Knowing what information about McDonald's (and many other fast food restaurants) is available, it astounds me that anyone eats it at all. It doesn't even taste or smell like food... mainly because it isn't. Natural processes don't even break it down when left out. If you are accustomed to healthy and hearty foods, most fast foods taste peculiar. The taste is empty and strangely sweet. Of course, when you have options, as in...

The food place I miss the most in the states is Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla factory in Midland, TX.
Don't know if it is a local thing though. Their tortillas where so good. aaah

QFT! I've left Texas a couple of times and food is a major factor in what keeps bringing me back. Sorry if I'm getting on my high-horse about fast food but I've really gotten spoiled down here. Ten bucks will have two people walking out with food babies. Usually helps if you know some Spanish.

It doesn't even taste or smell like food... mainly because it isn't.

Which part is that?

Which part is that?

Man, let's just say that I won't eat anything of which that question would even need to be asked.

Man, let's just say that I won't eat anything of which that question would even need to be asked.

From what I can tell most restaurants are pretty bad for you overall not just fast food. We'd all do better to cook more healthy meals at home and then not feel guilty eating out once in a while.

In Poland we have McDonald's, Burger King and KFC (and some damn salad bars). So, Mc'Donald.

In Mexico, it's definitely Tacos al Pastor or locally here, chicken with the special sauce at Don Pollo (though technically this place is a restaurant and not fast food).

We also have McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and few others, but these tiny burgers they sell that are 10% of the pictured size are unappealing. I've also got food poisoning on multiple occasions from burgers at Burger King, salads at KFC and once from MacDonald's food (probably due to poorly decontaminated vegetables).

P.S. Chipotle is a fast food? I thought it was a spicy sauce using dried pepper...

[quote name='coderx75' timestamp='1329854119' post='4915243']
Man, let's just say that I won't eat anything of which that question would even need to be asked.

From what I can tell most restaurants are pretty bad for you overall not just fast food. We'd all do better to cook more healthy meals at home and then not feel guilty eating out once in a while.
[/quote]

It's an issue with time and cost though. After my last doctor's visit with a physical, I was told to cut down on saturated fat. (As I actually am active and get exercise, diet was what I needed to focus on). After looking at the guidelines he gave me, I was surprised at exactly how difficult it is to avoid, and not just at restaurants. Even many restaurants and fast food chains with "healthy" options tend not to be so healthy when you closely examine the contents.

[quote name='gunning' timestamp='1329861298' post='4915284']
[quote name='coderx75' timestamp='1329854119' post='4915243']
Man, let's just say that I won't eat anything of which that question would even need to be asked.

From what I can tell most restaurants are pretty bad for you overall not just fast food. We'd all do better to cook more healthy meals at home and then not feel guilty eating out once in a while.
[/quote]

It's an issue with time and cost though. After my last doctor's visit with a physical, I was told to cut down on saturated fat. (As I actually am active and get exercise, diet was what I needed to focus on). After looking at the guidelines he gave me, I was surprised at exactly how difficult it is to avoid, and not just at restaurants. Even many restaurants and fast food chains with "healthy" options tend not to be so healthy when you closely examine the contents.
[/quote]If you don't have time for a proper meal, you're without luck. Food is something I take time for, no excuses.

Other than that, it's not hard to "avoid saturated fats". Luckily, it is not so much the fact that you eat them that counts, but the balance. Avoid the biggest offenders (e.g. burgers, fries), try not to overindulge, at least not twice per week, use native linseed oil where you can, and unless you just have an unlucky genetic disposition (but then, no diet will help you anyway!) you're good. If you find the taste of linseed oil repelling, use walnut oil instead. Both oils are rich on unsaturated fats and have a favourable o3/o6 ratio.
Avoid "plant oil" which is often a more or less undefined mix of sunflower, coconut, and rapeseed oil. Although rapeseed oil is rich on unsaturated fatty acids, it has a not too favourable o3/o6 ratio. The other ones are yet worse.

Similar goes for margarine and other allegedly healthy food crap (butter, in reasonable amounts, is really a lot healthier!). Most food labelled "fit", "slim", "low-fat", "no-fat" and "health" indeed contains only low amounts of fat, but it's the cheapest most unhealthy crap. Plus, not rarely there is an insane amount of corn starch and a diversity of sugars added to these, which entirely negates any "health bonus" effects that they might hypotetically ever have had.

Pita Bake is my favorite, though as far as I know it's just local. I get monthly cravings for their buffalo chicken pitas

From what I can tell most restaurants are pretty bad for you overall not just fast food. We'd all do better to cook more healthy meals at home and then not feel guilty eating out once in a while.

Good point. Chain restaurants in general are pretty bad. My wife and I usually eat at locally run restaurants for two reasons. First, the food is prepared normal and without MSG, etc. Second, it keeps our money in the local economy (this goes for restaurants and anything else, so no Walmart, Home Depot, etc.) It's more expensive but we live by the motto "pay now or pay later". You're not really saving money by wrecking your health and your local economy. There are hidden costs.

If you don't have time for a proper meal, you're without luck. Food is something I take time for, no excuses.

QFT! The time argument just confounds me. When I was single and living alone, there wasn't a single meal that I would prepare at home that took more than 20 minutes of my time... and I could do other things while I was cooking. Going to the "drive thru", waiting for a half-dozen shmucks to decide what they want, wasting gas and listening to awful radio commercials for something unhealthy and worse tasting than what I could make at home would take over a half-hour. Stopping on the way home from work might save some of that time but you're still just sitting in your car doing nothing else.