Mom vs. McDonalds

NOTE: Scroll to bottom for recent updates

I'm very picky about what I set on my dinner table for my family to eat.  However, that picky factor goes missing when I'm busy running errands and I've got three hungry little boys who are turning into monsters because of their growling stomachs. 

So, in desperation (because I failed to plan accordingly and pack healthy snacks) I will head to McD's for Happy Meals for the kiddoes.  I never once stopped to take a close look at what my kids were eating (partly because the list of ingredients are nowhere to be found on those brightly colored cute boxes or bags they give us). 

When a friend sent me a link to this article about the Happy Meals I was so happily handing to my children, and they were so happily enjoying -  my jaw hit the keyboard.  How could I have been so blind as to what is REALLY in those happy meals?  I felt cold horror sweep through me and I determined to do some serious investigation and an experiment of my own.

I had to go to other sources just to verify this article and to discover more about this woman who conducted an experiment of putting a Happy Meal kitchen counter for 6 months to see what would happen here and here.  I didn't feel she did a good enough job of portraying just how disturbing her discovery was.  So, after preparing my Mom's Happy Meal, I set it on a plate next to the McD's Happy Meal and put it up on top of my cupboard with the intent of checking on them in a week to see what would happen.  Check back next week for the updated photos.

      



McD's Happy Meal

Close up of McD's

 





Mom's Happy Meal



Close up of Moms



I didn't stop there.  I had to compare my Mom's Happy Meal and to the McD's version in every way.



I paid $2.98 + taxes for a Happy Meal from my nearest McD.  That involved about 30 minutes of my time to go down there, stand in line, give my order and return home with it.

I made Mom's Happy Meal in about an hour (from scratch - bun and all).

The cost breakdown for the complete deal (best guestimate for some of the items):

$1.00 for toy

$0.02 for paper bag

$0.17 Bun

$0.25 Fries

$0.94 Beef

$0.27 box of juice

$0.50 worth of assorted spices and seasonings, ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomato, and lettuce.

Total: $3.15 plus tax (this of course doesn't include cost of electricity or my wages).

Yes, McD.'s is cheaper, but is it healthier?



I couldn't resist comparing the nutritional value of Mom's Happy Meal vs. McD.'s. 

All information about McD's food can be found here and here .

 

My nutritional information came from the recipe for Mom's bun in Good Housekeeping Cook Book 2009 edition and from the various product's labels.

McD.'s Happy Meal Hamburger with small fries and juice:

580 calories, 20 grams of fat

Mom's Happy Meal:

472 calories, 17 grams of fat

Ingredients:

Mom's                                                   McD.'s

                               BUN



   Flour                            Enriched Flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour,

   Yeast                           niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate,        

   Milk                             riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes)                              

   Sugar                           Water

   Butter                           High fructose corn syrup

   Salt                              Sugar

   Eggs                            Soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil

                                      Contains 2% or less of the following:

                                      salt

                                      calcium sulfate

                                      calcium carbonate,

                                      wheat gluten

                                      ammonium sulfate

                                      ammomonium chloride

                                      dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl

                                      lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid,

                                      azodicarbonamide,

                                      mono-and diglycerides,                            

                                      ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium

                                      phosphate, enzymes, guar gum,

                                      calcium peroxide, soy flour)

                                      Calcium propionate

                                      sodium propionate (preservatives)

                                      soy lecithin

                                



                                 

                              BEEF PATTY

100 % Ground Beef        100% Ground Beef (salt, black pepper)

                                KETCHUP

Heinz Brand                         

Tomato (from concentrate)        tomato (from concentrate)

Sugar                                        High fructose corn syrup

Distilled vinegar                         Water

Salt                                           Corn syrup

Onion powder                           Salt

Garlic powder                           Natural flavors

Natural flavors

                                PICKLES

                                LETTUCE



                                 FRIES

Potatoes                            Potatoes

Olive oil                            Vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil,

Salt                                   Natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives], Basil (citric acid),  Dextrose

Oregano                           Sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color)

(Baked in oven)                Salt

                                        Prepared in vegetable oil (canola oil, corn oil,

                                        soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with

                                        TBHQ and citric acid to preserve freshness),

                                        Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent

                            

    

                                  JUICE

Apple and Eve Fruitables                      Minute Maid Brand

Apple                                                    Filtered Water

Purple Carrot                                         Apple juice from concentrate

Sweet potato                                          contains less than 2% of Vitamin C and

Butternut squash                                     calcium citrate

Beet

Pear

Strawberry

Kiwi

Tomato juice

Filtered water
Natural flavors

Citric acid

Vegetable color

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

Vitamin A palmitate

Vitamin E acetate

The thing that irked me the most was the advertisement on the Happy Meal packaging. According to McD.'s packaging, after your kids eat their sub-standard food, they want your kids to run off to the computer and play McDonald's games online.  As if they don't get enough opportunities to sit around practising their hand-eye coordination skills on the Wii or Xbox.

I just had to create my own marketing campaign for Mom's Happy Meal.  I encouraged them to play outside and then let them know how much I love them - and I do this for free!

Next week, I'll let you know what exactly all those ingredients listed in McD.'s food are and what they are used for.

Until then, eat well, be well, and be happy.

UPDATE 10/30/10


Mom's 1 week old burger and fries



McD's 1 week old burger and fries



Close up of Mom's 1 week old burger.  Notice fruit fly.

Close up of McD's 1 week old burger and fries. 



1 week old fries. Notice the white fuzzy mold.



McDs 1 week old fries.  Notice the plastic-like sheen.



Moms 1 week old burger.  Notice the white fuzzy mold on the burger itself.

Where's the mold?

Update #2 11-24-10  (Here are the final photos of my month long experiment).

If you are thinking of grabbing a McD's meal for your kids while you are traveling - stop and think about the pictures you are about to see.  My advice to you is to go to your local grocery store and pick up a fruit and veggie tray and give that to your kid and if your kid bellyaches about it - tell them you are doing them a favor by ensuring their health as adults, and if they still complain, ignore it.  Eventually, they will get hungry enough and eat it.  Start now, teaching your children healthy eating habits - so by the time they are adults they can enjoy good health.


This is Mom's Happy meal a month after it was prepared.  It is hard as a rock - completely dried out. 



McD's burger and fries still look edible.

Close up of mold.

Fries without the wrapper and opened McD burger - no mold.  And no smell either.

Mom's burger - hard to open as it was all firmly stuck together.  The bread was dried out and once the burger was open, a distinct scent of rot could be smelled.  Not only did it not look edible - it smelled horrible.  Nature's way of letting you know not to eat it.  In contrast, McDonald's burger is "UNNATURAL".

After I dumped the McD burger and fries - I noticed an orange greasy substance on the plate.  I could detect no smell and I have no idea what it was.

Mom's burger and fries only left a few crumbs.  The water droplets are from when I washed my hands after removing the food and before I noticed the greasy puddle on the McD. plate.

So there you go.  This experiment has scared me away from fast food.  I will now head to the grocery store for healthier alternatives if I need to grab my kids something to eat.  It's no more time consuming to go to the store than it is to go to a fast food joint. 

Eat well, be well and be happy.