choices but by selling more cheeseburgers. Ironic, isn’t it? We live in a fast paced country, and for a lot of Americans, it is definitely more convenient to buy these substitutions for real food than it is to actually take the time to eat right. That, plus the combination of not enough activities or exercise, leads to an array of debilitating consequences from ingesting said foods. Even though McDonalds offers salads and other “healthier choices”, millions of Americans who have become overweight and obese as a result of repetitive fast food consumption such as McDonalds have developed countless health conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, breast, colon and prostate cancers, stroke, hypertension, reproductive hormone abnormalities, lower back pains and even impaired fertility (just to name a few). Wow! Its amazing how for merely five dollars any individual, regardless of age, can have a risk head start in the road race to suffering from any of these conditions. And if any individual is already suffering from any of these conditions, well consuming “McDooks” will only give the condition a super boost to get to the end quickly (Death). “It’s extremely difficult to eat in a healthy way at a fast-food restaurant. Despite some of their recent healthful offerings, the menus still tend to include foods high in fat, sugar and calories and low in fiber and nutrients.” (Pereira). I wonder what would happen to the McDonalds empire if people all over the world became fully aware of the risks of eating their fast foods and just stopped consuming them. Would McDonalds go extinct like the dinosaurs did? Or would they continue to just wither away slowly? Like Morpheus said,” Sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” McDonalds is The Matrix and its customers need to be saved.
Lastly, McDonalds has gone from making beef patties and getting Americans fat to also playing the role of a tycoon when it comes to real estate, retailing, franchising as well as the political world. In 2004 the McDonalds managed to get the US House of Representatives to pass what’s become known as the “Cheeseburger Law” which blocks anyone who tries to blame McDonalds and its food for their obesity. “As one judge put it, if a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of super-sized McDonalds products is unhealthy and could result in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It is clear that McDonalds is aware of the cause and result of the products they carry (as akin to the tobacco company…but that’s another story), but with the amount of money the make and the almost infallible way to advertise and keep people, especially children, who seem to render themselves helpless every time they see a happy meal toy. It is extremely difficult for those who are hooked on this “fix” of Mcjunk to break away from the spell the cheeseburger has casted upon them. However, the cheeseburger law is not fully bulletproof. Individuals who can prove they have gotten ill as a consequence of the fast food ingested may still sue.
In conclusion, even though McDonalds has become a permanent part of our modern culture not just as a food empire but as a major player in other aspects of society, it is not impossible to see and understand that eating McDonalds cheeseburgers isn’t the best choice of nutrition as they would have us to believe and sadly, not even if taken in moderation
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