Do you want fries with that?
We demand that McDonald’s add healthier options. They oblige. We eat poorly anyway.
Don’t blame McDonald’s for your weight problems. Americans seem to be willfully ignorant when it comes to making smart diet choices.
If unhealthy food is wrong, restaurant visitors apparently don’t want to be right.
McDonald’s chief executive officer, Donald Thompson, said recently that although the chain had devoted one-sixth of its advertising time to salads, they make up 2 to 3 percent of sales, and don’t drive growth. Perhaps it would make more sense to give consumers vegetables by stuffing them inside McWraps, Mr. Thompson said.
And while restaurants try lower-calorie options — an egg-white sandwich here, a turkey burger there — the unhealthy stuff is “what consumers order — it’s, quite frankly, on them,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, a food-industry consulting firm.
Obesity in America has risen drastically over the past decade, with no signs of stopping. We’re a nation in love with food.
Despite healthier options, the restaurant industry hasn’t exactly helped Americans judge what is healthy. Portions have ballooned over the decades, causing many foods to double or triple in calories. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, it all starts with breakfast and continues through the day. In the past twenty years, the humble bagel has increased by 210 calories - a growth of 150 percent. Calories in a muffin have also more than doubled, growing by 290 calories.
With excessive portions and a taste for fast food, it’s no wonder that 108 million Americans - one-third of the total U.S. population - is on a diet.
