I know, I cannot believe I am saying it… but I am.
(PS…I cannot wait to see reader feedback on this one)
When I was diagnosed with Diabetes a few months back, Mcdonalds would certainly be a place that I could not ever eat again. My days of super sizing were over. Big Macs would be a thing of the past. Years of awesome childhood memories at what has been my favorite place to eat for most of my life would replaced with thoughts “too much of a good thing is bad for you” So yes… since my diagnosis I have not been at McDonald’s.
You can imagine that when I received the invite to the Mcdonald’s / Latism Tweetup I was very skeptical and listened closely to some of the criticism that peppered my Facebook and twitter timeline. I do understand that McDonald’s as a corporation has to make amends and answer many questions to different communities about some red hot topics that affected by them. This blog post is not about McDonald’s and/or defending their business practices… this blog post is about having a conversation with all parties involved and working towards solutions.
This is extremely important because the truth is McDonald’s is a place where many of our communities look to for that meal on the go. Truth is the people in our community will continue to eat there regardless of the nutritional content of the food. The truth is that McDonald’s is a place that many people in my community got their first job… The truth is that McDonald’s is the first one that sponsors many of the social / cultural events in community churches, parks and playgrounds when I was growing up. And unfortunately, truth is… in some cases the playground in McDonald’s is the only safe playground in our communities that parents can take their kids.
So as a concerned community, wouldn’t we want there to be healthy choices at this place that has such an iconic presence in our community?
So I decided to attend this event and had the opportunity to listen to significant changes that McDonald’s has made as a result of customer feedback. I also learned much about nutrition as best-selling author and Dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD not only educated us about McDonald’s offerings but gave a crash course on how are bodies respond to carbs, sugars and how to eat healthier. Last but not least… we could not have a conversation about food, nutrition and not sample a few bites…and that did not disappoint at all. I had a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a whole grain bun, a parfait and a diet coke (I have not had soda in weeks, so I treated myself). Best part is… when I tested my glucose levels 2 hours later there had been no significant spike. That is a big win for me… because no other fast food restaurant has been able to meet those needs for me as of yet.
As a person that is currently trying to figure out the whole living with Diabetes thing… do I really want to eat fast food? Not really. My goal is to pre plan and prepare my meals for my day to be consistent with my nutritional needs. On the other hand, the reality is that my career has me working all kinds of hours both in and out of the office. With a crazy schedule like mine, McDonald’s is one of the options that is consistently within my grasp for that quick bite. I feel better know that I know that I have options to go to McDonald’s and not feel like I am putting my health at risk, as long I make the right choices… that is my point people, at the end of the day, it is all about choice and what you choose will determine how healthy you are and whether or not McDonald’s will continue to focus on healthier options.
In addition to all the strides they have made making changes in portion sizes, local sourcing of foods that are not overly processed, The NYC Tri-State McDonald’s Owner Operators have created the “McDonald’s New York Metro Nutrition Network.”
Establishing a network of people and organizations throughout the entire New York Tri-State region that are working to promote nutrition and responsible eating choices to the communities that they serve. This network is currently offering funding for projects that promote healthier lifestyle education in our community. You can see more about this initiative by clicking here…
LATISM poses with the McDonald’s crew
If you know an organization in your community that is working to accomplish our mission, we would like to help them. An application to receive funding for projects promoting responsible eating choices can be downloaded here. Deadline for applications has been extended to June 15.
In closing, I hope that you will continue to question companies that do not have the communities best interests at heart and that you vote for what YOU want using your wallet. Understand that many companies do not listen to their customers but McDonalds has. Let’s help them shape what the future looks like from a health perspective.
Estamos?
George Torres The Urban Jibaro Let’s continue the conversation on Twitter… @UrbanJibaroSpecial thanks to LATISM-NY for extending this invite and continuing to bring the conversation to the people… follow the #LATISM hastag for thought provoking dialog in our community.
Disclaimer – This blog post is my personal opinion based on what I experienced and I have received no monetary compensation for this from McDonalds. I did however get a free meal at the event and a nice little notebook w/ a matching pen. I am currently reaching out to community organizations I work with to encourage them to apply for this funding.
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Hi George, I would recommend watching the movie Forks Over Knives where a woman who was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes changed her health around by changing her eating habits to one that is plant-based. That means, no meat, dairy, or oils. Many in our community turn to medications first before they try remedios caseros. I have been trying to get both of my parents to lower or reverse their cholesterol, diabetes, and heart medications by going plant-based. But they are not up to the challenge of changing their eating habits. I suppose the way to educate our community about eating healthier options at home, is by showing them how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to shop, fresh, local products. Mike Pollan has a book called, In Defense of Food, that can be a starting point of how our community needs to start preparing and knowing what our food is made up of. Start looking up words such as GM and Non-GMO, GMO’s and see if McDonald’s is applying that to the way they are making their food. With so many eating options in the city and farmer’s markets springing up in every barrio, I am sure that there is a better post for you to write about. Look-up CSA Community Supported Agriculture programs in the tri-state area by going to localharvest.org. The money that is being spent on medications, can go to eating local organics and supporting farmers that are not genetically modifying their crops.
Hola Lucy… Thanks for your comments.
I agree with your comments more than you know… but I am also realistic. I just started this journey personally and I am having a hard time adapting even though I know the consequences. The education piece is huge… the point of my blog was not to suggest that we all go on a McDonald’s diet to get healthy… but to say that at the end of the day people have to make choices and that choice is personal. Now those people that are confronted with that choice have options that are healthier than anything they have ever offered.
I had a conversation with a woman who runs a local urban farm about the funding McDonalds and asked her about her feelings on the topic. Her response was that she knows that people are not going to stop going to McDonalds but at least they are coming back and participating (and funding) conversations about healthier eating in our community. This farm is planning to apply for the funding and will put it to good use.
As for me, I watched Forks Over Knives and it is an amazing story… it will not be my story as I do not plan to follow in those footsteps with the exception of the outcome. I will reverse my diabetes within one year with lots of exercise and smart choices that will still allow me to enjoy life while I save on medication I will no longer need.
I did start a health section on the blog to talk more about the topic and will incorporate CSA initiatives into that dialog as I support that movement to support local farms.
Thank you again for your comments.
My healthier eating habits did not happen over night. It took me a long time to figure out what I should eat and what I shouldn’t. I went vegetarian because I was having problems processing animal protien and dairy. I still consume dairy but in smaller quantities and I have not been having as much trouble with the stones. But I did my research and started with buying lots of processed vegetarian options and slowly started researching and asking other people about better options. It took me awhile to realize that I could also grow my own stuff such as the collards we are growing in our yard. We may spend more money in the non-GMO food we buy and the local organics we purchase, but we have seen the benefits in our family. Also check out http://www.slowfood.com and http://dianeschnier.wordpress.com/ this person’s blog. On her blog you will find recipes with all types of vegetables and if you want to add high quality meat to the dishes you can. She offers information on all types of health related subjects and is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist. I know that whatever path you take with your nutrition, it will be an interesting journey to read about. Maybe you should start your own Urban Jibaro Community Garden. One of the benefits we see with our daughter by planting and growing our own, is that she gets to see where her collards and herbs are coming from. It makes one more connected to the food we consume. Mucho Salud para ti George.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and some great advice… estoy agradecido.
Your Welcome George. Para eso estamos. Feliz fin de semana.
i understand that Mcdonald’s needs to appeal to a healthier audience. but i am not gonna jump ship and say YAY! because they decided to serve healthier food. they have done much damage to our community and our indigenous sisters and brothers, that i wont forgive that easily.
Interesting story!
I’m a bit skeptical on their purpose. Every business exists to make profits. So, I’m inclined to see them going the “healthier” route as a business decision and wrap it with the “community service” disguise. But hey, as long as it’s healthy.
I stopped going to McD about 2.5 years ago. I was facing a big problem and had to do something about it. I was very obese, had high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol, trouble sleeping, snoring, frequent respiratory infections, skin rashes, heartburn, acid reflux and frequent headaches sometimes to the point of migraines. So, I decided to start researching on proper human nutrition. As Lucy mentioned below I too was intrigued by how my abuelos where healthy for their age. It seemed that they had grown up with scarcity of foods and had faced hunger numerous times in their lives and yet they remained strong for their age. They would eat what they grew on the finca (plátanos, batatas, ñames, yautías, malangas, chayotes, raw milk, fresh eggs and chicken). They would eat the eggs fried in lard (manteca de cerdo) and have generous portions of bacon (tocino). They would also fry th tostones in manteca de cerdo.
This somehow went against the mainstream conventional wisdom “thou shall not eat fat, especially animal fat”.
In my research I found that we, humans, evolved on an omnivorous diet that resembled what my abuelos ate. In a process of several millions of years we became adapted to eating animals and plants as they where available in the environment. During the last 20,000 years or so, humans discovered agriculture and it allowed them to have denser communities but it also introduced foods that we where not adapted to eat.
I dropped several things from my diet and have regained my health. I have lost a lot of weight, my blood work is excellent and I fell better than ever.