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McDonald's fries and sodium


Joessfl
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So as me and my better half were dining on some McDonald's fries, I noticed the fries container said something like sodium 12% recommended daily allowance (or maybe 18% but thats not important). She said how do they know its only that and not more, considering, when the salt is added by people and some batches could have little salt and other batches could have mounds of it? I said "Honey, that is a great question. Let me ask people who know" :wacko:

 

This is important to my blood pressure and sodium intake. So what says you?

 

TIA

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If it's 12 or 18% per serving, then I'm guessing there's like 3-4 servings in a container. I suspect that there's a sh1t-ton of salt on them.

 

Ok maybe I can clarify, I checked their website. Their small fry is 160 mg of salt. So my question is that 160mg as they are coming right out of the fryer, and then they add more salt (which would equal 160mg + ????) I know they have that salt shaker, but do they add a standard amount (2 shakes?). Or does that 2 shakes make it a total of 160mg?

 

Maybe I should just kick this fry habit/addiction/disease.

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Ok maybe I can clarify, I checked their website. Their small fry is 160 mg of salt. So my question is that 160mg as they are coming right out of the fryer, and then they add more salt (which would equal 160mg + ????) I know they have that salt shaker, but do they add a standard amount (2 shakes?). Or does that 2 shakes make it a total of 160mg?

 

Maybe I should just kick this fry habit/addiction/disease.

I would think it is before they salt the fries. And yes, addiction is a disease, treatable but no cure.

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Maybe I should just kick this fry habit/addiction/disease.

 

I think that you've answered the question.

 

I'm not a nutritionist, but common sense would seem to dictate that getting 15%-20% of your rda of sodium in one fell swoop (on top of potatoes no less) would just about guaranty that you are exceeding the rda even if you ate a healthy diet for the rest of the day.

 

Throw in heart/vascular/blood chemistry issues, I'm thinking that salted french fries shouldn't be on the menu, other than the rare "treat."

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I think that you've answered the question.

 

I'm not a nutritionist, but common sense would seem to dictate that getting 15%-20% of your rda of sodium in one fell swoop (on top of potatoes no less) would just about guaranty that you are exceeding the rda even if you ate a healthy diet for the rest of the day.

 

Throw in heart/vascular/blood chemistry issues, I'm thinking that salted french fries shouldn't be on the menu, other than the rare "treat."

 

Agreed. After looking at the McDonalds website, I think I will boycott a lot of these fast food places. I looked at a quarter pounder for instance, which is something I eat maybe once every two to three weeks. 50% of your US RDA. :wacko:

 

I know I am just finding this out now, and I never researched, and you guys are saying "um, yeah McDonalds is bad" :tup: But I never knew how bad. Since my blood pressure was check last week, I am on hightened awareness now.

 

Thanks for hearing me out.

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It wasnt appetizing for dinner or lunch, this sure isnt going to make me try it.

 

Does anyone here like taco bells McDonald'?

 

I also just learned Sonic McDonald's has had breakfast for a while now. Again, never liked their burgers or their service model, so breakfast is not going to happen.

 

LOL

Edited by Zooty
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Yeah, if ya cant tell, I am having to change me eating habits. Doctors visits suck as I get older. :wacko:

 

 

yeah, fast food in general is a bad idea. I do Chick-filet about once a month and that's about it besides a random Sonic burger even less frequently

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One thing to note though is that the RDA is based on a 2000 calorie diet. Depending on your caloric needs, and especially in regards to sodium your fluid intake, your system may be able to better handle sodium. That said, it is something that I would err on the side of caution with and aim low for intake.

 

As for the nutritional information, as with anything that is "hand made", there is going to be a wide variety in the actuals you get vs. the test conditions in which the nutritional measurements were made. So, especially with something like fries, you have the "serving size", then you have the defined "order size", then you have what actually gets crammed into the container.

 

For arguments sake, let's say that a small order of fries is equal to one serving size. However, in reality, the average small fry that is served may contain 1.25 servings of fries. So, while it may be 160 calories for a serving and for the samll fry, you actually are getting 200 calories of fries. As you go up in size, the differences can magnify, and I know I can easily put away a large order of fries on my own if I really wanted to.

 

I've also read that most restaurants under report the calories in their dishes. It's not necessarily intentional, it;s just that there is so much leeway in terms of what actually ges plated. What salad is going to get only 2 TB of dressing on it, what plate is only going to get "one serving' of fries, what burger is only getting 1 TB of mayo, etc. As it is all a matter of what some cook in the back is slapping on, you get a wide variety of actuals, even with the same dish.

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Agreed. After looking at the McDonalds website, I think I will boycott a lot of these fast food places. I looked at a quarter pounder for instance, which is something I eat maybe once every two to three weeks. 50% of your US RDA. :wacko:

 

I know I am just finding this out now, and I never researched, and you guys are saying "um, yeah McDonalds is bad" :tup: But I never knew how bad. Since my blood pressure was check last week, I am on hightened awareness now.

 

Thanks for hearing me out.

 

If you're sporting high blood pressure you need to limit the fast food big time. There's not much on those menus that are good for you, particularly if you're trying to limit your sodium.

 

If you do have to do fast food -

Anything grilled will be okay, just wipe off the mayo or whatever sauce they have on there.

Skip the fries and get a side salad, then go with a low cal dressing.

Skip the soda and go with water

 

Panera Bread has healthy options if they have them in your area. You'll also see the nutrition info on the menu when you order - big plus. Subway is another great fast food option.

 

Finally, try to start some light exercise - 30 mins a day or take the steps if that's an option. This will help the BP too.

 

Good luck.

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If you're sporting high blood pressure you need to limit the fast food big time. There's not much on those menus that are good for you, particularly if you're trying to limit your sodium.

 

If you do have to do fast food -

Anything grilled will be okay, just wipe off the mayo or whatever sauce they have on there.

Skip the fries and get a side salad, then go with a low cal dressing.

Skip the soda and go with water

 

Panera Bread has healthy options if they have them in your area. You'll also see the nutrition info on the menu when you order - big plus. Subway is another great fast food option.

 

Finally, try to start some light exercise - 30 mins a day or take the steps if that's an option. This will help the BP too.

 

Good luck.

 

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I started some walking tonight, 2 miles, brisk. I also started looking at the links on the huddle around fitness and P90X. perhaps I will get into that or something real soon. I am not overweight, just sitting at a desk all day, and more sedintary at home lately , this would inevitably catch up to me.

Time to turn it around!

 

Thanks again all!

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Trying to navigate almost any fast food place for the healthiest options is about the least satisfying way you can eat better. Mostly because it's not real food to begin with, so the only way they can mitigate the crap is to serve puny portions or use artificial sweeteners and such. That's because the entire product is based on taking the cheapest and lowest quality food they can find and make it as tasty as they can. Once you take away insane amounts of salt, sugar, low quality fat, you've really taken away their most effective tools.

 

So, rather than try to make due by getting the "healthiest" version of the non-food they're selling you, just change your routine entirely. Make a burger at home and put some fresh lettuce, onion, and tomato on it. Hell, put mayo and mustard on it as well. Once you're making "real" food, you don't need to worry about taking away everything that makes it tasty. Go to Trader Joes and buy some trail mix and snack on that. Eat some vegetables. Pack your lunch to work. It's easier than it sounds. Make a big batch of soup on Sunday night and bring that to work a few days a week for lunch.

 

Buy some high quality luncheon meat and make yourself sandwiches for the other days. Make peanut butter/celery sticks and pack those as well. Just like when you were a kid. It's really not that hard and far tastier than fast food becomes once you take away all their handy tricks.

 

Take ten minutes in the morning to scramble a few eggs and toast up some bread. Rotate that with fruit and protein smoothies and oatmeal with dried fruit. Seriously, we're talking 10-15 minutes to prepare and eat the food. A decent breakfast, especially one with some protein, goes a long way to avoiding the blood sugar cycle that leads to chasing empty calories through the day.

 

There's a middle ground between relying on fast food as much as so many do and going overboard like my wife and I do by growing our own veggies and raising chickens for eggs. For us, both preparing and eating well is an intrinsic part of our lives, but you don't have to go as far as we do and still do fine. You can absolutely pull off a decent alternative to your fast food routine without a ton of effort.

 

You'll eat healthy and satisfying food, and you'll probably save some money as well.

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Joes, sounds like it's already catching up with you. Minimize the fast food and get into an exercise routine or get a hobby that gets you moving and the blood flowing. det gave you some great advice. Spend some time in the weight challenge forum. Trust me, you don't need to be someone who needs to loose weight for the forum to add a few years.

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  • 1 month later...

Agreed. After looking at the McDonalds website, I think I will boycott a lot of these fast food places. I looked at a quarter pounder for instance, which is something I eat maybe once every two to three weeks. 50% of your US RDA. :sick:

 

I know I am just finding this out now, and I never researched, and you guys are saying "um, yeah McDonalds is bad" :doh: But I never knew how bad. Since my blood pressure was check last week, I am on hightened awareness now.

 

Thanks for hearing me out.

 

 

At one time a couple years ago....i went on CRAAAAZY clean diet....didnt even THINK about eating fast food or anything "junk" for that matter for the first 6months. Didn't even drink beer for that time, lol. Lost 70lbs in 6-7 months. Since then, I got a lil lax, and a lil more, and kinda let it go to the point I am getting closer to where I came from and farther from where I was. I still don't eat a lot of fast food, but once in a while. Definitely bout to snap back into action and work on goin back the right way, LOL.....point is...1a. Cut out sugary drinks, any of em...worthless. 1b. Cut out fast food, very few items REALLY are "ok". From there be as clean as you can handle and watch your sodium, especially where you can help it, ie a salt shaker. I have a buddy who salts the CRAP out of stuff. We get a group bowl of chips at a restaurant, and he takes it upon himself to dump half the shaker on em before askin...drives me nuts.

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On a side note. I had a friend in high school that worked at McDonalds (or another place, can't remember, not important). When we would go to that place he always ordered his fries with no salt. He said that forced them to make fresh fries whenever he wanted them. He than added salt. Point being, you can ask for no salt added.

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I haven't been to McDonalds in years but whenever I had been there and had their fries I often start sweating because there was so much salt on them. One time I started hallucinating because it was like eating salt with a little potato in it. I can't see how they can claim it's only 12 or even 18%. It must be before they add any salt, which they inevitably add 1000% of the daily recommended dose. No scientific knowledge in my thoughts on this - just my own terrible experiences with that horrible "restaurant".

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Joes, sounds like it's already catching up with you. Minimize the fast food and get into an exercise routine or get a hobby that gets you moving and the blood flowing. det gave you some great advice. Spend some time in the weight challenge forum. Trust me, you don't need to be someone who needs to loose weight for the forum to add a few years.

 

 

So I havent been at ANY fast food places since I posted!!! Granted, I hit the local pizza joint for a plain slice one and a while, but thats it. Now I drink lots of water everyday, and try to do a brisk walks 2-3 times a week. I started running (although that is not a routine yet). I just feel good mentally that fast food is out of my life.

 

I am not overweight or in any fear of crossing that line. I am probably underweight by a couple pounds, but that makes no difference. I had to make serious changes in diet.

 

Thank you all for the advice, and yes, I have purused the weight challenge forum, but thats it for nowt, just browsing...LOL. Some of the advice and routines are pretty intense, but I do hope to start something from that forum soon, but for now I need to run frequently, and keep eating better. I havent changed physically, but my BP is down. So, if I send pocs, maybe you guys can tell me if I am hawt or nawt...LOL

 

Seriosuly, the mental state has changed so much for the better. I encourage anyone to get up and just walk...casual, then a fast pace. It is amazing just getting from the PC or TV what it will do for you.

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