A Big Mac A Day Keeps The Doctor Away, McDonald’s Tells Students

Welcome to nutrition class, kids! Today we’re going to be learning about how processed cheese, factory-farmed beef and iceberg lettuce fit into a healthy diet. No farmer’s market field trip today, everyone. Where are we going? McDonald’s!

This one belongs in the “Hell is freezing over” files. Change.org Health Editor Brie Cadman reports that a McDonald’s in Stratford, Connecticut recently hosted a nutrition workshop for sixth-graders, where they learned, among other things, to choose a Big Mac because it has 210 fewer calories than an Angus Deluxe.

That’s just what the U.S. food guide pyramid says, right? French Fries on the top, Angus Deluxes in the middle, Big Macs on the bottom. Wait, no, that’s… the absolute worst model of nutrition that you could teach a small child.

Cadman goes on to relate that this field trip is a marketing ploy by a McDonald’s publicist who was giving kids “tips on making healthy choices.”

For many busy families, fast food offers a quick, easy way to feed picky kids while remaining sane. McDonald’s does indeed offer veggies, apple slices and salads that may (depending on how much salad dressing you use) fit into a healthy diet. Big Macs, however, contain almost half of an adult’s daily recommended amount of sodium and fat. A McDonald’s marketing campaign masquerading as a children’s nutrition program isn’t just dishonest, it’s dangerous.