Walmart's New Health Food Push: Is It Too Hard to Swallow?
Bonds Are a 'Safe' Investment: A Big Lie Gets Even BiggerLast week I accompanied my 14-year-old son as he attended a weeklong baseball camp in Lakeland, Fla. He got to play and learn; I got to watch and yearn. I had a bit of spare time, about six hours a day, so I decided to ride around Lakeland, a city of about 100,000 residents, and do some real research: things like go to the mall and see which brands are hot and which ones are not. I even did something personally wicked and had lunch at a McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) restaurant. I had not been to a McDonald's in over a year. But, all in the name of research.
What struck me next was paralyzing as well as perplexing. Seated next to me was a family of six: grandma, grandpa, mom, dad and two 12- or 13-year-old brothers. I was astonished as I witnessed the amount of food on their table. I was also astonished by the obesity of this entire family. I figured between the six of them they weighed in at about 2,000 pounds. The two boys, even at their tender ages, probably tipped the scales at more than 200 pounds each. Mom and dad went an easy 300-350 pounds each, and grandma and grandpa, the same.
Then today I read that Florida ranks 46th out of our 50 states in fitness and health. My home state of Minnesota ranked second just behind Vermont. We'll catch 'em next year. But back to my story ...
This family ate -- and I counted because, remember, I was on a research mission -- eight Big Macs, three Quarter Pounders, six large fries and six very large sugary soft drinks. The fries were pooled together onto one heaping tray for sharing purposes, but I counted six empty fries containers. I figured, after grabbing McDonald's' flier on the calorie content of all their food offerings, that this family had consumed between 7,000 and 8,000 calories -- just for lunch.
Being the friendly sort, I struck up a conversation with grandma, who told me they were visiting relatives in Lakeland and that they were from Gainesville, Fla. They arrived late the evening before, but not too late to catch the all-you-can-eat fest at the local Pizza Hut. I just said, "Oh, lucky you."
The sad part was watching the two obviously obese young boys just pig out and eat like crazy. I tried to imagine the evening before at the Pizza Hut -- it probably was not pretty. Now McDonald's wants to entice their loyal customer base with an even bigger burger, the third of a pounder. McDonald's has a terrific array of salads for its customers who want to be more calorie- and health-conscious. The grilled chicken sandwich is another healthier alternative (hold the mayo). The grilled chicken strips are a popular choice for those avoiding the carbohydrates found in the bread.
McDonald's roots are hamburgers, french fries and a Coke ... but the menu has evolved to larger burgers, huge servings of fries and a 24 oz. Coke. A health-conscious diner can actually do well at McDonald's and enjoy the experience.
Well, I felt so guilty about the state of this family that I went right back to the mall, determined to walk off my lunch and continue with my research ...
Georges Yared is the chief investment officer of Yared Investment Research.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-04-2007 @ 3:03AM
Jim Bufkins said...
Mcdonald's has a menu that everyone can avail themselves of. They have health conscious salads, chicken sandwiches, a new chicken wrap, that wonderful Premium Roast Coffee for the busy person on the go--so you observed an obese family eating a lunch calculated to add to their problem. Mcdonalds can't make choices for people. They can only offer a variety of choices. The proliferation of these huge 'hunger busting' burgers by Burger King and others is germane to this. A lot of folks simply aren't calorie conscious. They want a soul satisfying Big Mac and fries. This is the United States of America. For us to make choices for that family from the MCD menu for them wouldn't make us any better than a bunch of Al Quaida terrorists attempting to impose religion and a way of life on someone.
JimBNorman
4-04-2007 @ 8:32PM
april said...
I live in Lakeland Florida and obviously you did not sightsee too much. We have several fitness clubs, 2 YMCA's and a 3 mile lake that people are running/walking and biking around 24/7. That one obese family represented a fraction of our professional, educated and healthy population. I may have mis-read your comments and if I did, I apologize; but to me, you made us sound like a big fat bunch of McDonalds loving slobs.