While we don’t eat a lot of fast food in our house, we do occasionally eat it, usually when we take road trips. At most we eat fast food maybe 4-5 times a year. One particular fast food restaurant we’ve frequented is McDonald’s.
Last month, McDonald’s invited me to learn about the launch of McDonald’s New York Metro Nutrition Network as well as their healthier menu options.
The Nutrition Network, is:
a new community outreach initiative to provide funds to local organizations for grassroots nutrition programs. Through the program, New York Tri-State McDonald’s restaurant owners are offering seed money to help local organizations bring nutrition information and guidance to the communities they serve. This initiative is an extension of McDonald’s national commitment to offer improved nutrition choices.
Best-selling author and registered dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot was also at the launch event. She offered Tips on Wholesome Eating at McDonald’s and answered many tough questions from some of the bloggers in attendance. One question I really wanted answers on was whether or not McDonald’s uses pink slime. The answer is no!
At the presentation, we also had the opportunity to sample some of the healthier options that are now available at McDonald’s.
Breakfast – Egg McMuffin®, Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait with Granola and a Premium Roast Black Coffee – 460 calories, 14 g fat, 22 g protein, 3 g fiber
Lunch – Hamburger, Side Salad with Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, Snack Size Fruit & Walnuts, Diet coke – 510 calories, 19.5 g fat, 17 g protein, 5 g fiber
Snack – we had a choice between the Ranch Snack Wrap (Grilled) and the McCafé Wild Berry Real Fruit Smoothie
Calorie count for each:
Ranch Snack Wrap (Grilled) – 270 Calories, 12 g fat, 16 g protein, 1 g fiber
McCafé Wild Berry Real Fruit Smoothie – 210 calories, .5 g fat, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber
Dinner – Premium Southwest Salad with Southwest Dressing
with Grilled Chicken, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Bottled Water – 550 calories, 22 g fat, 30 g protein, 8 g fiber
You can find more details about the meals we sampled here.
I was happy to learn about some of their healthier food items and feel more comfortable with the fact that we do occasionally eat there. Tanya further stressed that when it comes to any kind of food, moderation is key. I totally agree.
Here is a list of resources regarding some of McDonald’s new initiatives that may interest you:
- Health Victory: McDonalds finally removes pink slime from hamburgers
- Healthier Happy Meal: McDonald’s Menu Gets A Makeover In Chicago
- McDonald’s Announces Commitments To Offer Improved Nutrition …
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from The Motherhood. Samples of McDonald’s menu items were also provided. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
I agree that McDonald’s have some relatively healthy options, but I don’t believe that a lot of people that are trying to eat healthy are going to buy food at McDonald’s. Moreover, salads are way more expensive than the hamburgers ( which you could buy for $.99) that they offer.
liveit recently posted..BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY-INTERNATIONAL
True, but again, when you’re traveling and have to stop at a McDonald’s rest area out of necessity to get a bite to eat, which is often the case for us, it’s good to know that the healthier options exist. I don’t think anyone sees McDonald’s as THE place to buy their salads from. There are much better options out there!
It all looks good. I’d still like to see the sodium content on some of it before sticking it in my mouth, but I’m so happy to see that they’re making better options for people who need to get it on the go!
Determined Momma recently posted..Moms Do It Better In The Kitchen
Twitter: nicoyle
Good to see that there are healthier choices to choose from their menu. I wonder if their competitors will offer similar choices if they haven’t already.
Nicoyle recently posted..Dead Musical Artists Performing As Holograms: Is This The Next Big Thing?
I’m guessing that once one fast food chain starts to make changes, the others will follow. I would think that they would have to in order to compete.
Twitter: FiveInOhio
Burger King has already taken off with their version of the fruit smoothies. I see commercials about them occasionally (one with David Beckham, and one with Jay Leno lol).
These “healthier” items make me wonder what unhealthy food is lol. There seemed to be a lot of fat in even the salad meals and the snack wrap which was grilled. I’m a big girl, and I’m not a very healthy eater, but I was still like O.o lol!
Melody recently posted..The Part or The Whole?
Makes you wonder about how bad the non-healthy options on the menu doesn’t it?
We frequent McDonald’s for snacks when we’re on the road. I wish their fruit & yogurt parfaits had less sugar in them, but having the fruit & walnut salads are a nice option.
Jenn [ Crippled Girl ] recently posted..Always a Great Day to be a Dog
I’m finding that so many food items have a lot of added sugar. Not sure why.
Twitter: Life_In_Texas
It’s a step in the right direction. The fact is, every thing on their menu could be healthier than it currently is. But, at least this is an attempt at healthy food.
Kallie Greenly recently posted..S is for SPIbelt
That is so true!
I love McDonald’s. My kids love it more. I like there salads. If you think about it every fast food place can be a little healthier.
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Twitter: BDandV
McDonald’s is probably the fast food place my children like to frequent most often, when we do choose fast food. I usually get a smoothie or something to drink when we go there. They choose a burger, and my son gets apple slices, while my daughter will not hear of anything but the fries. They were ecstatic when we all learned that McDonald’s had removed pink slime from the burgers – that is when they started eating them again.
Elizabeth Towns recently posted..From Upchuck to Utopia
When I have to eat at Mc Ds I will keep these options in mind!
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