It’s no secret that McDonald’s doesn’t serve up healthy food.
Common ingredients include artificial and synthetic ingredients that can cause terrible health consequences.
Unfortunately, despite this, many parents still feed so called happy meals to their children.
Not convinced?
Here are the nutritional details of a few of the most popular items on the kid’s menu.
1. Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients (1): White Boneless Chicken, Water, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Seasoning (Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Salt, Wheat Starch, Natural Flavoring [Botanical Source], Safflower Oil, Dextrose, Citric Acid), Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavor (Botanical Source). Battered and Breaded with: Water, Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Yellow Corn Flour, Bleached Wheat Flour, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Lactate), Spices, Wheat Starch, Dextrose, Corn Starch.
Prepared in: vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), Dimethylpolysiloxane.
TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone): a petroleum-derived food additive acts as a preservative. The National Library of Medicine cites that the chemical may cause liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects, convulsions, and paralysis in laboratory animals as well as behaviourial side-effects.
It is blacklisted from the Feingold diet, which is meant to reduce symptoms of AHDH, including anxiety, restlessness, and mood swings (2).
Hydrogenated soybean oil: Is an unnatural man-made fat that causes cellular dysfunction. These trans fatty acids can lead to increased blood insulin, higher risk of diabetes, difficulty breastfeeding and low breastmilk quality, impaired immune response, increased size and quantity of fat cells, higher risk of osteoporosis, lower testosterone, higher risk of childhood asthma and contribute towards high cholesterol (3).
Modified starch: no matter what the source, is prepared by treating the starch physically, enzymatically, or chemically, changing the properties of the starch to lower vicosity (4). It also lowers blood sugar levels making it dangerous for diabetics(5).
Because it’s modified, it may cause digestive distress in sensitive individuals, including bloating, gas, pain, cramping, nausea and diarhea.
Sodium phosphate: is a laxative used to empty the colon before a colonoscopy. The drug is known to cause serious and sometimes permanent kidney damage and may even cause death.
Trace amounts of arsenic can be found in sodium phosphate which is a carcinogen. It can also cause kidney problems, dizziness, vomiting and dehydration (6). It can also contain trace levels of arsenic, a highly toxic substance (7).
Dimethylpolysiloxane is a form of silicone found in caulks, adhesives, aquarium sealants, polishes, cosmetics and silicone-based lubricants. It’s typically used as an anti-foaming agent or a preservative (8).
Corn oil and corn starch are both product produced from GMO corn. The crop is so chemically engineered that animals instinctively refuse to eat it.
Currently, up to 92% of non-organic U.S. corn is genetically engineered (9). While many countries are banning the use of genetically modified crops and their accompanying pesticides over health concerns, all-American companies continue to serve them up to children.