Nope, McDonald's Isn't Making Us Fat

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capitalism favors programs like advertisement that encourage people to overeat because that extra revenue from sales is more profitable then encouraging people to eat within a healthy daily guideline for nutritional and energy needs. The system does not favor meeting the needs of the majority of people, only the greed of the large and powerful companies who ruin the lives of the poor by a greater margin they improve the lives of their own.

Jacob Knoll of NY 3:40PM October 07, 2009

You can only blame yourself for eating unhealthy and not exercising. If you are over weight without a health problem or not pregnant then you yourself are to blame. You can't blame fastfood.

of 8:32AM January 17, 2009

First, MikeT, did you even read the article...obviously not!
Second, add this to the long list of banned studies because it does not parrot what the government and/or ideological thugs want to be true.
I for one am praying for the day when the MikeTs and governments of the world recognized the futility of controlling other people's behavior, and start minding their own business.

George P. Burdell of GA 5:42PM January 16, 2009

Um..."no evidence of a causal link between restaurants and obesity" is NOT the equivalent of "no evidence of a causal link between McDonald's and obesity".
Fast Food Nation is not a criticism of restaurants in general. Rather, it points out the hazards of eating the sort of greasy, high-fat, nutritionally compromised fare that characterizes most of the menu items at McDonald's. It's a response to the claims by McDonald's to the contrary.
You can extol the virtues of "personal responsibility" all you want, and I agree to the extent that adults should make their own decisions, even when it's to their detriment. Don't tax restaurants. But the argument is more nuanced than that. If fast food has addictive qualities, which I think Fast Food Nation makes a decent argument for, then what do you say to the fact that millions of advertising dollars are aimed directly at hooking kids on their product as young as possible?
Anyway, taxing "restaurants" is a terrible solution to an ill-defined problem. Crack down on misleading advertising, especially when aimed at kids, and make nutritional information easily accessible to customers. And government should stop being beholden to industry lobbyists. Obesity has health implications and cost implications for the medical system. Launch public awareness campaigns which unabashedly differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food products, provide incentives for people to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. So much could be done to improve the health of the nation if the will was there.

JH 3:22PM January 16, 2009

I think that you are looking for a black and white answer..next you will tell me using this logic that cigarettes do not cause cancer because there are so many other things that are in our water and food that may have an impact.
Fast food is high in calories and is not nutritious and a large amount of the population finds it easy, affordable and convenient. It may be the single biggest reason why people are not starving in some cases. That does not make it healthy...
so why are we spending so much time on studies... I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THIS WAS FUNDED BY THE FAST FOOD CHAINS THROUGH SOME PROXY.

Sanjay Bhatnagar of TX 1:37PM January 16, 2009

What makes america fat is the fact that low quality food full of empty calories and trans fats is so cheap and quick, while high quality food full of nutrients, amino acids, unsaturated fats and high fiber content is so expensive and takes so long to prepare. If we focused funding on lowering the price of decent food we could effectively stimulate that part of the economy, driving prices down further while creating thousands of new green farming jobs and increasing the overall health of the average american. It's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of convenience and cost.

Chaz Forgiste of TX 1:04PM January 16, 2009

No Mike, making McDonald's illegal is not the answer. Canned news and misleading the public about the obvious fact that eating more fatty foods is not healthy should be illegal. This blog entry misinterprets the study with a capitalist pro-McDonald's bias. I wonder how much get got paid for this blog entry.

Hamburgler of RI 11:59AM January 16, 2009

The Government is not responsible for YOUR children,YOU are. McDonalds doesn't send out a large hook and snag your car bumper as you drive by and haul you into the drive-thru. You and YOU alone are responsible for that action. The government should not be dictating what the public ingests. What YOU put in YOUR mouth is YOUR responsibility.

booklady2228 of PA 11:23AM January 16, 2009

Dr. Andrew Weil pointed out that if you wanted to scientifically design food that would be the worst possible in terms of health and nutrition it would be America's Fast Food where McDonalds reigns supreme. This study focused only on obesity which is just one of many negative factors associated with poor nutrition. Perhaps the study should have also looked at blood cholesterol, blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.
Go into a McDonalds sometime and take a look at the customers.

john koroloff of WA 11:14AM January 16, 2009

just to commment on what MikeT said earlier about the filet o' fish: putting low fat condiments on a fried chunk of overly processed fish is not going to make it healthy. putting low fat or fat free condiments on anything fried, processed, fake, etc. is not going to make it anywhere near healthy.
the fact is, the food is not supposed to be healthy. it is supposed to be quick, convenient, predictable, and able to turn a profit for the company. read "the mcdonaldization of society" if you're curious.
i agree with the article that if you choose to eat fast food, you can do the right thing by choosing to exercise to compensate....of course, you won't lose weight, but you have a better chance of holding your weight at a steady number. the only way to really lose weight and keep it off is lifestyle changes, one being to all but eliminate fast food from your diet (don't get me wrong, i work out 3-4 times a week. i don't diet, but i typcially watch what i eat. i allow myself one fast food meal a month just to make sure my cravings don't get the best of me).

Kitten of OH 10:39AM January 16, 2009