OK. We all know I don’t have the best diet. I have written many a blog post on my adoration for Cheesy Tots, candy, Cheetos, coffee and well, more candy.
For dinner tonight I had mac-n-cheese and washed it down with an Orange Crush.
And it was damn good.
So I am not really one to criticize anyone’s diet. And I do respect the work nutritionists do in gathering evidence toward a better diet. I get it. There has been plenty of research done on how horrible fast food is for you. An entire documentary earned plenty of accolades a few years ago based on McDonald’s:
A fantastic film if you have never seen it. Makes you rethink eating fast food. And well, then I saw this:
Like, who does this? Really? Who in the hell eats lunch at the local Burger King or Mickey D’s and thinks, hmmm. I am going to leave a Happy Meal sitting on a shelf in my house and see what happens after a year. This woman admits:
I had the windows open many times, but flies and other insects just ignored the Happy Meal.
How is it that this woman is worried about the preservatives in fast food yet she doesn’t see a problem in leaving food “uncovered on a shelf at her home near Denver, Colorado, to see what would happen.” It didn’t occur to her that the drawing of rodents or flies would be just as, if not more dangerous? She says flies never went near it, but…why risk it?
Can you just imagine the whole family sitting around the table at Thanksgiving and Grandma heads to the pantry to get the forgotten can of crushed cranberries and she finds it…behind the small fries?
Like, really. Who does this?
[For the record, I would totally eat those fries, a year old or not.]
Grand Central Blog 
Why would that lady do that? I mean I know all about nutritionists because my mom is one, but she doesn’t conduct these weird experiments in my house. It is pretty hard to believe that the happy meal STILL didn’t go bad after a year, and it almost makes me not want to go to Mcd’s again (even though I clearly will.)
The great thing about my mom is she knows what foods are bad for you, but she still lets us eat them every now and then. A great example of this is when she did a television spot on the channel 4 news on the food at carnivals. She bought all the food so she could show it on television. She had cotton candy, fried dough, dippin dots, those cinnamon sticks, and so on. After talking for an hour about how unhealthy these foods are, she let us eat them once the show was over. 🙂 🙂 Another example is when she did a television spot on Red Bull and Monsters. She bought a case for each, and my sisters and I enjoyed them every morning before school for about two weeks.
But don’t get me wrong, my mom LOVES to be healthy. As a child I was band from having gummies and sugary cereal. We only could eat them on special occasions, and now that I am at college I am not going to lie, I have gone a little crazy with the unhealthy cereals. Just because I was deprived from them as a child, I have to buy them all the time now that I am at college.
My mom usually aims at buying the junk food which is not terrible for you, and they actually are pretty good. Here some recommendations if anyone wants to still eat good tasting food that’s not horrible for you.
Instead of potato chips- cape cod chips (they’re good)
instead of buttery popcorn- just ones with low butter which I don’t really like or SMART food popcorn- it’s really good, also similar to that pirates booty- it’s really good and pretty good for you
granola bars- there are some that are good
Anyways that’s my knowledge as far as nutrition goes, but I mostly just stick to actual junk food because it’s awesome.
That makes me incredibly nervous. Apparently there are new Sun Chip bags that decompose in 14 weeks.. really makes you wonder how long that burger is in your system and what its doing to it. Interesting experiment, but I hope that woman didn’t have many house guests this past year who thought they would grab a snack without asking. I saw Super Size Me in my social documentary class last year and I found it extremely interesting, its amazing how quickly the food takes a toll on your body and just how many people really do eat it frequently. It definitely makes me think twice about stopping by McyD’s.
I am excited to watch Jamie Olivers Food Revolution, which starts tonight, because I dont think the problem is that the people of America are not aware that this food is terrible for them and that they should have a garden with fresh veggies in their backyard. Its the fact its fast and cheep and they do not have a bunch of other options to quickly feed themselves and their families to stay within budget. How to make this health change should be more emphasized, which I hope this show does, not just the fact that it needs to be done, which we are all aware of. And not just for people who can have a personal chef prepare their food, but the majority of America and the people who are really affected by these nutrition issues.
Trust me. You would NOT eat those fries. We did the fry experiment in 10th grade– put McDonald’s fries and some other fast food fries in 2 jars which my health teacher kept in her desk. We checked them every few weeks. By the end of the semester the non-Micky-D’s fries were black mush. The McDonald’s ones were still recognizable as fries, but there was definitely shit growing in there.
While I recognize the problem that America’s fat, I’m not entirely in favor of flat-out banning sweets from kids. As I’ve said before–I have no intention of procreating–but if I ever DO have spawn of my own I’ll probably raise them how my mother raised me: with dessert as an integral part of both lunch AND dinner. It’s not like we ate a ton of processed crap though–it was the homemade stuff. I was probably the only 9-year-old who could scorn a bag of Oreos, because I was so spoiled by Mom’s home-baked chocolate chip cookies.
I’m pretty much of the opinion that the more you forbid something, the more interesting it becomes. Bad TV, computer access, food, even things like alcohol—kids and teenagers are contrary little beasts. Reverse psychology is totally the best bet to prevent overindulgence on anything.
I don’t whether the lady was trying to make a statement about McDonald’s or get some publicity for herself because I have no idea why she would set this “experiment” up. In addition, I think society, as a whole knows McDonald’s is bad, because as you stated in your blog, there have been numerous forms of media and research to show that fast food is bad. But in reality, it’s convenient and sometimes delicious. For people who don’t have time in their workday for lunch they can easily pick up a bite to eat for relatively little cost at McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc. the list can go on. When people order, we all have the “devil”/conscious in the back of our head telling us there is something better/healthier to order, but we don’t listen.
We don’t listen to the devil in our head because we’ve been socialized- we’ve been taught to “love”/eat fast food. I have diabetes and celiac and have been to my fair share of nutritionists and doctor’s appointments who have taught me the healthy way to eat, but really? I’m the girl who buys M&M’s at the café on a regular basis and can’t say no to dessert. I know I shouldn’t eat them, but I’ve been taught to love them. I think it says something about our society when it tells us that this food is bad and unhealthy but a large portion of us eat it.
i am no nutrishionist, but i wish i was because then maybe i would eat a lot better. Pasta is my food. i only eat that ONLY! at restaurants i will only order pasta with red sauce on the side. Yes i know its pathetic but thats me. And im surprised that i have no gained so much weight because pasta is all carbs but hey im going to keep eating it because im not gaining weight so its all good! i did give up french fries though! i have not had any fries or potatoes at saga since we have been back from spring break!
Let me just say, I absolutely love junk food. It’s an unfortunate weakness I have, but I simply can’t choose an apple over a bag of chips. I always envy those people that have the will power to do that. Oh and I totally saw that Supersize Me movie for my health class. It was really good, but it made me sick to my stomach! I promised myself I would never go to another fast food restaurant for awhile, but ofcourse that was a huge lie. It’s way too hard to resist. I mean we wonder why obesity is so common in America… Despite hearing all of the health disadvantages, we simply can’t stop ourselves from indulging. I mean granted I don’t believe it’s right to completely deprive ourselves of fast food, but we should obviously try and keep it to a minimum.
Also, that might be the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard. I just can’t understand what possessed that lady to conduct such a random experiment. I don’t really understand what she’s trying to prove. I mean I am pretty shocked to see that the meal from McDonald’s didn’t go bad after a whole year. I can’t say I’d eat those fries after an entire year though! haha. In any case, fast food is so convenient, cheap and easy to get, but as I said before, it should be a treat not a daily food choice.
I completely agree that there is an issue with our youths’ typical diet. Obviously Mcdonalds’ food is not cooked by a master chef and is processed food filled with preservatives. Duh. We don’t need to leave a happy meal out for a year to know that (and by the way, how did she know no flies went near it? did she watch it every second of every day for a year? i think she is lying.) So yes, obviously there is a significant issue. BUT, the other day when i walked into one of the wineries in my pj’s and bright blue patagonia fleece after my friends tricked me and told we were only running to Bagels & Cakes, one of the guys working there said I looked like the cookie monster (i know. total ass. not the best approach to selling wine.) This young mom standing next to me responded that the cookie monster is no longer the cookie monster, but the VEGGIE monster? Like, this is absolutely ridiculous. I was more mad about hearing that than I was about being called a blue large monster. A bright blue critter stuffing his face with carrots just does not have the same effect to me (fyi Oscar now lives in a recycling bin.)
Also, yesterday when I was at the gym I saw a news story about how Mcdonalds is thinking about banning toys from their happy meals. I think this is equally as stupid. I know when I was little, a Happy Meal was a treat (or a method of shutting me up on long car rides.) The toys were what I like lived for (especially the Beanie Baby months.) I remember most of the time throwing out the food (I was not very environmentally considerate when I was younger) and just playing with the toy. Parents are the ones buying the happy meals, so I feel happy meals are not the issue.
everyone is just taking the fun out of everything.
It is important to attempt to better inform our youth about healthy eating habits, but maybe starting with changing the mush that is served in public schools or improving fast food menus would be a little more beneficial to children than changing the personas of timeless Sesame Street characters!
OMG no WAY does Oscar live in a recycling bin!!! How can he be grumpy when he’s living in an inoffensive-smelling, tidy, environmentally-friendly environment? IT’S A TRAVESTY!
I completely agree with you on this one Michele. I really don’t understand why anyone would create an experiment like this one. I understand that she is trying to make some kind of point, but she is definitely going about it in the wrong way. I’m sure she was doing this for some kind of publicity, even though most people would probably agree that she is crazy. I think the majority of society knows how unhealthy McDonalds is for them; however, there will still be people that continue eating there everyday, once a week, once a month or even once a year. Fast food places are built into society; they are a convenient way to grab something on the road, after work, or during a quick lunch break etc. However, I do think that in the back of people’s minds, they are often feeling some sort of guilt, knowing that there has to be something healthier out there. I know that when I go to a fast food restaurant, these thoughts are constantly in the back of my mind; “this is so bad for me! I know I am going to regret this after”. But as part of socialization, we give in.
There are often ways online to figure out how many calories are in certain foods at fast food places. Although we aren’t going to calculate this at the drive thru window, I don’t think it was necessary for the woman to experiment on this happy meal. The facts are out there and therefore I think her experiment was ineffective, repulsive, and I still can’t figure out why she would do such a thing.
I think you have a point here. Who does this or would want to do that? Especially in your own home. I mean if your against fast food then don’t eat it. Simple as that. I used to enjoy fast food, and more specifically, McDonalds, when I was younger, but since junior year of high school, I have stayed away from it. Not because its unhealthy, I just get pretty grossed out by the process that goes into making these fast food treats. The idea of going somewhere, ordering a cheeseburger, and getting it immediately after you pay, is strange and not appealing to me. Whenever I make a cheeseburger at home, it takes time. I guess that’s why they call it fast food. Can’t hate on the fries and vanilla shakes though.
Eating healthy is important, and to be honest, I just feel a lot better (energy wise) when I eat something healthy. Whenever my roommates and I make dinner, we always try to include a vegetable, starch, and some sort of meat. Obviously, there are times when we fail to do this and end up eating wings with ranch dressing, but the effort is certainly there. I find it very difficult to eat healthy in college, especially when you are relying on the food services of the college. I am pretty sure most of the things available at the Cellar Pub and the Cafe hold little to no nutritional value. I mean whose going to order a salad unless its caesar or buffalo chicken at the pub. I prefer the chicken finger wrap with fries.
When I first saw the picture I thought it was a before and after picture.I thought perhaps McDonald’s’ decided to make their menu “healthier”. Then reading on I was surprised to realize that it was a year old Happy Meal. That got me thinking of how we may still have let’s say a Big mac in our systems still. What’s sad is that it is a Happy Meal, young children are constantly eating this and it is staying in their system. This is definitely no healthy.
The lady was trying to get her point across to non-believers or those people who are skeptical about how bad fast food really is. It is easier to believe in something you can see rather than believe in something that you only hear about. It adds validity to the facts. I can’t believe that flies weren’t even attracted to it, makes he wonder if it really is food, although it takes good.
i used to eat at McDonald’s almost every week or on the weekends. That was because my parents just found it to be cheaper and the food was served faster. However as my sisters and I got older, my parents started to take us to restaurants. I prefer a restaurant over McDonald’s most of the time. I remembered how
McDonald’s use to be much more appealing before but it isn’t as much anymore. One reason could have been the toys that would come with the meals and the delight that would come onto me just to get one. 🙂
What amazes me in terms of fast food is how much is made and handed out all the time. Just the other day i was in a kfc/taco bell, I know holding up my dietary health, i I just considered how many chickens they go through a day. No worries this isn’t a PETA thing, those people scare me, but just in terms of resources… ugh…. plus with the preservatives it does make one consider the quality of the food. I guess it comes down to cancer later or the latest strain of “om nom death”. In either case I try to avoid fast food. “Try” of course being the fatal addition to the sentence. Everyone runs into the situation of grabbing food on the run or just the overwhelming desire to taste those last greasy senior years falling off your life. I know I do.
In modern society however there are alternatives, such as places like Panara bread. Over winter break is when I actually got around to walking into one. The food tastes so good and actually seems to be more healthy. Another example is Subway, with their endless selection of options bringing the common sub shop feel to everyone. Like everything appearances are deceiving, but until I find out otherwise I’m going to be content in this wonderful fresh illusion.
I wish people would quit pointing fingers with the obesity epidemic. Parents blame schools, schools blame parents, kids blame fast food joints, fast food joints say no one has to eat there. I wish EVERYONE would just take responsibility for themselves! I grew up on fast food–my brother was an all star athlete and both my parents worked so we rarely had sit-down dinners. It left me with an extremely skewed vision of diet. Restaurants have a responsibility to serve their customer the best food they can, but the customer also has the responsibility to make the best decision they can.
And my question about the happy meal experiment: did the toy go bad?
I definitely saw the documentary Supersize me a couple times during high school. It is a very interesting documentary but I question why would you want to put yourself through so many digestive problems to finish filming the movie. Through eating so much fat and chloresterol in the food he probably caused permanent health issues to his body, just to prove a point. He caused problems to his heart and liver and many other parts of his body during the process. I don’t think that risk is worth taking. But overall I believe that the documentary was very informative.
The funny thing about viewing this documentary in school is the reactions that people said in class compared to how people actually acted when purchasing food at a fast food restaurant. At first, everyone was extremely disgusted by the movie and could not believe the extreme effects of fast food. During the first couple days everyone reacted by saying ewww I do not want McDonald’s ever again! But after a week or two, people are running around going to sports games or other events at school and they stop by McDonald’s and they are okay with it! The initial shock from the movie is over, though they might keep some of the information they viewed in the back of their mind to make a healthier choice, though they still choose to eat a McDonald’s.
I agree with Chip, can’t hate on the fries and the shakes.
This experiment is silly, and like Courtney mentioned, it’s definitely for publicity.
I can imagine this woman checking up on it every often to see how the food is doing.
We already know that fast food is bad for you.
I saw the movie, “Super Size Me”, and honestly wanted McDonalds right after. It really was an advertisement for McDonald to me. I never knew that the McDonald he ordered from in Mnahttan delivered! Obviously I’m not going to eat McDonald everyday, three times a day.
There is nothing wrong with fast food as long as it is in moderation.
I watch what I eat and 70% of the time I pick the apple of the fries. If I really can’t, I’ll eat half of the small fries. It’s more about wanting to stay in shape, it’s about putting all that mess in your body.
But yea–homegirl is crazy for her experiment. That stuff probably attracted mad rodents.
i was just scrolling through the blog and saw this-if you are reading this please go to arbys and get the chicken salad combo mean with CURLY fries and a dr. pepper. and make sure you get honey mustard sauce to dip your fries into. honestly, my stomach is grumbling right now. it’s saaaa gooood. but its really disgusting because the shit in fast food sticks to your colon-maybe thats why colon cancer is on the rise? our diets are so fatty and nasty we’re killing ourselves. moderation people, moderation. don’t you think its funny that war vets and stuff say that the thing they miss the most is mcdonalds?
Although this is gross and disturbing that the meal stay pretty much preserved all that time, I still will eat McDonalds and not feel bad about it. I think it is because I don’t eat it on a regular basis and like anything, moderation is key.
But it is really gross that this person held this “experiment” in her own home. It is really not that important to me to take the time to test out fast food, we all know its bad and filled with preservatives and chemicals!!!!!!!
Alright, so this is pretty impressive. I agree it’s quite weird but very intriguing. I don’t know what would make one think “Oh let me stash away a whole happy meal, juuust to see what happens,” but I think it was a grand idea! I mean I am no health freak. I am just like you Michele, cannot criticize anyone’s diet, but I don’t really do McDonalds. I just ate a sagadilla (a cheese quesadilla), with saga fries and barbecue sauce, two helpings of saga-made four cheese macaroni, and of course some sagarade (aka purple drank) so I REALLY can’t say one better eat healthy. To be quite honest with you it was in fact, the movie, Supersize Me that really turned me away from Mccie D’s. I mean, it’s funny because I’ll still eat Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, allll that good shit with no problem, it’s just McDonalds grosses me out now. Pretty dumb. I would just like to state though, there are so many preservatives in just about everything we eat. Think about a cold cut sub from subway, those meats are filled with preservatives as well. The poor guy in this movie almost dies from the amounts of McDonalds he eats!! That just makes me want to shut McDonalds down! I do agree that they are in a market and are doing what they can to profit, but why not make your burgers a tad bit more healthy and help out us fat ass Americans? All and all, I wish I were eating some of my mother’s homemade mac and cheese, my father’s delicious cheeseburgers and some nice orange cruch tonight for dinner. Looks like saga will have to suffice, yet again. Speaking of saga, you want to talk about unhealthy food, anything you get to eat here that is not a salad, cannot be very good for you. The companies that cook for high schools and colleges should really revise their food and try and come up with MORE healthy options. But again, we’re in America, hello capitalism and the way greedy Americans make dough.
This is to funny to me, here again is a classic point of a person milking society for what its worth and someone disagreeing for all the wrong reasons. first and foremost if the lady has a problem with Mcdonalds food then she should simply not eat the food. Her problem should now be with Mcdonalds, if she has a problem with the food, her problem should be with the people who keep Mcdonalds in business…… Her fellow Americans. Its cases such as theses that really get under my skin, instead of fighting for other pressing matters in todays screwed up society she decided to go after Mcdonalds. Lady its not Mcdonalds fault, they see an opportunity in society to make a quick buck and they went for it, but at the end of the day its us (society) who keeps them in business. Mcdonald is not forcing people to eat their food, although their prices compared to healthy food is also in their favor, they still give people the choice to decided if they want fast food or not, just like cancer sticks, liqour, drugs the whole nine yards.
First of all, I really have to agree that this little experiment definitely adds to the mass of craziness that is going on in this world. Though, this, apparently very bored, 62- year old woman from Denver, Colorado, has a point; Children should not eat Happy Meals, e.g. junk-food in general. It is not about adults eating fast-food. Adults, thinking of humans over the age of 21 who are able to act “responsibly”, can make choices on their own. If they mix in junk food, which we all absolutely adore, into their diet it is their choice. If they go to Mc Donalds and Co. it represents a whole different story. For children choices are being made. And this grandmother of eight little toddlers is simply concerned about some of these choices.
Honestly, does this experiment not put you off even a little bit? Thinking that “junk food” breaks down so slowly in your body makes you really wonder about the nutritious value of Cheeseburgers and its little evil friends. People may now come and say; “It is called ‘junk-food’ go and figure”. “Do not play dumb”. And I have to give it to them. It is true it is not called “junk-food” for nor reasons. But I have to give it to little Ms. Crazy from Denver as well. She has a point and every right to draw society’s attention towards this issue. And seeing all these comments she has provoked here with her little research, she has done a pretty good job. Maybe she is not so crazy after all…
First of all I agree 100% why the hell would anyone leave food out like that and not worry about the dangers it could bring from leaving it outside. I cannot comprehend this. What I want to know is if this happens outside our bodies then what happens when these fries and burgers are in our bodies. Does it take that long to decompose? Maybe that’s why half of America is so over weight.
I think the problem with a lot of American mentalities is that we know the harm that these fast foods are doing to us but we really don’t care. I am not pointing the fingers at no one because to be quick honest I don’t care either. It tastes good and makes my tummy happy.
Another problem on why Americans, in my eyes, might be overweight is because of the way they are raised to eat. I came from a Dominican household and my mom cooked meals every night. They were portioned and included most of the pyramid food groups. We only were allowed to eat fast food as a treat or when she simply did not want to cook, which was not often. At the end of the day we are all conscious of what we eat. What is most important is to love yourself and not do it for the “standard skinny bitch beauty” but for your health and happiness.
I have to agree with everyone who asks the question, “Why would this lady to this to herself?” Everyone pretty much already knows about how Mickey D’s fries don’t decompose from the movie Supersize Me. The health risks should allowed to come into her house are pretty much revolting, why would you let flies the opportunity to come into your house and go on more then just the old fries. I hate seeing flies near my food, but clearly this lady is a little more relaxed when it comes to hygiene.
As far as fast food and the problems with it, I believe that the main problem with it is that they market it so well. They start off at a young age targeting the youth by giving them toys along with their meal. This makes the kids want to go back there more and more often because they get a free toy, I know personally when I was young I always wanted to go to McDonald’s when the new set of toys came out. This engraves happy memories into our brain whenever we think of McDonalds, whenever we see a McDonalds we don’t think of the stomach aches the grease gives us after we eat it! We think about going there getting toys, or going with friends when we were little to play in the play land. We see McDonalds as positive because of past events such as this. Also, you can quickly stop by a McDonalds and pick up a meal for about 5 bucks on the way home. This leads to not having work to prepare food for yourself when you get home, and lets be real it is better to be served then serve oneself.
I don’t understand what in the first place the women would have come up with the idea of even thinking about leaving a happy meal out for that long. The fries actually do still look edible which is pretty funny, but disgusting in the same way. That lady must have not been thinking about all the potential insects and rodents and even the worst bacteria that the happy meal must have collected. I remember kids in my boarding school who would go to mcdonalds the night before and save a burger over night and eat it the next day. This is by far much worse than that.
The reason why fast food is so desirable is because its fast, cheap, and easy. For people who are driving and are on the go, fast food is an easy choice. I however avoid fast food at all costs because not only do I find it not appetizing, but it makes you feel terrible later on. Now taco bell is fast food, but since their aren’t many taco places around, I don’t mind eating a few chulupas.
honestly i think this experiment is beyond disgusting. like did she just leave her mcdouble on the table all night and then in the morning saw the outcome and it sparked an idea of experimenting to see what would happen? like who does that. and as far as the supersize me video goes.. i dont know why anyone would want to harm their body by doing that. its one thing to eat mcdonalds every once in a while and exercises. but anyone who eats it on a daily basis and doesnt do any type of physical activity, should really consider eating something else. i believe it is our fault because we’ve made the concept of “fast food” and have allowed mcdonalds to become easily obtained. this is why we are the most obese country..