Mad at Cow: Is the government coming after Big Macs?

Goldwater Institute ^

[Reagan Fellow]

Prince Charles is publicly advocating a ban on Big Macs. While touring a diabetes center, he asked a local official, “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s, have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”

It’s no secret that Big Macs and fries aren’t good for you (incidentally, neither are fish ‘n’ chips, chap).

But what’s even worse is government regulation of what you put on your plate. Such bans replace individual judgment with politically favored notions of nutrition. Had the government been setting our tables in the 1980s, we would have been eating a lot of trans fats, which nutrition advocates claimed were the healthy alternative to butter.

Certainly, educating the public about nutrition is laudable, and numerous private organizations, such as the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association, not to mention hundreds of thousands of doctors, undertake that task every day.

So it comes down to this: Should we let government officials decide what we eat? Or is that a personal decision that free individuals should make for themselves?

In this case, Prince Charles’ beef with McDonald’s is best left in Britain.

[aruanan]

It’s no secret that Big Macs and fries aren’t good for you (incidentally, neither are fish ‘n’ chips, chap).

Both Big Macs and fries and fish and chips are much better for you than they are not. They are wholesome foods that can supply a good portion of one's daily macronutrient and caloric needs. That any of them doesn't contain all the micronutrients one needs over the course of a day or a week is not an indictment of their lack of nutritiousness or actual harm because there is no single food, short of something manufactured, that contains all micronutrients needed together with caloric requirements. Probably the closest, though not containing carbohydrates, is beef.

[Gunny P]

Agree
Nothing at Mc's Rainbow Lounge taste's like beef. More like 50/50 mix of beef and some cereal.
Best deal for a burger locally is Roy Rogers.
Fix'n Bar...dress your burger and sneak a salad. And REAL fries.
Genuine SOS in the morning too..toss in a biscuit.

[rintense]

How dare you silly commoners have a choice in what you eat!

[The Great RJ]

Prince Chuck should go back to his horses and wife (if he can tell the difference) and STFU.

[Calpernia]

Oh no! If you are at Roy Rogers, it has to be a roast beef sandwich! They rock!

[voltaires_zit]

> Both Big Macs and fries and fish and chips are much
> better for you than they are not.

Neither has any place in a healthy, well balanced diet.

A Big Mac and a medium fries at McDonalds has more than 75% of a DAY'S recommended intake of fat and more than HALF the recommended intake of salt while providing a third or less of day's requirement for any useful nutrient.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

The only way to justify eating one of the damn things is if you only consume beans, fruit and grain the rest of the day.

I'm sure fish and chips are in the same boat.

[SF Republican]

Ban food. Problem solved. - ban food which is bad for you - we were in Cocoa Beach and were recommened a fish place as the best in town. Cars everywhere, wait over 45 minutes, EVERYTHING on the menu except oysters and the salad was FRIED, they were out of oysters.

[L98Fiero]

"Not at all. I just know enough about nutrition..."

I seriously doubt that. Your comments are nothing but elitist rhetoric with no basis in fact.

Your obtuse comparison of a hamburger to sand nutritionally is pathetic. That kind of nonsense is to be expected on FR these days, though.

Continue with your assinine comments. Sorry I interrupted.

[Cecily]

Somebody should invent the fried salad. I'm surprised a Southerner hasn't already.

[voltaires_zit]

> Your comments are nothing but elitist rhetoric with no basis in fact.


Riiiggght... and cigarettes make you sexy and help cure canker sores, too.

</s>

[SelmaLee]

Well, my mother used to make 'wilted lettuce' - and that is about what it amounted to.

[mewzilla]

Paging Helen Mirren....

Helen, the burger Queen

[voltaires_zit]

Wilted Spinach Salad
From Diana Rattray,
Your Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound fresh spinach, washed, dried, chilled
8 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced green onions
salt, to taste
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
PREPARATION:
In a heavy skillet, fry diced bacon until crisp. Reduce heat; add sugar, onions, salt, vinegar, and dry mustard; bring to a boil. Pour the hot mixture over spinach. Toss lightly and serve.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/spinachsaladrecipes/r/bln527.htm

Yikes! At least it's not as bad as what they do to green beans, though...

[GSWarrior]

The McDonald's in my neighborhood offers home delivery. If no one is home, they slide the Big Mac under your door.

[Shots]

Do Not pay attention to Charlie; he is just jealous because no UK fanchises ever really made the grade

[mysterio]

Is the government coming after Big Macs?

Yes. The government is coming after anything deemed "unhealthy."

[mewzilla]

Yes. The government is coming after anything deemed "unhealthy."

Ummmm....

Rats Run Wild In New York City KFC/Taco Bell Restaurant

[Old Professer]

Phalanx

[Shots]

Yes. The government is coming after anything deemed "unhealthy."

>b> Not the government it is the self appointed Food Police</b>

[Old Professer]

"Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744) in An Essay on Criticism, 1709:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.""