I think we might be fighting the wrong battle.
Yesterday, several people forwarded me a New York Times opinion article about McDonald’s oatmeal.
My recipe for my morning oatmeal involves 5 ingredients: oats, water, craisins, pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. McDonald’s recipe involves 21 ingredients.
The differences don’t end there. My 5-year old daughter can read all of the ingredients in my oatmeal, but there’s no way she’ll get all of the ingredients in Mickey D’s oatmeal.
Carrageenan? Sodium stearoyl lactylate? She’s smart, but not that smart.
Due to the NYT article, oatrage (I typed it that way, and I’m totally leaving it, because I think it’s the most brilliant typo ever) is growing about Mickey D’s newest breakfast offering. The “oatrage” is due not only to the ingredient list, but also to the nutritional value of the “FMO” (that’s “Fruit and Maple Oatmeal” in McDonald’s speak).
Side note to McDonald’s marketing team: You didn’t think that FMO sounded a lot like “GMO” (genetically modified organism)? And if you did, you still thought it was a good idea?
So what’s the flap? McDonald’s is pitching their oatmeal as a healthier breakfast offering. But their oatmeal contains 290 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 32 grams of sugar. That’s more sugar than a Snicker’s bar. So, in truth, it’s not really the healthiest breakfast choice you could make.
After reading the NYT article yesterday, I got up on my soapbox. The gist of my beef can be summed up as “What did you expect, people? It’s freakin’ MCDONALD’S. Of COURSE it’s not healthy.” You don’t go to Disney World expecting a quiet get-away where you’re not surrounded by anyone. And you don’t go to McDonald’s expecting healthy food. Don’t eat the oatmeal. It’s just that simple. They're NOT going to make anything healthy.
But in sitting down to write this blog post, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my stance and…gasp…give Mickey D’s some credit here for pitching their oatmeal as a healthier offering. Why the turnaround? Because I went online to look at McDonald’s nutritional information.
Let’s talk about the Happy Meal. If you snag a quick Happy Meal of 4-ct chicken mcnuggets, fries, and 1% chocolate milk, you’ll be giving your child the gift of 580 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 25 grams of sugar. If you choose the cheeseburger instead of the chicken mcnuggets, you’ve upped it to 700 calories, 27 grams of fat, and 31 grams of sugar.
Let’s view this in light of the fact that a fairly sedentary 4-8 year old child needs approximately 1200 calories a day. One Happy Meal could give you at least half that. Add a dessert (apple pie or a sundae will set you back about 300 calories), and little Susie or Johnny is nearly done for the day.
So, when viewing Mickey D’s FMO in light of the rest of their menu, I can’t really be “oatraged” anymore. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, oatmeal with 32 grams of sugar isn’t great. But if you order FMO instead of the McDonald’s offering known as “Big Breakfast with Hotcakes,” you’ll be saving yourself over 850 calories. I’ll give McDonald’s some credit for that, and think maybe we should get off of their backs for a bit.
After all, I’m not sure they have the strength to carry us around after eating all those Big Macs.
