Don't doubt the massive power that McDonald's holds over kids
When you think about the most famous brands in the entire world that are almost universally recognized by virtually everyone who sees them, one particular brand rises to the very top--MCDONALD'S! There's no denying the saturation of the Golden Arches in the marketplace today, but there's scientific evidence now that shows this influence goes much deeper than mere recognition especially among children.
In Episode 119 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore", I highlight a study published in August 2007 that found children preferred food that was wrapped in paper with the McDonald's logo on it compared to the exact same food appearing in plain paper wrapping. It's an absolutely astonishing discovery and further solidifies the argument that many are making that McDonald's has a responsibility to encourage healthier food options for its young customer base.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 119:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 119 [13:29m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
McDonald's is a modern-day cultural phenomenon. No other business can claim such a strong foothold on the children of this world (except for maybe Disney, but that's debatable!). And with that great power there should be a responsibility to do something effective with it while still maintaining a profitable business model. The two are not mutually exclusive and offering healthy alternatives at the most famous fast food restaurant in the world is not an unreasonable request. And don't tell me they already do offer "healthy" choices because sugary salads and HFCS-infested caramel apple dippers don't count!
What do you make of this study revealing the marketing prowess of a company like McDonald's? Do you think they should use their popularity among the kids to begin educating and offering better food choices? Or it is perfectly fine for them to continue peddling burgers, French fries and milkshakes to serve the needs of their "growing" customer base? Talk about it in the show notes section of Episode 119 and let us know what YOU think!
Is there someone within the realm of diet, health and nutrition that you'd like to see me interview for "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore?" I'm always open to suggestions for future interviewees, so don't hesitate to let me know if I've overlooked someone important you'd like to hear more about. Please e-mail me with your recommendation at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and I'll do my best to set it up. THANKS for listening to the Internet's #1 low-carb podcast show!
Dr. Thomas Robinson says the cultural influence of McDonald's unmatched
If anyone ever doubted the enormous impact of the marketing blitz undertaken by the world's most famous fast food restaurant on the most vulnerable members of our society--CHILDREN--then I would simply refer you to a brand new study that should scare the living daylights out of anyone who cares about the subject of health. This is just plain frightening if you ask me.
Lead researcher Dr. Thomas N. Robinson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and his fellow researchers wanted to examine the "effects of cumulative, real-world marketing and brand exposures" on toddlers to see what effect, if any, consumer branding would have on their food preferences.
A total of 63 children between the ages of 3 and 5 from low-income families from the from government assistance Head Start program in San Mateo County, CA were give five pairs of identical foods and beverages--hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, milk or juice, and carrots--that were packaged in wrappers stating they were from McDonald's and another in plain packaging. Each of the study participants were asked to tell the researchers if the foods tasted the same or if they had a preference for one over the other.
The stunning results? The children almost universally preferred the food and said it tasted better when it was wrapped in McDonald's packaging than the plain packaging. Remember, IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME FOOD!
We've seen what they think is "healthy" in recent marketing efforts and it's a far cry from what it could be. While the new R Gym concept at McDonald's to encourage exercise is a pretty good start, there seriously needs to be a better effort on their part to get the menu choices even healthier for those precious little ones who are the future.
It's amazing how you just call something McBLANK and the kids go hog wild for it like it's the best thing they've ever tasted. That's powerful and absolutely blows my mind. Years upon years of indoctrination through unrelenting marketing by McDonald's has given them such a branding foothold on the competition. Nobody else in the restaurant industry even comes close.
Find out more about the results of this fascinating study and what it means to those of us who are advocates for healthy living by clicking here.
Have movie tie-ins like Shrek and McDonald's taken marketing too far?
When is the craziness gonna end with these cross-promotions between blockbuster films aimed at children and fast food restaurants? We wonder why childhood obesity isn't getting any better and yet we continue to see such blatant abuse of the love and trust kids have in these characters they see on the silver screen.
McDonald's is notorious for feigning to be a supporter of health with gimmicks like their new R Gym and donating money to combat childhood obesity while still serving such high-carb garbage "food" products as French Fries, apple pies, and milkshakes. Now they've done it again with the release this week of what is sure to be the biggest animated film of all-time--Shrek The Third.
You'll recall my blog post about how ironic it is that Shrek was being used to promote exercise by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services while simultaneously pushing junk foods like Skittles, M&M's, Fruit Loops, and other sugary, carb-loaded products. Now the big green lovable ogre is pushing something strange again--"healthy" meals for kids at McDonald's?
This PR Week column says McDonald's has teamed up with Dreamworks on this massive Shrek campaign to try to encourage children to eat better. Ooooookay, so an ogre who eats anything and everything in sight wants kids to do as he says not as he does. I see.
The new Shrek Happy Meal gives the following "healthy" food choices for children--Chicken McNuggets (breaded and packed with carbohydrates), Apple Dippers with Caramel Dipping Sauce (as if the sugar from the apples wasn't bad enough, you have to give them a high-fructose corn syrup dip, too--oh yeah, it's LOW-FAT!), low-fat milk (um, that's not exactly healthy for you, I hate to break it to the head honchos at Mickey D's!) and a Shrek toy (well, at least SOMETHING is carb-free).
Isn't this just disgusting! The worst part of all is McDonald's can thump its chest at how responsible they are to offer such "healthy" options for their customers when they are doing no such thing. Of course, they're playing it up by claiming their Shrek marketing strategy is the "single biggest global promotion" of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk in the company's history.
You've GOT to be kidding me!
Well, goodie goodie for you, McDonald's! But don't give me the fruit and vegetable copout answer! You have YET to cater to the low-carber on your menu while you have bent over backwards sucking up to the nutritional advice of people like one of your health advisory board consultants, Dr. Dean Ornish. Even HE told me in my interview with him last year that you should be doing more.
Why is that, McDonald's? What's wrong with putting even a few token "low-carb" items on your menu so that we can find something healthy for us to eat when we are on the road, hmmm? Grilled chicken nuggets, blueberries and cream, sugar-free low-carb cookies, ANYTHING! Do you even care about having us as customers?
But all this talk of being about a "healthy" diet at McDonald's has led the British CEO to protest that they need to stop the masquerade and get back to selling bigger burgers instead. Ahhh, nothing like a little truth for a change!
Nevertheless, marketing promotions like the one with Shrek remain to give kids "choices." Sigh. While Shrek may be telling kids to "Go For Green," I have a feeling they'll keep on going for carbs instead (just look at the statistics from a recent American Diabetes Association report about what constitutes vegetable consumption by kids these days--it's a SHOCKER!).
This isn't just an American problem either as McDonald's has taken their Shrek campaign to over 100 nations worldwide. So, by all means go watch Shrek, Donkey, The Gingerbread Man, Puss In Boots, and Fiona in their magical tale this weekend. But tell your kids about what healthy eating is REALLY about by celebrating with a meal fit for a low-carb king.
Today I'd like to highlight ten recent news stories I have come across lately that I just haven't had time to blog about. Machine-gun blogging, so to speak! :)
First, I found one of the most incredibly interesting articles about the vegetarian vs. meat debate that I've read in a very long time in this London Daily Mail column. It was written by a man named Alex James who decided after 17 years that it was time to give up his vegetarian lifestyle and to come join the happy world of us carnivores. Welcome home, Alex! While he still uses phrases like "carcass" to describe meat (a common tactic by vegetarians to make meat sound more disgusting somehow), he has certainly made a 180-degree turn for the better.
Second, Kirsten Hawkins provides what I thought was a reasonable column combining the best of the low-fat diets with the best of the low-carb ones. It reminded me of this blog post I wrote following my interview with low-fat diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish in October 2005. She makes some good points worth pondering for both sides of the low-fat vs. low-carb debate.
Third, you have GOT to read this AOL Money interview with Jim Skinner. He is the CEO of the world's largest fast food restaurant chain and has been credited with their financial turnaround in recent years. You will flip out when you read what he had to say about the company's position on a healthy diet. Here's just a snippet:
"I put an emphasis on what we call balanced, active lifestyles. When you look at the kinds of choices we've provided, we've done more work here than probably any other restaurant company in trying to be part of the solution to...the world's obesity problem...We love the passion of people who want us to serve food that we feel has those characteristics that everybody wants when they're eating. But most of the time what they say is not factual relative to the quality of our food, the very high standards we have around our food safety - yet since we're the lead dog, we're the ones that people point to. I just don't think it's fair."
Awww, WAH WAH WAH! NO FAIR to blame us for obesity! Frankly, Mr. Skinner, while I am not in favor of the lawsuits against your company, I do think your company could be doing a whole lot more to improve the options at your restaurants. To say you've done more to address obesity is absurd despite your latest public realtions stunt. Also, you might want to share that vision with your British CEO!
Fourth, more ignorance about what the Atkins diet really is continues in this Bland County (VA) Messenger story. Another brilliant dietitian seems to think that eating the popular low-carb Atkins diet means you "cut out entire food groups" and that "there isn't enough information and research out there to determine the diet's long-term effects." Yadda yadda yadda! These people keep repeating the same old arguments over and over again, but they're just not sticking anymore since the truth is getting out there about livin' la vida low-carb.
Fifth, how about this Scoop story about the "safest way to avoid death?" Have you seen this amazing study that shines the light on the number of deaths that have happened as a result of taking dangerous prescription medications as compared with taking healthy vitamins and minerals? Does it surprise you that there have been ZERO deaths from taking natural remedies? How many deaths have happened from prescribed drugs, hmmm? That's why it's scary to think there are people who want to outlaw vitamins in America. EEEEK!
Sixth, a creepy new Big Brother-type action against obesity is happening in the UK according to this Times Online story. Believe it or not, "hit squads" of nutritionists would be sent into the houses of obese families to give dietary advice and help wean families off junk food. Oh my gosh, God help us if this were to ever happen in the United States of America! Yes, Dr. Ornish, I will eat that low-fat tofu and rice for supper. DOUBLE EEEK!
Seventh, the Auburn Journal discusses that fact that one-third of Americans, or 71 million people, are currently on a diet--the highest number since 1992. They report that calorie-counting and lower-fat will be en vogue in 2007 and that restaurants will follow suit to accommodate this need. How many years have we heard this crap spouted off and it's still not making a dent in the obesity epidemic? Just eat low-carb already people!
Eighth, why is it that people try to be cute by making fun of the low-carb lifestyle? It's like Christianity--it's okay to slam away at it with everything in the world, but don't you dare talk about Muslims or any other religion. The same goes with Atkins and low-carb. This (MS) Sun-Herald column proves that yet again in an op-ed written by a chef named Robert St. John who obsesses over a Pop Tart while on a make-shift diet of his own. Here's how he describes livin' la vida low-carb:
"I once tried Dr. Atkins' torturous method of carbohydrate deprivation, and three weeks into the diet wrote this paragraph in my journal: 'Everyday I get an afternoon craving for a Milky Way bar. 'Just eat some pork rinds or beef jerky,' they say. I tried that. Pork rinds are smelly and greasy, and it takes approximately 37 hours to chew one single piece of beef jerky. Note to future Atkins dieters: 50 pounds of dried beef or fried pig skins can't come close to one tiny bite of a chocolaty, silky, heavenly, wonderfully delicious Milky Way bar - Pure joy in a brown wrapper."
What a freakin' idiot! He's merely perpetuating the myths about low-carb even further with his ignorant and ridiculous hyperbole. Here's some advice to all you Atkins haters out there--stop trying to be cute, just read the book already!
Ninth, we FINALLY have a positive story about low-carb in this Times Online article featuring two women who have been obese their entire lives and sought to discover the very best way possible for them to lose the weight. While they discuss the importance of looking at the emotional aspect of why you got fat to begin with, check out the actual nutritional approach they recommend in their diet plan.
"So I studied the diet books, worked out the most do-able way of eating — the high protein, low-carb method — and fiddled and tweaked until it became, well, palatable."
Well SHAZAM! Of all the diet books out there, including all those so-called healthy low-fat, low-calorie, portion control plans, the ONE way of eating that they found the "most do-able" was livin' la vida low-carb! It's about time they figured it out!
Tenth and finally, this Globe & Mail story gleefully gloats that fewer than one percent of Canadians are on a self-prescribed low-carb diet. Hmmm, that's interesting to note. I wonder if you re-phrased the question to say "Are you eating less sugar, white flour, starchy veggies, and processed foods" if there would be a different result? Me thinks there would be. It's unfortunate that the term "low-carb" has been hijacked as a negative thing in the media and by health experts, but it's truly the healthiest way to eat.
That should be plenty for you to chew on for today. Like I said, I've been behind on a lot of blogging lately during this busy month of January. I'm not complaining, just sharing with you that there's a bottomless supply of information I'm always trying to provide to you day in and day out. THANKS so much for reading and feel free to comment on any or all of these ten topics. SEE YA!
One of the pitfalls of blogging that I've noticed since I started doing this nearly two years ago is the fact that there are brand new readers who find out about you for the very first time each and every day. Quite literally, tens of thousands of new readers stumble upon and read the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog each month and I am extremely grateful for that.
But what inevitably happens is someone will read a single column that I have written without knowing who this Jimmy Moore fella is and the context of the more than 1,400 blog posts I have written since April 2005. Many of these critics wonder how I came up with my opinions and sometimes misunderstand what I have written. It happens ALL THE TIME and I've really come to expect it.
Generally I kindly reply back to the person who e-mailed me providing links to other blog posts I have previously written as well as clearly explaining where I am coming from. Do I HAVE to do this? Of course not. Yet in the context of sharing ideas and attempting to educate people on my perspective, I cheerfully do it.
Today I received another one of these kind of e-mails from a man who is obviously a brand new reader since he said he "spotted" my blog post from Thursday about a McDonald's restaurant closing down because of competition from the neighborhood farmers' market. To answer this critic and help educate the public, I will individually respond to each of his criticisms about my column much in the same way I would in a typical e-mail reply.
"I don't know you but I am having difficulty understanding why you seem to have so much hostility toward McDonald's."
Hello and THANK YOU for sharing your feedback with me. I enjoy reading comments from people who come across my blog for the very first time. Welcome to the debate of ideas about diet, health, nutrition, weight loss, and, of course, low-carb. Please feel free to navigate around my blog and read the more than 1,400 blog posts that have come before the one you cited.
Regarding your assertion that I have "hostility toward McDonald's," nothing could be further from the truth. My regular readers will tell you that I am all for letting a business do what it has to do to turn a profit. That's the American way and NOBODY should force a business to do anything that would stand in the way of their economic success.
I believe in the power of a democratic society without the use of strong-arm tactics like unnecessary government-forced rules and regulations. For example, I was opposed to the recent ban of trans fats in New York City. Does this mean I approve of the use of trans fats in the food served at places like McDonald's? Not hardly. Instead, I am a strong proponent of personal responsibility for weight and health problems rather than blaming it on a disease or making it the fault of fast food companies.
"I read that you lost a lot of weight. Congratulations on that accomplishment but the rancor in your article gives me the impression you blame McDonald's for being overweight."
THANK YOU for your compliments about my low-carb weight loss success which I chronicled in my 2005 debut book release Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. However, where was the "rancor" in my article? If you have read any of my previous blog posts then you will quickly discover that I generally write in a very direct manner fueled by the personal experiences I have encountered as part of my miraculous weight loss experience. My intense passion should not be mistaken for opposition.
I make no apologies for my writing style and can't be held responsible for your misinterpretation of what I wrote. With that said, I can without a shadow of a doubt tell you that I don't blame McDonald's for my obesity or anybody else's. Again, it goes back to my philosophy that the individual has the power to change.
When there was a move earlier this year for McDonald's and other restaurants to cut back on their portion sizes and calories in their menu items, I stood up for them against such a movement. Additionally, when they voluntarily decided to put the nutritional information on the packaging, I applauded their efforts. I'm not anti-McDonald's from a business standpoint and believe they could be a good company for people living a healthy lifestyle. All it would take is for them to provide better and healthier choices for their prospective customer base.
"The last time I visited McDonald's there were salads, fruit, low fat yogurt, grilled chicken, orange juice and milk. So, what is your real problem with the brand?"
LOL! Now that's funny! Do you think all of that makes McDonald's a "healthy" place to eat? Okay, I'll give you the plain salads and grilled chicken (although, even THAT is suspect!), but clearly the rest of their so-called "healthy" menu is loaded with too much sugar and carbohydrates to be deemed good for you.
Fruit? Oh, do you mean those little apple slices that come with a container of caramel dipping sauce just LOADED with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? Oh yeah, that's REALLY healthy! Many of the salads at McDonald's have sugar in them, too, which make them decided unhealthy for people who are livin' la vida low-carb.
Low-fat yogurt? You've got to be kidding, right? OJ? Milk? Have you looked at the carb counts in these lately? It's not a pretty picture. I provided McDonald's with a few examples of some excellent low-carb menu offerings in this recent blog post. We'll see if they take me up on my suggestions.
"I can't believe I am actually writing to you about this but in your glee over the closure, you overlook the 27 employees that are being 'displaced.' You seem elated about this and I can't understand why. I suspect these employees are 'local town folk' too as are the truck drivers, repair people and other vendors that support any restaurant."
I'm really glad you did write to me because you allow me the opportunity to address your concerns directly. Again, I wouldn't say I have "glee" over this McDonald's closing down, but rather it's not surprising considering the economic dynamics of the area.
As for the employees who worked at that store, the article I quoted very clearly said they would be offered positions at the nearby Plymouth McDonald's location if they want it. Don't be so smug and crass to think I'm "elated" over anyone losing their job. I went through that a few months back and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
But you move on with your life. You find something else to do to make a living and support your family. That's the way it works in a free society economy, especially in the high-turnover restaurant industry. Many of the people employed at the McDonald's that shut down would have moved on in the next six months or so anyway and they can do so much better for themselves than Mickey D's. This very well may give them the impetus to get out there and find an even better job with higher pay and benefits.
Yes, it's sad when a job is lost, but it's not the end of the world. Perhaps these ex-McDonald's employees could look into working at the Tavistock Farmers' Market? If they put forth enough initiative and energy into selling fresh produce and meats like they did Big Macs and French fries, then I have no doubt they will be successful. But they shouldn't expect a job to come running to them. Work is there for the taking with low unemployment rates around 4% right now.
"You could also check this out with experts but I suspect the chances of getting a food borne illness is probably greater buying food at a local farmers market from some unknown source (not all of the items are organic as many believe) than from a national chain since the chains require their suppliers to meet certain national standards for food safety."
Oh yeah, that's worked out real well, hasn't it? Try telling that to Taco Bell or Olive Garden, hmmm? There's not one shred of evidence to back your claim that food sold at a farmers' market will make you sick. Now who's showing "hostility" and "rancor?" Are you sure you're not on the board of directors for McDonald's? Hey, I gotta ask!
"I do not expect you to reply but I hope I have given you some points to consider. Happy New Year!"
Well, that's where you are wrong, my friend. You not only got a reply from me, but I even devoted an entire blog post to your e-mail. Don't you feel so special? :)
I appreciate the feedback and the attempt to share your thoughts and opinions with me about this subject. Hopefully this blog post can serve as a springboard for looking closer at the issues both you and I have raised. This is the kind of synergy that is needed to help further the education of the public. THANK YOU for sharing and feel free to write to me again anytime.
This BBC News story is a gentle reminder that the whole world hasn't gone completely off the deep end nutritionally just yet.
When the world's most recognized restaurant chain decided to infiltrate the community of Tavistock, Devon in the UK back in 1999, they had high hopes that it would produce high profits as people became addicted to the decidedly unhealthy menu offerings. McDonald's thought it was going to be able to add another achievement to its neverending quest for worldwide domination.
But they didn't expect this at all.
In less than seven years, this once-promising bastion of junk food glory has been a total bust for Mickey D's. Why? Well, it seems the local town folk like the food they can get from their friendly neighborhood farmers' market a whole lot better than the garbage they serve at McDonald's.
In fact, that local business--Tavistock Farmers' Market--was recently named South-West "Britain's Favorite Farmers' Market Award" by Country Life magazine in October 2006. This quaint little marketplace held on the second and fourth Saturdays each month in front of Town Hall features 22 stallholders offering such exquisite foods like buffalo meat, salmon pâté, ostrich meat, emu eggs, fresh-grown produce and so much more.
To add to the ambience of the Tavistock Farmers' Market experience, there is a jazz band, harpist and silver band that keeps the patrons entertained while they fill their baskets full of delicious and nutritious foods. Country Life describes it as "a shop window for the high-quality ingredients available in the South-West and has established itself as a fortnightly social occasion that brings the whole community together."
Hurray for Tavistock Farmers' Market! What an amazing business success story! Needless to say, sales are BOOMING while the local McDonald's has seen stale and stagnant customer counts and increases in their bottom line at best. Why should they expect anything different when the competition is demolishing the best-known fast food chain in the world?! You know that's gotta be embarassing!
Not surprisingly, McDonald's is blaming the changing demographics for their failure in this community.
"With 1,250 restaurants across the UK, it's essential that we continue to have the right restaurants in the right places," a McDonald's lackey exclaimed. "Since the restaurant opened in 1999, the trading patterns of Tavistock high street have changed and as a result we have taken the difficult decision to cease trading at this site."
Oh, that's just too funny. Here's the translation: We're getting our butts whipped by a company that offers its customers real, high-quality food in an engaging and fun environment so it's time for us to cut our losses and get the heck out of here before anyone notices just how badly we were beaten at our own game.
You won't see me crying a single tear over this. While I strongly believe McDonald's has the right to do business wherever it wants, this story should be a solid lesson in what happens when you allow the economic market forces to work. The people of this community rejected the idea that they HAD to eat at McDonald's and simply chose to eat healthier by shopping the farmers' market insteady. GOOD FOR THEM!
So, how do we make this happen in small town America? Perhaps some of the farmers' markets across the United States could learn a lesson or two from the Tavistock Farmers' Market model in the UK. I'm sure they'd be happy to share their "secrets" with anyone who sent them an e-mail at info@tavistockfarmersmarket.com.
Tavistock spokesman John Taylor responded to the news that McDonald's was leaving town by saying this doesn't surprise him in the least.
"It just goes to show that the food is so good here we have seen them off. Because of the quality of our local food, McDonald's has not been able to compete," he concluded. "I think there is definitely a link. We have made every effort to make Tavistock a haven for local food and McDonald's wasn't local food, so they suffered."
In this round of healthy vs. fast food, it's HEALTHY 1, FAST FOOD 0.
R U ready for McDonald's and their new "R Gym" exercise rooms?
Guess who's back in the news again as a heralded champion in the fight against childhood obesity? Yep, it's that bastion of nutritional and fitness goodness named McDonald's. They offer kids and parents the very best food money can buy for a healthy lifestyle like Big Macs, French fries, Coca-Cola, chocolate milkshakes, Chicken McNuggets, and so much more. I can't believe we have such an out-of-control obesity epidemic in this country with such a strong example coming from the Golden Arches!
YOU KNOW I'M KIDDING, RIGHT?!
But that's the EXACTLY the kind of image the corporate executives in the upper echelons of the McDonald's empire want people to have in their minds when they think about the world's #1 fast food restaurant chain. They have been working very diligently over the past year or so to shape and mold themselves as a company that truly cares about the overall health and well-being of its customer base.
You know, that's kinda like a drug dealer putting a filter on that marijuana cigarette he sells you to make it "better" for you. It's superficial change at best that still results in damage to your health. Nevertheless, McDonald's has certainly been trying to fool...er, I mean, convince the public that they have seen the error in their ways and are ready to make things right.
Here are just a few of the things they have done:
1. They encourage people this woman on a McDiet to counter the negative publicity they received from Morgan Spurlock and his "Super Size Me" movie and book. That unexpected hit film from a few years back has done more to expose Mickey D's than just about anything else in our culture. The heat was turned up on McDonald's yet again when Eric Schlosser's brand new film "Fast Food Nation" hit selected theaters in November 2006.
2. In a move that I applauded when it was first brought to light in late 2005, McDonald's is now printing the nutrition information on the packaging of the foods they sell. While critics complain that customers cannot see this information until AFTER they have purchased their meal, the fact is anyone can obtain this data anytime by visiting the McDonald's web site or referencing the big nutritional chart posted near the register inside the restaurant.
3. Many people were surprised to see in September 2006 for the first time in the history of McDonald's that they agreed to donate $2 million to childhood obesity and diabetes research. McDonald's claims they wanted to show the public that they are serious about helping to combat these issues and put their proverbial money where their mouth is.
Now we can add another element to the rebuilding of the McDonald's image with the introduction of their new "R Gym" concept. The days of kids playing around in a public pool of balls and crawling around in tubes like lab rats are numbered as a new generation of children will have a full workout activity room to climb a rock wall, ride on a stationary bike hooked up to a video game, and shoot some hoops--all while dining at McDonald's!
Click here to take a video tour of the "R Gym" in Santa Ana, CA.
McDonald's is dead serious about this and has already added an "R Gym" to selected units in California, Oklahoma, Colorado and Illinois. They hope to open many more in other states in the coming year based on the positive feedback they have been receiving from customers about the improved exercise facilities for kids.
Bill Whitman, a McDonald's spokesman quoted in the FOXNews.com article, said the company has every intention of expanding the "R Gym" concept as long as there is a "benefit in it."
"We have for many years supported programs that promote physical activity, and we will continue to do that," he said.
While it is admirable that a company like McDonald's supports exercise as part of their business model, Mr. Whitman, there's only one problem with your company's position. You assume that weight gain is ONLY prevented through the implementation of physical activity and has nothing at all to do with a child's diet. Am I the only one who notices this glaring factual omission?
If McDonald's wants to get people like Julia Havey to stop wanting them to be sued, then perhaps they should rethink some of those menu items they believe are good for kids and adults to eat. Yet, not even the British McDonald's CEO thinks the company should be serving salads, but instead needs to focus more on selling bigger and bigger burger meal deals! What about all this supposed care and concern about obesity, McDonald's? Are all these PR stunts just for show?
Having a fun and exciting place like the "R Gym" for kids to look forward to when they visit McDonald's is a great way to market your product. But studies have shown that fried junk food consumption like French fries among children has doubled and the products served at places like McDonald's have been found to make people one-third fatter than if they didn't eat them.
With this knowledge, how about offering some menu items that children and adults can not only enjoy eating, but are also good for them as well, McDonald's? Company spokeswoman Jennifer Smith believes they already do with such menu items as low-fat milk and yogurt, for example.
"The R-Gym is just another example of McDonald's dedication to helping customers live balanced, active lifestyles," she said.
These people just don't get it, do they? We don't need to remove the fat out of everything McDonald's sells to make the food healthy. How about offering some low-carb and/or sugar-free options as well to reach a broader base of health-conscious consumers? Why does McDonald's refuse to cater to this segment of their customer base?
Here are just a very few suggestions off the top of my head:
1. Grilled chicken strips with green beans and a side salad 2. Hamburger steak and onions with cauliflower and a side salad 3. Breakfast bowl with eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheese 4. Sugar-free ice cream or cheesecake with berries 5. Ham or turkey w/cheese in low-carb wraps
These are a few very simple additions to the food selection at McDonald's that would attract people like me and others who support livin' la vida low-carb and healthy living. Why must we be subjected to the Dr. Dean Ornish-approved low-fat specialty salads that contain gobs of sugar or apple dippers that feature high-fructose corn syrup in the caramel dipping sauce as the "healthy" options at McDonald's? Fixing these major menu problems would go a lot further in showing the public that you mean business when it comes to tackling childhood obesity.
Upon hearing about this new concept at McDonald's, the "R Gym" may sound like a good idea because it encourages kids of all ages--with sections for toddlers, elementary school aged, and pre-teens--to move their bodies and shake off those calories they just consumed. But how many parents are actually going to just sit around inside of McDonald's for hours on end while their kids use the "R Gym?" Not many, which doesn't give kids much time to use these facilities in a meaningful way to burn very many calories.
I can see the following scenario playing out now:
Johnny finishes his meal and goes to play in the "R Gym."
Five minutes later...
MOM: "Johnny, drop the basketball it's time to go."
JOHNNY: "Aw, mom, can't I keep playing, this is so much fun."
MOM: "Did you eat all of your 9-piece Chicken McNuggets and fries?"
JOHNNY: "Yes, ma'am, and I even drank every drop of my large Coke, too!"
MOM: "That's good, but we need to go now. We'll be back again soon."
JOHNNY: "Oh, alright. Can I get the Big Mac meal next time?"
MOM: "Of course, honey, cause you'll play it off in the 'R Gym!'"
JOHNNY: "Yeeaaaah! I just LOVE McDonald's!"
You may be laughing at my fictitious interaction between a mother and her child, but somebody tell me that's not EXACTLY what is going to play out in the real world concerning these "R Gym" facilities. Even worse is the fact that kids will start whining and complaining to their parents about going to McDonald's to "play," so moms and dads will rationalize to themselves that eating there is healthy so their kids can get some exercise. Can you see how twisted this marketing ploy by McDonald's has become?
And then riddle me this, Batman: McDonald's is not in the business of offering a place for kids to just come hang out and play, are they? No, they're not. Instead, their goal is to make money off of selling millions upon millions of high-carb, high-sugar, junk foods that are quite literally destroying the health of kids long before they become adults and then keeping them that way once they reach adulthood.
Fast food addiction is very hard to break (I know because I used to visit McDonald's and other fast food restaurants more than five times a week!). But it is possible to lose your desire for those disgusting carb-loaded foods if you simply refuse to settle for putting junk in your body ever again. Believe me when I say it is so much more pleasurable to eat healthy than it is to eat fast food. Give it up for 30 days and start eating real food for once and you'll see what I mean.
As healthy as McDonald's is trying to make their restaurants appear to the consumer, the fact is they still peddle garbage food. Nobody will ever argue this point because it is a universal truth that everyone already agrees with. In other words, just because McDonald's has come up with the "R Gym," that is no reason to start bowing down to them as a great example of how to combat the growing obesity problem. They still have a LONG way to go.
Case in point is found in this Orange County Register column about the opening of one of these "R Gym" facilities at a local McDonald's there. In the middle of that page, you will see an "If you go" feature box that states the following:
"The McDonald's at 1526 W. Edinger Ave. in Santa Ana is celebrating the debut of the R Gym, as well as the restaurant's remodel, at 11 a.m. today. Ronald McDonald will be giving out free cookies and balloons."
Ronald is giving out sugar-infested cookies, oh joy! That's REALLY healthy, isn't it? It's the irony of all ironies--opening a kids mini-gym and celebrating that by giving out free cookies. UGH! And we wonder why childhood obesity lingers!
Culture-altering shockwaves set to land in movie theaters on November 17
In 2003, the cinematic world was shocked into reality with the highly-acclaimed release of independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's eye-opening documentary Super Size Me. The ripple effects from that film are still being felt to this day as McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are making certain changes to address the problems that were exposed in Spurlock's masterpiece.
Well, it's about to happen again in late 2006. Based on the 2001 New York Times bestselling book by Eric Schlosser entitled Fast Food Nation comes a movie that is much more than a documentary. Instead of taking the same tactic that Spurlock used for his film, Schlosser brought on director Richard Linklater to creative a compelling narrative based on the book. The end result will be coming to the silver screen on November 17, 2006.
It's FAST FOOD NATION--THE MOVIE!
Have you seen the trailer for this movie yet? Check it out:
Unlike Spurlock's movie, this one has some familiar faces that moviegoers will recognize, including Patricia Arquette, Bobby Cannavale, Luis Guzman, Ethan Hawke, Ashley Johnson, Greg Kinnear, Kris Kristofferson, Avril Lavigne (her Hollywood acting debut), Esai Morales, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lou Taylor Pucci, Ana Claudia Talancon and Wilmer Valderrama.
The star-power of this remarkable cast helps weave the tale of a marketing executive named Don Henderson, played by Greg Kinnear, who works for a fast food restaurant called Mickey's (hmmm, I wonder who this could be?!) and is charged with helping promote the bestselling burger for the chain called "The Big One." Unfortunately for Mickey's, the corporate executive learn that the frozen hamburger meat has been contaminated with cow manure.
So Henderson is sent back through the process of making that burger to find out the source of the problem. He visits the slaughterhouses run by immigrants, the meatpacking company that creates these burgers, the strip malls where the Mickey's fast food restaurants are located to observe why millions of unsuspecting people are lured into the business with such a lack of knowledge about what they are consuming.
We also get to meet a teenager named Amber who works at Mickey's while in school as well as a slew of illegal immigrants coming across the border straight from Mexico to the meatworks assembly lines. Make no mistake about it: THIS FILM IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! If you don't want to know the truth behind what goes into that burger and fries you eat at your favorite fast food restaurant, then DON'T go see FAST FOOD NATION. But Schlosser and Linklater are betting many people will.
Behind the scenes, we learn why this film was made into a narrative story:
Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America, the nearly two-hour FAST FOOD NATION movie is going to rock the boat not only of the fast food industry, but of the ethical compass of corporate America itself. This movie will get you to thinking about other businesses that may be taking advantage of our nation's collection ignorance to make insane profits at the expense of the health of our society.
Wanna know why FAST FOOD NATION was made into a movie? Watch this:
Already honored with an official selection by the Cannes Film Festival 2006, FAST FOOD NATION could very well put another large dent in the profits of companies like McDonald's who continue to reap the profits of destroying the health of people who have not adequately educated themselves about the harm they are doing to their bodies eating Big Macs, French fries, and milkshakes. This goes much, much deeper than obesity, too, and FAST FOOD NATION is a must-see for anyone who truly cares about the health of themselves and their fellow citizens. GO SEE IT!
Easterbrook says "healthier" options at McDonald's hurting business
One of the most recognized name brands is the #1 fast food company in the world: McDonald's. It's hard to imagine anyone on this planet who has never heard of the famous golden arches, Ronald McDonald, or what they have become most well-known for--Quarter Pounders, Big Macs, French fries and milkshakes.
And last week the company announced business was extremely good over the summer with third quarter sales growth of 5.8 percent throughout the chain worldwide which caused sales of McDonald's stock to hit their highest point since 2000 on Wall Street.
Corporate executives quickly rolled out their PR swagger on this positive financial news for their company by stating the upcoming release of nutritional info on their packaging as well their healthier menu items (which Dr. Dean Ornish helped encourage McDonald's to add to their menu) such as carrot sticks, apple dippers with caramel sauce, all-white meat chicken nuggets, fruit bags, deli sandwiches and walnut salads were the reason for the resurgence in sales as well as the outstanding performance of the UK chain of McDonald's restaurants. Makes you wanna go on a McDiet, doesn't it?
But somebody forgot to send the memo to the CEO of the 1,125 McDonalds restaurants in Great Britain, Steve Easterbrook. Despite the improved sales numbers and the public perception that McDonald's really does care about offering better food choices for their customers, Easterbrook said all the focus on these "healthy" menu items that have been added in recent years such as salads are actually bad for business.
"In the past we have seemed somewhat apologetic about who and what we are, but you have to believe in the brand," Easterbrook remarked. "Our menu has evolved, and we now have a much broader range of salads and sandwiches. But we were alienating customers by pushing our salads."
Easterbrook notes that 25 McDonald's units in Great Britain were forced to shut their doors due to poor performance which he blames in part on the artificial image that the food served at McDonald's is healthy.
Well, well, well, a little honesty from a top executive within the McDonald's empire certainly sheds some light on an issue that I have long had my concerns about. While it is understandable why McDonald's would so heavily promote their healthier menu options (although even that point is debatable considering all the sugar in these items) because of the negative publicity they have received in recent years regarding their role in the obesity epidemic, here we have the British CEO basically admitting the changes made to the menu are nothing more than window dressing.
But nothing has REALLY changed now, has it McDonald's?
The reality is that these "healthy" options at McDonald's are merely a fraction of their total sales figures. To illustrate this point, one internal report by the company found that for every salad sold at McDonald's, an incredible EIGHT double cheeseburgers are sold. Of course, putting the double cheeseburger on the "99 cent value menu" certainly doesn't hurt sales.
Add to that the fact that a "super-sized" Big Mac was recently added to the menu at the McDonald's restaurants in the UK and what you see is a company that is basically thumbing its nose at those of us who support having healthier choices available to us. Portion sizes have gone down a slippery slope at McDonald's and other fast food restaurants, although I am not in favor of forcing these restaurants to cut their portions or calories if the market doesn't want that to happen.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to focus on your core bestselling products as a business model, but this shell game McDonald's is playing with the consumer using their healthier menu as a bargaining chip is not impressing me one bit. If you wanna sell burgers and make that the product you earn a buck off of, then do it. But don't act like offering salads and apple dippers with sugary caramel sauce is endearing you to the health-conscious customers because it is not. I don't agree with Julia Havey wanting to sue your butt, but I think it's time to get off the fence on this issue, McDonald's.
Believe it or not, I am forced to go to McDonald's about once a week to get my wife Christine her favorite meal--a double cheeseburger with a large order of fries. Aside from the extremely slow, nonchalant, and very poor service that I almost always receive when I visit the restaurant, the disgusting stench that comes out of that place when I pull up to the window to pay for the "food" is enough to make me sick. I mean LITERALLY sick. But, I usually hold my breath long enough to get home with the high-carb processed junk food that makes my wife happy. She's lovin' it! UGH!
When McDonald's donated $2 million to childhood obesity research last month for the first time in the history of their company, I was cynical about their motive for making the gift. With such forthright comments from Easterbrook, my skepticism about why they did it is all but confirmed.
Keep that in mind the next time you think you're eating "healthy" at McDonald's. If I can ever get my wife over her addiction to their French fries and burgers, then I'll never darken the doors of their restaurants again for as long as I live.
Julia Havey offers plenty of weight loss motivation in my interview
One of my favorite people in the whole wide world joins us today at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog for an interview. It's Julia Havey and she's a very special woman who has taken her amazing weight loss story and turned it into a career built around motivating people to make changes in their life to lose weight and overcome the problems that plague them. You WILL be motivated and inspired by Julia as she shares her thoughts on what's making us fat and unhealthy in America today.
1. Joining us today is Julia Havey, life coach and author of the book "The Vice-Busting Diet." Julia is a friend I met when I first started this blog and I was attracted by her amazing weight loss success story and what she is doing to help people now. Tell my readers a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in helping others lose weight and get healthy.
Jimmy, I lost 130 pounds and it changed my life for the better, forever. That could have been the end of it but I shared my story with Women's World magazine in 1997 and they were flooded with letters and calls asking HOW did I lose so much weight and get the fairy tale happy ending to my story (married a younger handsome doctor, won the title of Mrs. Missouri...happily ever after stuff). I tried to answer those women, and those who kept writing and calling. TV shows, the National Enquirer all seized upon my story and gave me my "15 minutes of fame," I decided that rather than talk about "me" that it would be much more rewarding to talk about the woman out there who was struggling with her weight, her unhappiness and to try to help her get motivated to change and improve her circumstances.
I never in a million years dreamed that I would have 2 acclaimed books (Awaken The Diet Within, Warner Books #2 Amazon.com health ranking and The Vice-Busting Diet, St. Martin's Press--Oprah's Dr. David L. Katz and Dr. Mehmet Oz endorsed!) but it is the most rewarding life that I can imagine leading, yet I spend my days getting to speak to groups of people who are looking to improve their health, personally coach women to their dreams and goals, writing for a major weight loss web site as their "Master Motivator" and I sincerely feel like I have grown into who I was meant to be.
2. You describe yourself as a "master motivator" and the articles you write (which appear at LowCarbNewsline.com and at Julia's blog) bear that out. Were you always as confident as you are now or did you blossom into the fireball of energy and excitement that you are today following your amazing weight loss experience.
I am so proud of that title, but it was bestowed upon me by my editor. He will tell you, he didn't hire me for my amazingly poor grammer skills but rather my knack for motivating the reader and my personality! He saw in me what I hadn't yet seen in myself and helped me to grow into the role of Motivator that I now have. My husband also saw in me what I did not and encouraged me to use my experience with Obesity to help others to empower their lives.
So, NO, I was NOT always the confident "ball of energy and excitement" that you see me as, that confidence grows each day from the knowledge that I am right and that my message must be told as loudly, passionately and repeatedly as necessary because lives literally are at stake. Obesity killed 2.6 million people prematurely last year and it is only getting worse. My message isn't sexy, it isn't a fad but it is the truth--you can't consume soft drinks, eat fast foods and lay around watching TV and expect to be healthy. We have got to bust the 3 biggest/worst vices in our society that are the biggest contributors to the Obesity Pandemic--Coca-Cola (and Pepsi a close 2nd!), McDonald's and TV viewing for hours on end without having gotten any exercise that day.
3. There's a lot of debate over the various diets that are out there today. People are desperate to lose weight and keep it off, but very few of them are able to do it. How did you finally overcome your obesity once and for all? Describe what kinds of foods you ate and the methodology you used to shed the pounds. Do you still eat this way today?
I lost 130 pounds over a 15-month period. When people hear this, they usually say, “That’s so fast!” However, the reality is that I lost my weight at the recommended 2 pounds a week rate. Basically, I was consistent over the entire 15 months. This enabled me to lose 8 pounds a month, each and every month.
Here are the small changes I implemented: - The first small change I made was to give up eating my #1 vice: ice cream. - Then, I started drinking 64 ounces or more a day of water. - After that, I stopped eating fast food. - The next hurdle was giving up Coke. - Eventually, I added exercise.
I tackled each small change gradually until it was second nature to me. That’s when I’d add another change to my regime. If a person is consistent with their health resolutions, it is just a matter of time until all their excess weight comes off! I do continue to abstain from my biggest/worst vices and I will never consume them, not even a nibble! There will never be a picture of me in the "National Enquirer" licking on an ice cream cone!
4. Let's talk about sugar and its evil twin high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for a moment. You have been very outspoken against companies like Coca-Cola for promoting a product that is decidedly unhealthy. With people like Dr. John Foreyt from Baylor University defending Coke consumption as part of a healthy diet, what message are we sending the next generation about the impact of sugar on the body? What can we do to emphasize how harmful sugar is to people?
Dr. John Foreyt is a hired gun and most likely has trouble sleeping at night because his PAID supportive comments about HFCS make it sounds like drinking the CRAP is healthy for the human body, and thus helped Coca-Cola assist in the "beverage consumption assisted suicide" of 2.6 MILLION people! He won't return my calls or emails asking him about how he can possibly tell an Obese society that HFCS is a good thing to consume. I can't image why!
We can keep talking about the problem and keep spreading the word. It's a HUGE uphill fight because I don't have a few million dollars laying around to spend on advertising and Coke spends that much a week! Recently studies showed that advertising to children does impact their eating/drinking choices and is a contributor to childhood obesity.
Coca-Cola tries to say they are the good guys and are helping SOLVE Obesity, yet they won't take their soda out of schools EVER. They are taking COKE out, but putting "energy" drinks in (they have MORE calories and sugar) and drinks like Monster that are basically liquid speed (yeah, we need teens more strung out than they already are?!) AND they are keeping DIET versions that are filled with cancer causing embalming fluid like chemicals. I don't want my children influenced by this marketing machines tactics, but you can't go ANYWHERE without being slapped upside the head by it.
Today at the new Cardinals Stadium, HUGE Coca-Cola cafe area, signs EVERYWHERE for Coke, McDonalds, Hardees, and one little tiny Ice Mountain sign. Everyone around me had plates piled with nachos, hot dogs, beer, soda, for God's sake a 2 year old behind me had a 12 ounce bottle of COKE.
I just sat there with my bottle of water and wanted to cry. Perhaps I should have streaked onto the field, assaulted Fred Bird and poured a Coke on the Umpire......then, in the holding cell of the jail, I could have maybe, MAYBE gotten a reporter to quote me as saying Coke is unhealthy for us, but it is more likely that I would be called crazy and misinformed--just what Coca-Cola called me for suing them over their contest that encourages DRINKING enough Coke to KILL a person to win a used couch among other such wonderful prizes.
5. Refined carbohydrates are a big problem and it's getting bigger as the days go on in the United States. Fast food is another industry taking a lot of heat for obesity which recently led them to donate $2 million towards childhood obesity for the first time in their history. Are companies like McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell responsible for making people fatter? If so, then what needs to be done to hold them accountable?
Yes, they are the #2 reason that people are getting fatter. Their "food" is high in calories, high in salt and high in FAT!
I think continued litigation is the only way they will ever come around and make healthier foods. I take that back. More litigation might make them actually serve FOOD to us.
For anyone interested in learning just how disgusting McDonald's food is for human consumption, do this:
BUY a happy meal. Take it home and do NOTHING with it. Leave it untouched in the box and come back to it in ONE MONTH, then Open it and LOOK in side.
At the same time, take an orange, an apple, a banana, a grilled chicken breast, some whole grain bread and put them in a bag, do nothing with them and come back in ONE MONTH and see what happened to them.
Keep the Happy Meal for one year........two years.......open it up from time to time and see how it is aging. I can tell you this, the damn things are aging better than me, they don't change, there is not ONE change in 2 1/2 years in my happy meal! It looks like the day it was bought!
YOU want to eat that? you want your kids eating that?
It isn't food.
6. Your book "The Vice-Busting Diet" was quite entertaining and informative to read. You note in the book that we all have our vices and overcoming them is the secret to not only weight loss but many other aspects of our lives. Discuss some of the top diet vices that people struggle with and what they can do to defeat them for good.
The top diet vices in our nation are fast food, soft drinks, chocolate, pizza, cookies, candy, donuts and ice cream.
The only way to defeat them is to give up thinking you can "have the foods you LOVE in moderation", if we could handle the foods we LOVE in "moderation" we wouldn't be Obese and overweight. It's like.....duh! If we can't have just ONE, we are better off having NONE!
What is wrong with dieting is that it requires a person to totally transform how they live overnight, which is a very steep slope of change to scale in one day. The word “diet” means the food indicative to the species; it does not mean a reduced calorie, food group restrictive program. Yet we keep trying to change our ingrained habits by following a menu plan filled with foods we aren’t familiar with and perhaps don’t even like.
Most people eat both healthy and unhealthy foods within the course of their day. It’s the unhealthy foods that must be addressed. That’s what Vice Busting is all about. It’s much more effective to start out eliminating unhealthy foods from one’s diet than to start following a completely different menu overnight.
Without a doubt the #1 worst food habit or “Vice” of the average American (and humans around the world for that matter) is the consumption of soft drinks. There is a direct correlation with the introduction of high-fructose-laced beverages and increase in obesity rates. Recent studies also show that diet soft drinks do not positively affect weight loss. Water should be the beverage of choice.
The #2 Vice would be unhealthy, fatty and high calorie “fast food." I can tell you hundreds of stories of readers who simply vow to not eat anything from a restaurant that can hand them a bag of food through a window/drive up and have gone on to lose at least 50 pounds! Eating fast food is a fast way to obesity.
7. You and your husband Dr. J. Patrick Havey are involved in a business that involves a juice product that you believe needs to be consumed by anyone and everyone on a healthy lifestyle. What is this product including all the nutritional information (sugar and carbs especially!), why do we need it, and how can people get it if they are interested?
My friend, the leading breast cancer radiologist in St. Louis, a VERY respected doctor, tried to get me to listen to her about a fruit and vegetable whole food product for over a year. I turned a deaf ear because of my very negative preconcieved opinion of "multi-level" marketing "scams." She was relentless and kept telling me that for my health, I needed to take this.
Finally, I asked her point blank, "Look, you make a lot of money as a doctor, why are you peddling this junk?" Her answer is why I now take it, read all of the research about it and recommend it to everyone who will (and won't!) listen to me: "Each year, I see patients who are younger and younger coming to my office with breast cancer. I never knew that nutrition played a role in the risk of developing cancer. Knowing what I know now, I think every man, woman and child needs to eat 9-13 servings of raw, fresh fruits and vegetables a day and if they can't, won't or don't--they need to take this product!"
It is so simple really, it is just 17 vine rippened fresh fruits and vegetables and some oat and barley in capsules--very "Jetsons"-like, but very real, very affordable and very important for prevention of disease.
Is it a miracle, cure-all "drug" or solution? NO, there is NO such thing. BUT, I sincerely believe that coupled with a healthy diet, water consumption and exercise, it is the best available support tool for our health that we have.
It isn't just my "opinion", there is research and a lot of it, from some of the most respected institutions in the world. Anyone can, and should learn more about it by visiting JuliaHavey.com. I recommend taking the Garden/Orchard capsules and if you like protein shakes, the Complete is excellent. I have one every morning for my breakfast, my husband, Dr. Havey has one before he works out and our children have one most days disguised as a "milkshake."
8. As a weight loss success story yourself, you have a unique position for someone who talks about weight and health issues because you have lived it yourself. What do you think about these so-called health "experts" like Sally Squires at The Washington Post who are overweight and dishing out advice? Are they being hypocritical or what?
You know Jimmy, that's a very tough question. I think they care, I think they are trying to share what they have learned, if not what they have necessarily applied to their own lives. I bashed Dr. Phil when his first book came out and said "he is overweight, who is he to spout advice" and someone emailed me very upset and said that a great and effective counselor need not be a drunk to help a drunk get sober, or that a teacher need not be an F student to guide an F student to better understanding and learning. So, I was humbled that day and realized that ANYONE who sets out to help another person, does so with the best of intentions in their heart and in mind, so hypocritical? No, not really.
BUT, I still think that you can have a more empowering effect and successful outcome when you lead by example than if you ask for others to follow you on principle.
9. Does the government have a role to play in correcting the obesity epidemic? If so, then what should they be doing differently? If not, then how do we go about encouraging individuals to make changes in their life to improve their weight and health?
Another good question. I think that we already have too much goverment in our society and people would rebel if the government got too involved in this matter. It is more of a question of responsibility from a governmental, corporate and personal perspective.
Government should subsidize the soda earnings that schools make so they can kick Coke and Ronald McDonald out of schools. Government should put a high tax on fast food, soda, Twinkies, etc. so that those who CHOOSE to eat them will have some money set aside to care for them as their obesity related health care bills soar to unmanagable amounts. Corporations need to realize that the very shareholder to whom they have fiscal responsibility to, is also a human and that if they die due to obesity and being overweight brought on by the marketing tactics and products of such companies that it isn't right and they must change for the sake of helping better mankind and improving the lives of people rather than focusing on fattening their stock portfolios.
Advertising needs to be honest. SHOW obese people eating at McDonald's, let the TRUTH show and then people will make informed decisions rather than thinking if they "love it" they will look like Justin Timberlake or drinking Pepsi will give them Britney or Christina's abs! Personal responsibility overall, tell these products to stuff it and to stop stuffing us!!
Obvious answer......anyone wanting to lose weight needs to bust their vices, drink water and get some exercise regularly. In my opinion, there is no better way to transform from the life that they are living today that supports excess weight to one that supports health and fitness than mine, learn more about it at ViceBustingDiet.com. You have my personal guarantee that if you use my program for the full 26 weeks and don't lose at least 25 pounds, I will refund your money in full!
10. THANKS so much for joining me for an interview today, Julia! I admire what you are doing to help people and wish you continued success with all that you do. Being the great motivator that you are, would you like to share any closing thoughts or words of wisdom with my readers who are struggling with weight loss?
Thanks Jimmy! I think you are my male counterpart in the "ball of energy" weight loss and healthy living journey!
(This is fourth and final part of my interview with Dr. Dean Ornish with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in a four-part series already published this week. Part 4 has Dr. Ornish sharing what he thinks about sugar substitutes, his unique role working with companies like McDonald's, the worldwide obesity epidemic, and coming together on a consensus about good nutrition.)
JIMMY MOORE: You were talking about chocolate a moment ago, what do you think about the sugar substitutes?
DEAN ORNISH: I think they can be a transition for some people. I think that sucralose, aka Splenda, is probably better than aspartame just based on what the studies are showing. I think clearly sugar substitutes can be a better choice than eating a lot of sugar. But it's also to me a transition because they tend to perpetuate a preference for sweets. What we find is your palate is remarkably adaptive.
For example, if you switched from whole milk to skim milk, then at first it will taste watery and doesn't taste good. If you stay with it, after a while it tastes fine. But then you go out to dinner and someone gives you whole milk it tastes too rich. The cow is the same, but your palate has adapted.
If you begin to stop eating sweets, then you begin to prefer foods that aren't so sweet. However, if you use a lot of sugar substitutes your palate never really gets a chance to adapt. But in the transition I think it can be very helpful. I think it's even better if you train your palate to prefer foods that are lower in salt and sugar.
JIMMY MOORE: Let's talk about McDonald's for a second. I noticed that you're now working with them and they recently donated $2 million to childhood obesity research. Everybody seems to be pointing the fingers at fast food and soft drink companies for causing obesity in America. Talk about why you decided to join forces with them and what kind of changes you think you are going to help bring about there.
DEAN ORNISH: I've been working with McDonald's for several years. I also sit on the health & wellness advisory boards of some other major food companies like PepsiCo, I consult with Del Monte, and Safeway as well. To me, it's a great opportunity to make the difference in the lives of a lot of people.
You know, 50 million people go to McDonald's every day. And so, when I began working with them, they didn't have the premium salads, the fruit and walnut salads, the Asian salads and so on. They are now giving people the choice of apple dippers with caramel sauce made with low-fat milk as opposed to a burger, fries and a shake.
I've been working with them to make healthier food choices available so that they could truly offering their customers a full spectrum of choices. But also as a way to educate people about energy balance, the importance of exercise, and about making healthier food choices as well.
Are they moving as quickly as I would like? No, of course not. Are they moving faster than I ever dreamed possible? Yeah. So there a divergence of forces that have raised the awareness of the American public and food companies.
For example, I was able to introduce the President Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to the heads of PepsiCo which ultimately led to the agreement that they brokered to block the sale of soft drinks to elementary schools and to reduce the sweetened beverage consumption in middle and upper schools as well.
It's a tremendous platform to make a difference in the lives of tens of millions of people every day. I'm also hoping to change the whole mystery of how we choose foods. The old joke says, "Am I gonna live longer or it just gonna seem longer if I eat healthier?" The reality is that you can eat foods that taste good that are good for you, make you feel good and look good.
These big food companies with their celebrities and advertising and marketing have the opportunity to make it fun and sexy and hip and convenient to eat more healthfully not only in this country, but worldwide. And there's a growing epidemic of the globalization of illness which I wrote about in Newsweek earlier this year. Other countries are starting to live like us, eat like us and die like us and it's completely preventable for most people.
JIMMY MOORE: Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Why?
DEAN ORNISH: With all the attention on AIDS and tuberculosis and malaria, in most countries around the world more people are dying from chronic diseases such a heart disease and obesity and diabetes that are essentially completely preventable for the vast majority of people simply by changing diet and lifestyle.
What's ironic is people in Asia are forging their own lifestyle and copying ours and unfortunately they're copying our ways of living and copying our ways of dying. We are trying to change that through my work with McDonald's. We helped them develop an Asian salad. It's almost like the people in Asia need to see their own diet come back to them when they eat at McDonald's so they can appreciate the value of what they already have.
JIMMY MOORE: One final question for you, Dr. Ornish, and again I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with me. Two out of every three Americans right now are either overweight or obese. What can we do to turn the tide of obesity that is headed towards 100 percent by the year 2056 according to a recent study? We've got various people ascribing to a low-fat diet, cutting your calories, cutting your portions, cutting your carbs--how are we going to put all of this together to make it palatable to the public so that we can try to turn this tide before it's too late?
DEAN ORNISH: Well, I think it's a very important question you've asked and I think that education is ultimately the key. I think the web site that you have can be a powerful force for that. If you can help people get out of this adversarial mindset of low-fat versus low-carb and say, "Wait a minute, what's really going on here?" You can help people understand it's a little more complicated than that and ultimately that makes it more sustainable.
So in my own way, I'm trying to educate people in any way that I can by doing the best science that we can and PCRM and collaborating with investigators around the world on studies. Also by levering with other food companies to provide healthier products and educate the people about the benefits of eating healthier. I also educate people through my monthly columns with Newsweek and Reader's Digest as well as writing books for the general public. By educating physicians and scientists through getting more insurance coverage for the kinds of interventions we talked about. And finally by giving public lectures and media appearances, whatever I can do to try and educate people the importance of all of this.
Because ultimately awareness if the very first step in any kind of healing. And science can help us understand what the effects of our choices are in our lives for better or for worse. Then to try to implement them in ways that can not only help us to live longer, but also to help us live better as well.
So I applaud your efforts trying to educate people. I think to the degree we can look for common ground at this point is going to be everyone's advantage. Otherwise, people will just throw up their hands and say, "The damn doctors, they can't even make up their minds. To Hell with them, I'll just eat whatever I want." This is bad for me, this is good for me--people get so frustrated by this.
The irony is there's more evidence than ever what a powerful difference a change in diet and lifestyle can make. So, to the degree that we can find ways of working together rather than be adversarial towards each other--which is why I agreed to do this interview with you--I think that's gonna be very helpful.
JIMMY MOORE: Well, I certainly appreciate that you've taken time because your voice is an important one and you have been for a long time. And I wanted people to know that despite our differences that we could come together and certainly try to make sense of this whole diet and nutrition thing to help people because that if my bottom line goal as well is to help people.
DEAN ORNISH: I know that and I think that's why we're here. As insipid as that may sound, I think that's why we're here is to help each other. And so the more we can do that, I think everyone will benefit from that. I am grateful for the chance to be interviewed by you today.
JIMMY MOORE: Thank you very much for agreeing to the interview, Dr. Ornish.
Did you miss one of the previous three part of my interview with Dr. Dean Ornish? If so, then go back and read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this enlightening interview with arguably the most influential diet and health icon of our lifetime. Like him or not, he gets attention for what he believes.
McDonald's President Alvarez says they are committed to making healthy kids
You'll know we are in the last days on Earth when:
- The Chicago Cubs win the World Series - Rosie O'Donnell gets married to Tom Cruise - Hillary Clinton becomes President of the United States - McDonald's donates $2 million to obesity research
Oh, wait a minute, that last one is actually TRUE! REALLY!
This Reuters story provides all the details about how McDonald's Corp. has agreed to make the large donation to fund childhood obesity and diabetes research. I'm not kidding, they really are donating money to look into why kids are getting chubby.
Obviously feeling the public pressue regarding their high-carb, junk food offerings, McDonald's decided it was time to partner up with biomedical scientists at the California-based Scripps Institute for the first time in their company's history to look into ways to curb childhood obesity rates.
McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer Ralph Alvarez said it is the goal of McDonald's to "make a difference in the lives of children."
"The collaboration with Scripps Research is an extension of McDonald's long-standing commitment to the well-being of children around the world," he said. "Everything that we keep on seeing is the whole issue of childhood obesity and the early onset of Type 2 diabetes has grown exponentially. We felt we needed to get greater education in this area."
Am I the only one who sees the incredible irony in this? Here we have the head of the #1 fast food company in the entire world talking about how much his company cares about the health of kids while at the same time they are marketing products directly to children that are arguably one of the root causes of childhood obesity. The fact that they threw a few pennies of their hundreds of billions of dollars in sales annually at obesity research does not get them off the hook from their culpability in the debate over rising childhood obesity. They hope it does, but it does not.
Fried junk food consumption has doubled among kids and a recent study showed that eating fast food makes you one-third fatter. Anyone who denies the contributing role of fast food in the current childhood obesity epidemic is either ignorant to the clear facts staring them in the face or they are simply protecting the financial interests of an industry that has a lot of explaining to do.
Meanwhile, McDonald's is working overtime trying to come across as a caring company when it comes to healthy living by doing such meaningless gestures as removing the "Super Size" from the menu and showing Ronald McDonald playing sports in television ad. Whoopdee freakin' doo! You're gonna have to do better than that if you're gonna convince people like me you are REALLY serious about improving the health and weight of the children you claim to care so much about.
Ever since Morgan Spurlock released his movie and book about McDonald's, the golden arches have been on a mission to convince the public that their food can be a part of a healthy diet. They even had people like this woman go on a McDiet to show you can lose weight eating at Mickey D's, too. While I don't think fast food is the only industry to blame for rising obesity, their unique part in this cannot be overlooked. If that's being too hard on McDonald's, then that's their problem. IT'S THE TRUTH!
So what does Alvarez think about the irony of McDonald's supporting scientific research into childhood obesity when most people universally agree that they are part of the problem?
"Ironic or not we're going to make a difference," he told Reuters. "You won't see those benefits short-term, in one to three years, because habits change over time. But as a major restaurant company, we need to be on the cutting edge of what's happening."
Okay, so you give a little money to this research--NOW WHAT?! What is going to change at the restaurant level, Mr. Alvarez? Anything? Sure, you come up with these high-sugar apple dippers that are about as unhealthy as everything else on your menu. But don't you market them as one of your healthy new products? Where's the integrity in that? Is that really all McDonald's can do is push some high-carb, low-fat products and think they're helping improve the health of children?
McDonald's certainly has the right to sell whatever they deem necessary to turn a profit, but what are the logical consequences of continually feeding that market with junk and more junk and more junk year after year? Obesity rates will just keep going through the roof with no end in sight. But McDonald's can proudly say they donated $2 million to childhood obesity and diabetes research, can't they? HA! Now that's a good one! What good does that do when people are still getting obese?
As I stated in a blog post earlier this week, childhood obesity doesn't need more money from companies like McDonald's to be solved. What we need is better education for children about what is causing them and their parents to get so fat. WAKE UP, AMERICA! We don't need to be eating fast food as part of our healthy lifestyle changes. We are partially to blame, too, because we keep subsidizing this garbage that companies like McDonald's is serving daily.
It's not the fat in the foods we are eating, but the excessive amounts of refined carbohydrates, starchy vegetables, white flour, and most of all SUGAR! Ironically, all of these things are VERY prevalent in the food at McDonald's. How does someone like Alvarez keep a clear conscious about what his company is doing to children and adults while spouting off the company line that McDonald's cares about the kids? That's the biggest load of corporate crap and he knows it, too!
The ultimate responsibility about what children are eating still falls on the parents and they need to practice restraint even when their children beg and plead to go to McDonald's. Trust me, when they get older and have a healthy body because of your wise decision to avoid McDonald's, they will thank you for it. Maybe if my mom had skipped taking us to McDonald's so much as a kid, we wouldn't have all ballooned into the morbidly obese adults that we all became.
Thankfully I was able to overcome my obesity problem, but it still haunts my brother Kevin and, to a lesser degree, my sister Beverly. These are the unintended consequences of the existence of companies like McDonald's. Whether they give $2 million, $20 million, or $200 million to childhood obesity research, nothing is going to change the fact that they are one of the primary reasons obesity is as bad as it is today. Call me whatever you want for saying that, but I challenge anyone to tell me it isn't true.
. The ripple effects from that film are still being felt to this day as McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are making certain changes to address the problems that were exposed in Spurlock's masterpiece.
