I was wondering if anyone had any objections to eating the grilled chicken that Mcdonalds or Wendy's serves on their sandwiches. Alot of times when I'm in a hurry or just don't feel like cooking I'll get a plain grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and throw away the bun. I'll also get whatever low fat/fat free dressing they have and use it very sparingly.

http://app.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal?process=item&itemID=2213

It looks fine to me if you're in a pinch. But WOW, that's a whole gram of sodium :(

ive never understood one thing ...if its truly a matter of convinience you defintily dont need miccy d's...theres generally a grocery store around ..stop there get a can of tuna and some almonds...or they even make chicken in the pouch....(just like tuna) i use them dailly at work ...i personally dont trust mcdonalds for anything..and i refuse to eat it..not saying that one couldnt use it and succesfully lose fat...just not for me..

ive never understood one thing ...if its truly a matter of convinience you defintily dont need miccy d's...theres generally a grocery store around ..stop there get a can of tuna and some almonds...or they even make chicken in the pouch....(just like tuna) i use them dailly at work ...i personally dont trust mcdonalds for anything..and i refuse to eat it..not saying that one couldnt use it and succesfully lose fat...just not for me..

Well said.

Perhaps the term "ultra convenience" is better.

I can grab a grilled chicken sandwich at the Wendy's drive-thru around here literally in under 2 minutes. It takes longer than that just to get INTO the grocery store.

Is it perfect? No. Is it a good alternative when I am already running 10 minutes late to an appointment? Yes. :)

Ingredients of McD's Chicken Breast:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, colored with paprika and caramel color added. Contains: Up to 20% of a solution of water, seasoning [salt, sugar, modified corn starch, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed (corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten) proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (animal and vegetable source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika], modified food starch, sodium phosphates. Grilled with liquid margarine. Contains wheat and soybean ingredients.


Yikes! Not all chicken breasts are created equal.

Ingredients of McD's Chicken Breast:



Yikes! Not all chicken breasts are created equal.

Your telling me, thats why i try to stay away from all fast food "chicken"

there should never be more than 1 ingrediant in "chicken"

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmcdonalds :drool:

How do you guys feel about Subway sandwiches? It's the closest thing to my college in break times.

Turkey breasts in particular.

How do you guys feel about Subway sandwiches? It's the closest thing to my college in break times.

Turkey breasts in particular.
Subway isn't too bad but if you are gonna get it get wheat bread, no mayo, mustard or not, packed with veggies, add avocado, no cheese. That would probably be your healthiest choice at that food chain.

How do you guys feel about Subway sandwiches? It's the closest thing to my college in break times.

Turkey breasts in particular.

Much better than McDonald's or Wendy's. Not even close. So much better, but not as good as a meal from home.

Look at that sodium! Holy Cow! Also, quite low on protein, which means it will probably be digested pretty quickly, and you'll be hungry soon, but serving size for the "healthy" sandwiches is quite good to fit into a 6-8 meal/day diet plan.

I like Subway. A much better choice for the "I-need-a-quick-and-convenient-meal" times.

That's exactly how I treat it, I'd rather eat from home but sometimes it's not possible:)

What other sandwiches would you guys recommend? Something better than, as good as, or close to turkey breast sandwich?

p.s. sorry for hijacking your thread chris85:D

Subway is okay if I want something quick, but I rather go make my own food.
Keeping it under the 6 grams of fat means no cheese or dressing/mayo. That really kills the sandwich.


Look at that sodium! Holy Cow!

I had a foot long a couple of weeks ago- 2000mgs of sodium. :D

assuming hteres not 15 morbidly obese people super sizing it before you and the 15 year old whos erining 5 dollars an hour isnt text messaging his girlfriend making it take up to 30 minutes:lol:


Perhaps the term "ultra convenience" is better.

I can grab a grilled chicken sandwich at the Wendy's drive-thru around here literally in under 2 minutes. It takes longer than that just to get INTO the grocery store.

Is it perfect? No. Is it a good alternative when I am already running 10 minutes late to an appointment? Yes. :)

I think there's tiers of quality when it comes to fast food, and McDonalds is somewhere near the bottom. A chicken sandwich from Wendy's, for example, seems more like a breaded piece of chicken than a pre-formed chicken/salt/gluten mass. And it's still pretty gross.

At best, whatever you get at one of these places is going to be loaded with sodium. Even the "Chicken Breast" sub at Subway is a pre-formed patty. You're much better off getting something made with the sliced meats there.

Just about every deli in every supermarket I've seen can made a sandwich for you in just a few minutes. If you're already 10 minutes late for an appointment, what are you doing stopping to eat anyways?

-L

If you're already 10 minutes late for an appointment, what are you doing stopping to eat anyways?


Actually, for me, it's usually 10 minutes late returning from lunch where I ran 60 minutes of errands at places with no food available.

:)

Subway isn't too bad but if you are gonna get it get wheat bread, no mayo, mustard or not, packed with veggies, add avocado, no cheese. That would probably be your healthiest choice at that food chain.
It depends on your goals. I'd prefer the grilled chicken spinach salad. It has more protein than the turkey sub, but only 11 grams of carbs instead of 46. That's not really enough calories for a full meal (if you don't eat the croutons and dressing), but I usually have a container of yogurt, some nuts, and some random fruits with me to top it up. Actually, I almost always carry food with me, so I almost never eat at fast food restaurants.

Much better than McDonald's or Wendy's. Not even close. So much better, but not as good as a meal from home.

Look at that sodium! Holy Cow! Also, quite low on protein, which means it will probably be digested pretty quickly, and you'll be hungry soon, but serving size for the "healthy" sandwiches is quite good to fit into a 6-8 meal/day diet plan.

I like Subway. A much better choice for the "I-need-a-quick-and-convenient-meal" times.

I have no hate against McDonald's. From the information that's available to me, and from the way I order from the menu, I have no reason to consider McDonald's to be a tier below Subway. Subway's deli meats are as highly processed and packed with sodium as McDonald's chicken breasts are.

chris85, if you're going to throw out the bun anyway, why not just order a meal sized salad? I enjoy the oriental chicken salad at McDonald's with low fat sesame thai dressing.

I have no hate against McDonald's. From the information that's available to me, and from the way I order from the menu, I have no reason to consider McDonald's to be a tier below Subway. Subway's deli meats are as highly processed and packed with sodium as McDonald's chicken breasts are.

Forgive my ignorance, but is there really a way to process deli meat (apart from salting, etc)? I really don't know- I would have thought that only things like the chicken breast subs would be like that. The one advantage that Subway does have is in fat content, and even then you can blow that away if you get mayo and cheese on your sub.

I think a universal constant of eating out is sodium. It keeps things fresh, but certainly exists in copious amounts in fast food.

-L

I think a universal constant of eating out is sodium. It keeps things fresh, but certainly exists in copious amounts in fast food.

Is it for freshness? I always assumed it was a flavor enhancer, like MSG. But OK with people (aside from the massive amount of sodium, of course!)

Forgive my ignorance, but is there really a way to process deli meat (apart from salting, etc)?
I'm not terribly familiar with the process myself, but if you look at the turkey breast you can buy at the deli, it's in a big oval shape. So, it's been somehow taken apart, then glued back together.
http://www.usdec.org/files/Deli/PDFs/3_US_Deli_Poultry.pdf

Choices for deli turkey not always cut-and-dried (http://www2.jsonline.com/entree/cooking/mar04/216690.asp)
Sheffield summed up the pecking order this way: "The lower you go, the more additives you have."

Tasteless, seaweed-based carrageenan is one of the most common additives. It helps retain moisture and allows for easier slicing, according to Sheffield.

But carrageen alone does not mark a turkey as low-end. It is other additives, such as tapioca and cornstarch, used to bind together small pieces of white meat, that are the hallmarks of less expensive choices. These additional additives contribute to slice-ability but can also lend a rubbery or gelatinous quality to the meat.

The "fresh" deli meat at my local deli contains-

Honey turkey:
Dextrose, salt, modified food starch, carrageenan, sodium, phosphate, smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.
530mg's of sodium.

It's cheaper to buy packaged. You get the same crap.

Salt is definitely a preservative, but of course it also is a flavor enhancer as well. Prior to refrigeration, meat would be salted and dried to keep it edible as long as possible.

That's really interesting about deli meats. I can understand something like honey turkey having more ingredients- it's supposed to have a certain flavor.

I guess it's similar to your Wendy's vs. McDonald's chicken breast debate- look at high-end deli meat vs. Oscar Meyer smoked turkey slices. I didn't think about it that way...hmm

-L

chris85, if you're going to throw out the bun anyway, why not just order a meal sized salad? I enjoy the oriental chicken salad at McDonald's with low fat sesame thai dressing.

I agree. It really irks me whenever people say they throw away the bun. It's just a waste of food. If they don't want to order a salad they can just order the sandwich without the bun. The food is made to order so they'll make it however you want.

Wow this has become a pretty good thread!

Obviously everyone here knows that any fast food/processed food should never be your first choice for a meal.

As far as subway goes, get a wrap and double the meat. That decreases the carbs, its got pretty good fiber in the wrap and it doubles your protein. Getting hungry later?? If anyone is really sticking a good meal plan then they are eating about every 3 hours anyway so right around the time you get hungry again its time to eat anyway.

Mcdonalds salad? Never really thought about that. I'll have to give that a try next time I don't feel like cooking. Which is only about once ever other week or so. It is not very often that I go to Mcdonalds anyway. And when I say Mcdonalds I really mean like every fast food name imaginable.

Throwing away the bun.............I really feed it to my dog. So I don't consider it a waste. He doesn't care if he's fat and neither do I.

Throwing away the bun.............I really feed it to my dog. So I don't consider it a waste. He doesn't care if he's fat and neither do I.
Overweight dogs have reduced life expectancy. If I were a dog, I'd want 1FastGTX to feed me.

My Dog Eats Kinda Like A Bodybuilder! (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=9852)

Mcdonalds salad? Never really thought about that. I'll have to give that a try next time I don't feel like cooking
Might want to rethink that check this out

Big Mac
540 Cal
45 Carbs
1040 Sodium
25 Protein

Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich
420 Cal
51 Carbs
1190 Sodium
32 Protein

Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken
300 Cal w/o Dressing with Dressing 190 = 490 Cal :eek:
22 Carbs with Dressing = 26 Carbs
1020 Sodium with Dressing = 1520 Sodium
25 Protein with Dressing = 27 Protein


I picked the most unhealthy salad but this was just to give you a general idea that pretty much everything on the McDonald's menu is pretty close in calories and stuff. If you are gonna eat there might as well just get something you enjoy because it's all unhealthy.

To check all the nutrition info of the McDonald's menu check this link

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

I have a hard enough time getting calories as it is. Its almost a struggle for me to get 2000 healthy calories in me a day. So a 400 calorie salad might do me some good. Minus the fried chicken and fatty dressing.

I was wondering if anyone had any objections to eating the grilled chicken that Mcdonalds or Wendy's serves on their sandwiches. Alot of times when I'm in a hurry or just don't feel like cooking I'll get a plain grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and throw away the bun. I'll also get whatever low fat/fat free dressing they have and use it very sparingly.

Have you ever seen the movie SUPER SIZE ME? If you haven't, go to blockbuster or whatever movie place and rent that movie. It might just change your mind of ever eating at Ronald mcdonalds ever again

Everyone Go rent SUPER SIZE ME if you haven't already seen it;)

Seen it 4 times. But no one is talking about eating fast food 3 times a day for a whole month, we are talking about a grilled chicken breast or salad maybe once a month.

Seen it 4 times. But no one is talking about eating fast food 3 times a day for a whole month, we are talking about a grilled chicken breast or salad maybe once a month.

:) And we already established our opinions.

I bet I could eat 3 times a day at McDonald's for a month and not only lose weight but stay on a nice fitness routine.

I'm sure everyone else could, too. (Though wouldn't want to.)

I bet I could eat 3 times a day at McDonald's for a month and not only lose weight but stay on a nice fitness routine.

I'm sure everyone else could, too. (Though wouldn't want to.)

My grandmother rides the brake everywhere she drives. The brake light is literally on the entire trip everywhere she goes. She gets to her destination each time, but her gas mileage is terrible and she has to get new brakes every 3 months.

More than Super Size Me (which was a lot of fun; I own it) I recommend the books Fast Food Nation and the children's version of the same book called Chew on This. Fast Food Nation is an extremely well documented, well researched history of the fast food industry, their current practices and just what the hell goes into their food. Chew on This is the same thing by the same author but aimed at younger people. I have both of them, read both of them several times and they were intrumental in both my inspiration to change my lifestyle (275lbs to 154lbs in less than one year) and to stop eating fast food entirely.

I understand the need for convience. I have four children, and 8 yearold, 5 year old, and twin infants. I work fulltime in a freezer, I'm on my feet in -25 degree "weather" lifting stuff eight hours a day while going to school part time. I have to move my schedule around my wife's schedule who is a student nurse, so she's at the hospital and in class all freaking day, so I watch infants. And I do all the cooking.

And I have plenty of spare time.

The neat thing is it seems like the busiest people have the most time. It's a phenomenom I've watched played out over and over. When I was an obese couch potato, I had no time to do anything. Now I write for a magazine (in my spare time) and do all that other stuff.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't give yourself the excuse that you don't have time. You have priorities. And either accept that healthy food isn't as high a priority as you think it is, or adjust others. Cook ahead of time. Do what it takes.

And please don't read any of the above as aggresive or rude. It's said with a grin and a wink.

Good luck.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't give yourself the excuse that you don't have time. You have priorities. And either accept that healthy food isn't as high a priority as you think it is, or adjust others. Cook ahead of time. Do what it takes.

Great post! We make time for our priorities. When someone says, "I don't have the time" they mean, "It's not a priority." Everyone has the same amount of time to handle. Time is not like money that way. Everyone has the same amount of time each day.

Commonly, when our priorities change, previous time commitments get in the way immediately. For example, if I work 80 hours each week regularly, then I make sleep a high priority, I might have to wait a few weeks before I can get that sleep because I've already made a commitment to work, and I have to give 2 weeks notice to my job that I'm cutting back to 40 hours/week. However, our time commitments will follow our real priorities, always!

Sorry to hijack the thread. I just wanted to echo Ezekiel here. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Great post! We make time for our priorities. When someone says, "I don't have the time" they mean, "It's not a priority." Everyone has the same amount of time to handle. Time is not like money that way. Everyone has the same amount of time each day.

It was a great post, and a great reply to a great post. :tucool:

It does indeed sum it all up.

you know they do ready cooked chicken in my local co-op corner shop up the road. comes in little chunks. also in spicy flavour. very healthy, low in sats etc.

i personally cannot touch anything non-organic in terms of meat. it's so sad and weird but it's true. i've developed a complex. it's like i'll do anything to stay alive longer. ;)

EDIT: and liquid margarine? Somebody call the gag patrol. UHGGGH