9/8/10

McDoubled on fat, calories and cash!

There is a misconception among the masses that eating unhealthy food is actually cheaper than making healthy food, especially in the fast food industry. This drives me NUTS. The media has trained us to believe that cheap eating can only be done by eating unhealthy. The truth is, we're addicted to convenience.

I'll give you an example...a McDonald's double cheeseburger vs. a healthy homemade cheeseburger.

A double cheeseburger from McDonald's is actually now a McDouble, as it has one less piece of cheese than a regular double cheeseburger. It costs a buck, and just a normal, right-off-the-menu McDouble contains 460 calories (edit - as of 1/19/12 it's listed as 390 calories, thank you to Anonymous who corrected this fact for me, and I'm updating the other information as well!!), 19 grams of fat, 29 carbs and 22 grams of protein. Each McDouble consists of 3.2 oz of meat (which after a lot of Internet searching AND calling McDonald's customer service number, I couldn't find out the fat to muscle ratio of the beef), 1 slice of cheese, 1 tsp ketchup, .5 tsp mustard, 2 pickle slices, and some weird re-hydrated onions, in between two buns. Let's say each family member eats two McDoubles...that's $8, and we'll throw in another 6% for tax (US average via 2009 statistics), so $8.48 altogether. Not bad for 720 calories,58 carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 38 grams of fat, and 44 grams of protein.

Now let's look in my freezer. I have a good amount of 96/4 US beef in there that I scored at $2.64/pound, so essentially, I could make 8 double cheeseburgers for $4.22 (at less than $.17 an ounce, or $1.06 a person). Going to my local grocery store (and living in Las Vegas means food is slightly more expensive than other areas of the country), I was able to find 8 whole wheat buns for $1.16 ($.29 a person), a package of 16 slices of deli cheese for $1.13 ($.14 a person), a 16 oz bottle of ketchup for $1.79 ($.11 a person), a 32 oz jar of pickles for $1.88 ($.23 cents a person), a 9 oz bottle of mustard for $.76 ($.01 a person) and an onion for $.35 ($.04 a person). There is no tax on this since it's all grocery food, so adding everything up my total comes out to $7.52, or $.96 CHEAPER than the McDouble.

But what about nutrition? Is saving $.96 a meal really worth it? Well, each person will consume 643 calories, 68 carbs, 7 grams of fiber, 19 grams of fat and 55 grams of protein. This is a deficit of 137 calories for each person in one meal. So imagine if people could save $.96 and 137 calories per person per meal? This would result in more than $1,051 a year saved, and almost 43 pounds per person a year!

And I know MY burgers taste a heck of a lot better than Mickey D's!

10 comments:

  1. I find it CHEAPER and way healthier to make food at home. We RARELY eat fast food, and when we decide to indulge I always feel disgusted after eating some obnoxious concoction.

    By creating my own menus I can keep tabs on what I am putting in my childrens bodies. This is an important factor for me since I have battled with my weight off and on over the years.

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  2. I was so excited to read this. I love your character and passion for figuring things like this out. Sending you a lot of love and success.

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  3. Hi Stephy and Bax.
    I love your page! I will come back often to see what you have added. I have gained 65 pounds since I turned 50. I know this is bad, but can not seem to do anything about it. I have good intentions, however I can never seem to carry through. I blame it on my age, 73 and my thyroid, low, and my knee, arthritis and anything else that I can think of, but I know that it is just me. I admire your spunk and how you are sticking to your guns. I know that I probably will not last long if I don't do something. How about being my mentor? You have done such a good job!

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  4. McDouble is 390 calories.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It must have changed since I wrote this, thanks! I'll update my info!

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    2. Updated with all new figures...thanks!

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  5. for some people time has value and this arguement is ridiculous. But I suppose if you're a fool (which many, many are), this probably is valuable advice that you never thought of before. I think the real misconception is that mcdonalds makes people fat and unhealthy and not sedentary lifestyles.

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  6. excellent put up, very informative. I ponder why the other experts of this
    sector don't notice this. You must proceed your writing. I'm
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  7. Yea, but how much did you spend on refrigeration to store your food and electricity or gas to cook it? How much is your time worth that you spent preparing the food?

    You're not just paying for raw materials when you eat out.

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    ReplyDelete

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