If what I recently read is to be believed I may no longer be able to play the 'eat your vegetables' cards much longer...but rather 'have a cheeseburger instead!'
At least that is what one man is claiming and his claims have triggered a debate between.
The claim was made by Ralph Thomas to Freakonomics authors and radio broadcasters Stephen Dubner and professor Steven Leavitt, who are known for showing 'the hidden side of everything' by fitting economics to popular culture.
At 380 calories with 22gm of protein and about a quarter of the daily recommended calcium and iron intake, McDonald's McDouble is "the cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed" so says Thomas.
He argues the McDouble is the most widely available food in America and that is the most nutritious at the cheapest price per calorie.
But don't people who only eat burgers or 'junk food' are more likely to have heart disease, diabetes, depression and other health problems? As well as feel more tired and be less productive at work and visit the doctor more often?
So could we say it is the healthiest food you could eat? It may have some nutritional value of some sort and it is much cheaper than buying organic food, but it cannot be the most bountiful food in history, can it?
The argument is that this is the best, most widely available food for the cheapest price.
And New York Post blogger Kyle Smith points out it doesn't even guarantee a weight gain, referring to a study done in 2008 out of Berkeley and Northwestern that shows that people who eat fast food tend to eat less at home, meaning they eat only about 24 more calories a day than those who don't eat out.
It does look like a pretty solid argument, actually. It is fast, simple, cheap and guaranteed to fill you up and it doesn't take time to prepare.
The world's healthiest foods are common "everyday" foods.
These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats, fish, olive oil, herbs and spices that are familiar to most people.
In 2005, alarmed by the rising obesity rates and the amount of junk food being served to children in schools in the UK, British chef Jamie Oliver requested and was given a meeting with then-prime minister Tony Blair.
He issued a challenge to fix the dismal state of hot lunches. The School Food Trust was born, with its motto, Eat better. Do better.
Now the government swaps fried food for wholesome vegetables, provides training to school kitchen staff and is slowly transforming how British youngsters eat.
Jamie sees parallels to the US, with its epidemic of childhood obesity, the increase of type 2 diabetes being diagnosed among young adults and even children, and the vending-machine mentality of many school lunchrooms in the UK.
Yes they are yummy but to me they are more of a naughty night out than a nutritional meal of the day. So I am for what Jamie Oliver is doing and not only because I love his recipes or cookery books.
source: gulf-daily-news
