Nutrition 221
Fast Food Project There are many times that I potentially try to eat healthy meals, especially if going out to eat with family and friends, but sadly to say, I usually eat the total opposite, by consuming foods with poor nutritional values. Being in college, fast-food restaurants are very convenient and the prices are extremely affordably. McDonald’s has become one of the fast-food restaurants that I normally dine in at, especially since it is directly across the street from the school. Choosing foods can definitely be a tough issue. For my healthy meal, I chose McDonald’s premium bacon ranch salad with grilled chicken, Newman’s own ranch dressing and water. Overall each meal that is eaten should be a third of my daily total. After the calculations, I realized that my so-called healthy meal was not so healthy at all. My sodium intake really surprised me the most. My sodium intake for one meal should be only 500 mg and no more, but unfortunately this salad with dressing, escalated to 1,540 mg of sodium. This is a serious problem and extremely frightening for me, especially when I know high-blood pressure is a common disease with in my family history. My saturated fat intake only exceeded 1.42 mg and my cholesterol intake exceeded 10 mg from the one-third daily total amount. My carbohydrate and total calorie intake were actually lower that the recommended daily total amount for me, while my fat and percent calories from fat and calories from fat intakes were also above my normal intake. For my unhealthy meal, I chose the double-quarter pounder with cheese meal, including medium fries and a large sweet tea. Although my “healthy” meal took a turn for the worst, I guessed correctly that my unhealthy meal is in fact ridiculously unhealthy. All of the nutrient intakes recorded form this meal exceed my daily amounts that should be consumed for each meal. Overall, this fast-food project made me aware of my diet and the certain nutrients that do need to have change. The increasing amounts of the nutrients presented can and will cause diseases, such as diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart disease and so much more. As for my healthy meal, I could use a different salad dressing to lower my intake amount. Also for unhealthy meal, I could eat a burger with just one patty, instead of two. In general, taken the necessary actions to incorporate better foods and variety is perhaps the best decision I could make to have a healthier diet.