Danny Jensen
December 12, 2008 | 8:51 pm EST
The clip below was a part of a documentary film called 66 scener fra Amerika by Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth . The film was a series of moments all meant to show various aspects of “America”.
With all the news as of late about how the economic crisis is actually causing more people to eat at McDonalds and similar establishments, I found this specific segment from the film all the more interesting:
There is something kind of hypnotizing about watching Andy Warhol eat a hamburger. I would offer however that watching most people eat a hamburger is kind of gross. To avoid fast food grossness takepart by using the Eat Well Guide to find healthy ingredients and these helpful tips to cook a delicous, affordable meal tonight.
Does the thought of a Happy Meal leave you anything but? Well, the Ontario-based group Gaiaisi shares your frustration with fast food in their song Enjoy Your Meal, a wake up call to those munchin’ on McDonald’s Big Macs and an anthem for those who are fed up with our unhealthy industrialized food system. Check out their new music video:
Catchy, huh? The “RAGE” t-shirt might give you a clue to the band’s musical influence, if you didn’t catch that already. It’s about time someone picked up the torch that Rage Against the Machine dropped just as things went from bad to worse back in 2000 (despite a brief reunion).
takepart by cooking up a delicious, locally-sourced feast this weekend using the Eat Well Guide, and keep an eye out for Food, Inc.
So you think you eat pretty healthy because you don’t eat Big Macs and get salads instead? Not so fast there, bucko. It turns out you may still be getting more calories than you bargained for. The New York Times told us on Monday that you may be underestimating how much you’re eating due to what they call the “health halo.” They ran a little experiment in a health-conscious area (they say) of Brooklyn.
Half of the 40 people surveyed were shown pictures of a meal consisting of an Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad and a 20-ounce cup of regular Pepsi…On average, they estimated that the meal contained 1,011 calories, which was a little high. The meal actually contained 934 calories — 714 from the salad and 220 from the drink.
And then, to test their health halo theory, they mixed it up.
The other half of the Park Slopers were shown the same salad and drink plus two Fortt’s crackers prominently labeled “Trans Fat Free.” The crackers added 100 calories to the meal, bringing it to 1,034 calories, but their presence skewed people’s estimates in the opposite direction. The average estimate for the whole meal was only 835 calories — 199 calories less than the actual calorie count, and 176 calories less than the average estimate by the other group for the same meal without crackers.
As Americans, the theory goes, we’ve been told that simply taking away trans fats always equals healthier.
Read the rest of this entry »
In these troubled economic times, there is one corporation you won’t find declaring bankruptcy or lining up for a bailout in Washington DC: McDonald’s. The Golden Arches have seen a steady stream of customers pass beneath them of late, with same store sales up 8.2 percent in October. The increased business at the fast food restaurant isn’t hard to figure out. The low cost of McDonald’s offerings, particularly its popular “Dollar Menu” have wide appeal amongst consumers during the current recession.
The flock of consumers to Mickey D’s as times get tough highlights the eternal question when it comes to healthy living; “How do you eat well without breaking the bank?” Hanging around Whole Foods one might think that eating natural and organic on a budget is simply a lost cause while browsing through the pricey abundance.
But there are ways to keep your diet healthy on a budget. One is to eat more vegetarian meals. Meat generally costs more money than produce. Mixing some veggie meals into your routine for the week will cut down on your fat and cholesterol intake while saving dollars at the market. Another idea to save on healthy living is to take what we’ll call the Alice Waters approach - that is, Buy Local, Buy Seasonal, Buy from the Source. Hitting a good, reasonably priced farmers market can do wonders toward stretching your budget out toward healthy organic food.
Read the rest of this entry »
Last week Sarah’s Social Action Snapshot called on us concerned denizens to urge Gov. Schwarzenegger to require menu labeling in California chain restaurants. While that legislation is just a muscle-bound signature away, there’s more to be done to ensure that consumers are provided with accurate and accessible nutritional information. It seems McDonald’s is dragging it’s over-sized red heels to offer customers clearly visible and decipherable labels. With comically elaborate fold-out brochures and posters that require a magnifying glass and a Rosetta Stone, they don’t make it easy people to make informed choices about their meal.
The folks over at the Center for Science in the Public Interest found some aspiring filmmakers to help illustrate the point:
While there’s hope that menu labeling could see action on a national scale with upcoming federal legislation, it’s important that influential corporations are on the same page, or menu board at least.
takepart by urging McDonald’s to provide nutrition information on their menu boards. And check-in with CSPI to learn about implementing a menu labeling policy in your area.
Fast Food has spread, well, quickly, through the Mediterranean, wreaking havoc on what has long been admired as the healthiest of diets. Where fresh vegetables, fish, and olive oil once offered longevity and lower rates of heart disease and cancer; now cheeseburgers, pizza, and ice cream have bolstered the likes of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. What’s that you say? Pizza and ice cream came from the Mediterranean? Well, not exactly, and certainly not as the overly processed and excessively proportioned style served up by fast food joints. This nutritionally and culturally bereft “cuisine” is exactly what Carlo Petrini sought to combat when he founded Slow Food in 1986, in part to resist the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in Rome.
Photo: majorbonnet’s Flickr Photostream
I had the pleasure of attending Slow Food Nation over Labor Day weekend, and have also had the good fortune of dining in Italy, and I am consequently amazed that given an abundance of healthy and delicious food, people still reach for a Big Mac. That said, while driving to the airport this morning, I felt strangely lured by the Golden Arches. I did keep driving and can’t recall the last time I ordered from McD’s, but I’ll be darned if they don’t have a strong-hold on my Pavlovian responses instilled in me as a child. I get it. They offer a cheap, speedy and familiar package of fat and sugar (and maybe a toy). Yum. If you’re strapped for cash and time it seems like a simple choice. And if you don’t think too hard or know what you’re really committing to, it’s easy to swallow. But in our hearts we know better, or at least we’re trying. And the sooner we as a nation and our friends around the world step out from under the shadow of the arches and their cohorts, the healthier and happier we shall be.
takepart to learn more about the hazards of fast food with Food, Inc.
Related:
Happy Meals: 5 More Organic Alternatives to Fast Food
Wow. Speaking of glass ceilings, have you seen the new McDonald’s ad for their premium coffee? The one where two women in a coffee shop get super excited about new McDonald’s lattes. And here is why:
W1: Now we don’t have to listen to jazz all day long!
W2: I can start wearing heels again.
W1: Read gossip magazines! (tosses book away)
W2: Watch reality TV shows…
W1: I like television!
W2: I can’t really speak French.
W1: I don’t know where Paraguay is!
W2: Paraguay?
McDonalds! YAY! Just when I thought you didn’t understand women. You’re right! We all really just want stop all this pretending to be smart stuff and we finally have a place to get a latte where we can be stupid again!
And who really wants to hang around jazz listening, New Yorker reading, Mad Men loving, “smart” women who may even be crazy enough to want to support local coffee shops that serve fair trade coffee??**
Watch the commercial here:
The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!
TakePart Gang:
Ocean Dead Zone Getting Bigger by Wendy Cohen
Top 10 Ways to Green Up Your Kids by Martin Musatov
* * *
Nicole Hughes:
2008 Olympic Games: Top 10 Stories from TakePart
Happy Meals: 5 More Organic Alternatives to Fast Food
* * *
China’s Pollution Affects Alaska’s Air Quality
JetBlue CEO Cuts His Pay In Half
* * *
Jon Popham:
Yet Another Reason to Get Off Oil…Russia
* * *
Gina Telaroli:
Synchronized Swimming Gets Olympic Treatment in “Sync Or Swim”
It’s no fun when you’re trying to eat healthy on-the-run, and think your only options are one of those Shake-N-Salad things from Micky D’s or a Chicken Whopper, hold the mayo. Luckily, the wonderful world of food service is finally catching on that we want healthier, more sustainable food options that are compatible with our busy schedules. Check out these 5 additional organic alternatives to fast food below:
1) Jamba Juice - Alright, so there’s some controversy over whether or not Jamba Juice uses organic produce in their juices and smoothies, but you can’t deny that it’s fast, filling, and deliciously better for you than a box of Chicken McNo-Nos on the go. Plus, they’re everywhere! Find out who else has given McDonalds the heave-ho here.
Read the rest of this entry »
GreenCore Air’s Solar Air Conditioning units are using responsible, renewable solar energy to cool homes and businesses. The Rancho Cucamonga based technology company manufactures AC units that niftily use the same source of power that heats up the building to cool it back down; The Sun. Plus for nighttime and overcast days when solar panels aren’t receiving enough direct sunlight, GreenCore units come with rechargeable batteries to store up that solar power for a rainy day or night. And alas for when all else fails the unit can be plugged into the grid for when you get into a pinch.
So far such heavy hitters as the U.S. Navy and McDonald’s have gotten on board to purchase GreenCore Air units. You can takepart by checking out the Solar Energy Store to find other clean, renewable solar energy products.
Read the rest of this entry »
Andy Kondrat:
