Thursday, March 4, 2010

How Do We Feel About This?

I just read that McDonald's and Weight Watchers are partnering up (in New Zealand). Basically Weight Watchers will approve a few menu items (Filet-O- Fish, Chicken McNuggets, and a chili seared chicken wrap are listed in the article) and McDonald's will put the number of Weight Watchers points on the menu (6.5, apparently). On one hand, I don't think that the items listed in the article at least are very healthy options- the fish and the nuggets are both fried and the bun on the sandwich is made of white bread. Also, sodium- the Filet-O-Fish contains 27% of your daily recommended sodium. Personally, of those items listed, I would select the Chicken McNuggets (because, YUM!)- and then, I would be hungry 10 minutes later. So while they may be an option that fits, calorically speaking, into one's diet- they aren't necessarily filling enough for a full meal.
On the other hand though, I can really see the appeal of knowing that something is okay in terms of your diet in case you want to treat yourself or if that's your only option for a meal. I personally love that Egg McMuffins are 300 calories. It's not the best choice for breakfast, but sometimes I want an Egg McMuffin (especially when they magically show up in the breakroom at work) and it makes me feel better knowing I haven't eaten all my day's calories at breakfast.
So I can see both sides. I guess my overall take on it is that whether or not weight watchers approve them, McNuggets are a sometimes food!

What do y'all think?

6 comments:

  1. I don't eat much fast food (and the only time I eat McDonald's is when I'm on the road home and there's no other choice!), but I like this. I spend a lot of time on WW guesstimating, which is frustrating, and even though I usually look up food stats online before I go get anything, occasionally I'm out and about with friends and would love to be able to just show up at a restaurant and know how many points something is. So yeah, rarely, if ever, would I use up so many points on something not filling, but it can't hurt to have the info out there!

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  2. We feel that this is tacky and low-class. And the only points I put on my food are wine points (By the way, who really gave that horrible Fisheye wine an 84?!).

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  3. I'll grab a six piece if I'm in a rush That, plus half a small fry is like 500 calories or something, which I think is a decent meal. I agree, McDonalds is a sometimes food. People who are on Weight Watchers just need to have stuff spelled out for them. I have one friend who lost all this weight on WW and it's mostly because she just never knew how estimate calories or anything like that.

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  4. Katy, Judy- In general, my calorie assumption is that if it doesn't come out of my kitchen, it's made of butter :) so I can definitely see the convenience in knowing how many points something at a restaurant is.

    Gracie- It does beg the question why they chose McDonald's instead of a more high end chain....and I haven't had the misfortune to try to Fisheye- I'll be sure to avoid it!

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  5. I was being silly yesterday. Perhaps it was the Fisheye wine?
    Seriously, though, it's a kind of sad image: a dieter counting points in a McDonalds. I understand the concept, and I know it's all about points for WW, but it reminds me of little kids who can't afford a certain toy counting and re-counting their allowance in the store, trying to make the change add up to enough money.

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  6. Gracie,
    I do think that to make any sort of lasting change, one needs to learn to appreciate real food instead of junk food- and from what I know of WW, they do a good job on the whole lifestyle coaching thing (and their cookbook is really good, actually- I lived with my friend Lauri when she was cooking out of it and those dinners were excellent), so it does seem kind of anti-WW to pair with McDonald's. I know McDonald's is trying to offer healthier menu choices, but I'm pretty sure the fried stuff with WW points don't fall in that category.
    But then again, I keep coming back to the idea that "treats" do have a place in a healthy diet and this way you know where they fit in if you're on WW.

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