DAILY DIRT: The term is ‘fast’ food, not ‘healthy’ food

Daily Dirt for Sunday, July 21, 2024

But, dang, sometimes it’s virtually impossible to bypass a Big Mac … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,012 of The Daily Dirt.

1. First of all, if you say you never eat fast food, you’re probably not telling the truth.

Do we know the large majority of it is unhealthy for us? Sure.

Can anyone honestly say they have never driven through the Golden Arches for some of quick nutrition? OK, “nutrition” might not be a good choice of words, but you know what I mean … and the answer is: I seriously doubt it.

Which brings us to today’s topic: What are the unhealthiest fast food restaurants? The mashed.com website has provided us with its 2024 choices. In the top five to follow, they are only the ones available to us in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. In parentheses, I have included the particular fast food giant’s overall ranking.

And before we get started, mashed.com provided these two items to explain how it put together its rankings:

“Our pursuit to highlight the least healthy fast-food restaurant chains of 2024 included assessing a few key characteristics. We sought out obvious culprits that make food unhealthy, such as ultra-high calories, sodium content, sugar content, and, of course, the levels of fats, including saturated and trans fats.”

“We then looked at the ratio of items on each fast-food chain’s menu with high levels of these nutritional components. We also scoped out the menus to work out which ones lacked fresh produce or snack and side options that are on the healthy side. We also probed other sites with science-based facts so that we could get down to the elements that make meals healthy or unhealthy.”

The rankings:

• 1. (1.) McDonald’s: “Regardless of its global success, it goes without saying that McDonald’s is one of the unhealthiest fast food chains around today. Sure, it has a few healthy offerings on its menu, but frankly, who orders a salad at McDonald’s? In fact, salads only make up a measly 2 percent of sales for McDonald’s. With most of the meals that we like to wolf down here, we are sure to get more than half a day’s fix of sodium, fat, and sometimes even calories.”
• 2. (3.) Burger King: “Burger King hasn’t really put much effort into creating grilled meat options or salads for those who want a wholesome choice. Most of the sides are fried and add up to 300 calories, so if you are health conscious, your best bet would be to practice portion control when visiting this establishment.”
• 3. (5.) Arby’s: “The roast beef used in the Arby’s sandwiches happens to be ultra-processed, which can lead to an array of health concerns, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and so much more. Furthermore, Arby’s meals are loaded with sodium. The World Health Organization recommends a sodium intake that is lower than 2,000mg a day, and more than 50 percent of the roast beef sandwiches go over this recommended daily amount, while the remaining sandwiches hover near this value.”
• 4. (8.) Sonic: “When it comes the to nutrition of the food on offer, things aren’t looking great. You’re looking at around 1,500 calories when ordering the a standard cheeseburger, medium tots and a mini milkshake. Most of Sonic’s medium milkshakes carry upwards of 700 calories, but a large milkshake is where things really go overboard. For example, a large Oreo peanut butter milkshake contains 1,580 calories and upwards of 80 grams of fat. Keep in mind that the recommended fat value is 44 to 78 grams a day.”
• 5. (11.) KFC: “Besides the high fat and calories that are cause for concern, most of the foods are loaded with sodium, too. The chicken sandwich is one of this chain’s best-selling items, and half of the calories in one of these come solely from fat. Opt for a four-piece fried chicken combo and you could be looking at roughly a day’s worth of calories for a single meal.

2. Did you know (Part 71)

According to thrillist.com:

• That the beef-n-cheddar sandwich is the best item on the Arby’s menu.
• That chicken fries are the best choice at Burger King.
• That the original recipe thigh is the top pick at KFC.
• That the bacon-egg-cheese biscuit is the best choice at McDonald’s.
• That tater tots should always be the No. 1 pick at Sonic.

3. For many fans of country music, the 1990s are considered to be the top of the mountain when it comes to quality female artists. I totally agree.

Here are my five favorite female acts from that period:

• 1. Shania Twain: She practically re-invented how a female can dominate an entire genre.
• 2. Mary Chapin-Carpenter: “It’s been too long since somebody whispered, ‘Shut up and kiss me.” One of the most classic country lines ever. 
• 3. Faith Hill: And she turned out to be an unexpectedly great actress, too. 
• 4. Martina McBride: “Independence Day” will always be the song most connected to her.
• 5. The (formerly Dixie) Chicks: I’ve always wondered what the future might have held for this group if lead singer Natalie Maines had left politics out of its act back in 2003. 

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Congrats to newly inducted Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland into the MLB Hall of Fame. My pick for next year at this time? First and foremost, Ichiro Suzuki. I also like Billy Wagner’s chances, especially since it’s his final year on the ballot.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He has never ordered a salad at McDonald’s.