FreedomPhilosophy Posted July 30, 2013 Posted July 30, 2013 The greatest food in human history In terms of cost-per-calorie, no locavore, organic veggie can compete with the McDoubleWhat is “the cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history” Hint: It has 390 calories. It contains 23g, or half a daily serving, of protein, plus 7% of daily fiber, 20% of daily calcium and so on. Also, you can get it in 14,000 locations in the US and it usually costs $1. Presenting one of the unsung wonders of modern life, the McDonald’s McDouble cheeseburger. Reality check: dollar for dollar a Big Mac is around 10 times less nutritious than peanuts! Peanuts also contain no cholesterol or trans fats and safe levels of sodium. http://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=0437121f-16b6-4818-8c0d-a7899f23338c http://www.smoopa.com/p/196607/00078264082407-hines-raw-jumbo-virginia-peanuts-16-oz/ (USDA database only had Big Mac, not McDouble to compare)
fer Posted July 30, 2013 Posted July 30, 2013 Would this still be valid in a free society? (without government subsidies/intervention on meat, bread, etc)
FreedomPhilosophy Posted July 30, 2013 Author Posted July 30, 2013 Would this still be valid in a free society? (without government subsidies/intervention on meat, bread, etc) As I have shown in my nutrient analysis, even with a range of different interventions to protect the livestock market, the Big Mac is still about 10 times less nutritious than the price equivalent in peanuts!It's difficult to say what the overall effect of interventions are upon current prices because there are a lot of them and they affect costs in different ways. But it's certainly true that animal products would be more expensive than they are already because of direct subsidies.
Wesley Posted July 30, 2013 Posted July 30, 2013 Not that I am defending McDonalds, but this isn't exactly fair. They were talking about a $1 McDouble, not a $4.20 Big Mac (which you pointed out to credit). Also, this doesn't include the antinutrient content of peanuts (or legumes in general). I have no way to make a universal claim of any kind, but I have found that I cannot eat peanuts and maintain good health and I know of a couple of people who have much more serious reactions like allergies. I also do not have gluten in my diet in a McDouble, then there are lactose possibilities. Lots of things going on besides just the "accountant" idea that the body counts calories and a couple nutrients. Namely all of biochemistry.
fer Posted July 30, 2013 Posted July 30, 2013 @FreedomPhilosophy Sorry, I misunderstood the original post.
FreedomPhilosophy Posted July 30, 2013 Author Posted July 30, 2013 Not that I am defending McDonalds, but this isn't exactly fair. They were talking about a $1 McDouble, not a $4.20 Big Mac (which you pointed out to credit). The peanuts are basically 10 times more nutritious than a Big Mac, so even if you reduced the price to $1 on the Mac, the peanuts would still beat it and be free of trans fats, cholesterol and lower in sodium and a various other toxins present in grilled meat.Sure, some people can't take peanuts, they are actually very nice boiled though. I just wanted to compare like for like. Comparing a fatty Mac with a green vegetable is an absurd comparison and that is what the journalist concerned in the original article was doing. I wanted to compare to a more similar plant food.
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