McDonald's

[Anonymous]

Okay we can all agree that fast food every single day is not ideal. OP, if you want to know about the effects of this food on children, consult a dietician or talk to your pediatrician. Or read a book. Just saying. If you really want to make a difference, start/join a healthy eating program at your child's school or in your community. Maybe the family you (creepily) watch everyday will hear of it and participate. Or maybe not. You have no idea why they do what they do. But maybe you will be able to channel that judgmental energy into something more positive and educate yourself in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

Eating it every single day is setting a child up for obesity and heart disease.

We eat McDonalds maybe once a month at the most, and honestly the kids don't eat much they are more concerned about playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish I was eating a double cheeseburger right now.

I wish I were eating a double cheeseburger right now.

P.S., I went to Yale!

[Anonymous]

I can picture you OP: Sitting in your minivan in the mcdonalds parking lot, watching this family and feeling oh so much better then the cretins who go to mcdonalds everyday. Then, *lightbulb*! You feel like a Yale grad for coming up with the idea of posting on DCUM your curiosity of the scientific effects of eating Mcdonalds everyday. You think, "No one shall know I am judging these morons. I shall look like an educated mother, concerned for my fellow citizen and for the greater societal impact of eating fast food daily!" You laugh maniacally and rub your hands together. "Oh I shall fool them. I shall fool them all," you say.

All I can say is: Masterful plan OP, masterful plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I was eating a double cheeseburger right now.

I wish I were eating a double cheeseburger right now.

P.S., I went to Yale!

Ha. First Yale PP here. I'm aware it kind of made me sound like an asshole, but I feel like some of the anti-McD's stuff is a class issue, and like some people feel nothing good will ever come of kids who eat junk food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me answer honestly, as someone whose mom hit the drive-thru basically every day when she picked us up from our after-school program (though we rotated Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's, sometimes stopping to pick up pizza, and having donuts for breakfast-- don't know if that more varied diet changes things):

I became a vegan when I was a teenager and am an extremely healthy eater now, who is no longer strictly vegan because I've traveled a lot and love experiencing different flavors and foods. I went to Yale. I have, thankfully, not had any significant health issues and I am about a size 6 now, while breastfeeding. I've run one marathon. I never take my kids to fast food places because I just have no desire for them or craving whatsoever. I still like pizza and donuts, but I prefer palak paneer with naan or injera and doro wat if we're doing take-out.

Maybe one day I'll have huge health issues that stem from my earlier poor eating, and unfortunately, I feel sometimes like that would make a certain subset of people happy: the people who feed their children healthy food OBSESSIVELY and reassure themselves, when the children of others have serious health issues and diseases, that they must have done something unhealthy to cause it.

*It's okay to judge, but we were not wealthy and both my parents worked full-time and overtime and didn't enjoy cooking when they had time to spend with us, and they also weren't at all well-educated about nutrition-- now that they know better I know they regret feeding us so poorly, but I'll never judge them for it myself. We had a good run of it, McDonald's and I!

Thank you PP! Well said. It's not optimal that they are eating McDonalds everyday, but we don't know the circumstances, nor do we know their mindset. OP, stop being holier than thou. I'm sure you are inadvertently doing many thing that DCUM's are having a field day judging!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me answer honestly, as someone whose mom hit the drive-thru basically every day when she picked us up from our after-school program (though we rotated Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's, sometimes stopping to pick up pizza, and having donuts for breakfast-- don't know if that more varied diet changes things):

I became a vegan when I was a teenager and am an extremely healthy eater now, who is no longer strictly vegan because I've traveled a lot and love experiencing different flavors and foods. I went to Yale. I have, thankfully, not had any significant health issues and I am about a size 6 now, while breastfeeding. I've run one marathon. I never take my kids to fast food places because I just have no desire for them or craving whatsoever. I still like pizza and donuts, but I prefer palak paneer with naan or injera and doro wat if we're doing take-out.

Maybe one day I'll have huge health issues that stem from my earlier poor eating, and unfortunately, I feel sometimes like that would make a certain subset of people happy: the people who feed their children healthy food OBSESSIVELY and reassure themselves, when the children of others have serious health issues and diseases, that they must have done something unhealthy to cause it.

*It's okay to judge, but we were not wealthy and both my parents worked full-time and overtime and didn't enjoy cooking when they had time to spend with us, and they also weren't at all well-educated about nutrition-- now that they know better I know they regret feeding us so poorly, but I'll never judge them for it myself. We had a good run of it, McDonald's and I!

Can we be friends? You sound like someone I want as a friend.

[Anonymous]

My youngest (4.5) loves McDonald's. Would eat it everyday if she could. We just got out of a bad habit of buying her McDonald's after her preschool pick-up. It was pretty much 3-4 times a week for a few months.

We still frequent McDonald's. It's quick, cheap and gets the job done if we're out too late for me to make something at home (family of 6). Some weeks we go about 3 times, other weeks not at all.

None of my children are overweight, but I just wanted to say this: Being thin does not equal good health. There are plenty of thin people with cholesterol/heart disease issues, so weight is not always a sign of good health.

[Anonymous]

See "Supersize Me" movie. Nevertheless, the only place that beats Mac's fries is Five Guys. I used to work with a man, single parent, who fed his boys at McDonald's every day and they grew up fine and healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In "Supersize Me," Morgan Spurlock didn't eat ANYTHING but McDonald's, said yes every time they offered to supersize his meal, and then actually ate it all.

As far as these kids you're observing, you don't know what else they're eating, and you're assuming they're actually eating those happy meals.

My daughter ALWAYS asks for a Happymeal -- because she wants the toy. When we get her one, she typically eats half the fries and drinks the apple juice and that's it. She doesn't like the nuggets unless she's really hungry and there's nothing else available; if I order a burger for her and cut it into fourths, she might eat two of them (so, half the burger).

Then, when we get home, she says she's hungry, and when I offer slightly healthier options like carrot sticks w/ranch dip, she's all over them.

I love America. Only here would carrots and ranch dip be considered "healthy" - I guess compared to fries and apple juice - yeah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In "Supersize Me," Morgan Spurlock didn't eat ANYTHING but McDonald's, said yes every time they offered to supersize his meal, and then actually ate it all.

As far as these kids you're observing, you don't know what else they're eating, and you're assuming they're actually eating those happy meals.

My daughter ALWAYS asks for a Happymeal -- because she wants the toy. When we get her one, she typically eats half the fries and drinks the apple juice and that's it. She doesn't like the nuggets unless she's really hungry and there's nothing else available; if I order a burger for her and cut it into fourths, she might eat two of them (so, half the burger).

Then, when we get home, she says she's hungry, and when I offer slightly healthier options like carrot sticks w/ranch dip, she's all over them.

I love America. Only here would carrots and ranch dip be considered "healthy" - I guess compared to fries and apple juice - yeah.

To be fair, she did say "slightly" healthier. And there's no dispute that carrots are health (right?) . . .

[Anonymous]

I thought this might be a thread about the ridiculousness of the McDs by Sidwell in DC not having a drive thru. I would be there more often than i should be for a Mac attack. I have literally gone to the golden arches for a quick bite so I am not hungry while grocery shopping. At whole foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see a family that eats/makes available/buys McDonald's food for dinner practically every day. They have at least two kids (boys, aged 3ish and about 7 or so). While I'm waiting for my son to finish an afterschool program, I wait in the McDonald's parking lot for him. EVERY week day, either the mom or dad of the family brings the boys to the McDonald's and when they come out they have some variation of the same things...Happy Meal boxes, sometimes ice cream too or smoothies.

I am honestly not judging, though it's not a choice I make for my family, and realize that there could be any number of reasons why they do it. I'm not in their shoes...I believe that most people do the best they can with the information that they have at hand.

So, anyway, I have been pondering the whole situation in my head for a few weeks now and have an honest question:

What, if any, kind of long term impact this will have on the kids involved (two boys, aged 3ish and 7) if they eat McDonald's every week day (at least) for an entire school year or longer, but then stop and start eating it on a more occasional basis?

I haven't read through all the pages but sometimes, a kid going through chemo is told to eat what they will tolerate. We know two kids who went through this and the 3 year old would eat a 20 piece chicken McNugget and still want more food. Did he gain weight, you betcha. But, this was the only thing he wanted to eat and doctor's encouraged the parents to give their child with a brain tumor who had to go through more stuff at the age of 3 than some go through in a lifetime as many nuggets as he wanted. You never know what the situation is.

Another scenario. DH had an abusive mother who didn't take care of the kids. This left FIL to take care of dinner, after working all day so DH grew up on fast food for years and I mean years. He's had every test to make sure it didn't have a lasting effect and now works out at least 5 days a week.

You never know what's going on with a family. Would you be so judgy about the person eating at Whole Foods daily? Probably not. And just because something is organic doesn't mean it's good for you. McDonald's does have *some* healthy offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My youngest (4.5) loves McDonald's. Would eat it everyday if she could. We just got out of a bad habit of buying her McDonald's after her preschool pick-up. It was pretty much 3-4 times a week for a few months.

We still frequent McDonald's. It's quick, cheap and gets the job done if we're out too late for me to make something at home (family of 6). Some weeks we go about 3 times, other weeks not at all.

None of my children are overweight, but I just wanted to say this: Being thin does not equal good health. There are plenty of thin people with cholesterol/heart disease issues, so weight is not always a sign of good health.

Good health advice from someone who feeds their kid McDonald's 3-4 times a week for a few months.

[Anonymous]

Reading this as I snack on my cookies from McDs and a sweet tea. Oh and I had fries in the car on the way home.