Has anyone in the test kitchens at American fast-food restaurants heard that we’re all fat? Anyone else tired of the shock-and-awe creations they keep spewing out? Probably not because they keep making them because we keep eating them.
The newest nightmare is Friendly’s Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt. Seems harmless until you look at it.
That’s two grilled cheese sandwiches filling the role of buns. Inside, a beef burger, tomato, lettuce and mayo. “Tasting is believing,” according to Friendly’s.
What are we supposed to be believing?
I’m all for all things in moderation, it’s something I practice in my own life. There is nothing moderate about this. Imagine if you will sitting down to lunch and consuming two grilled cheese sandwiches and a burger, plus the fries and soda that will no doubt come along with this. And, since you’re at Friendly’s “where ice cream makes the meal”, apparently, you’ll probably have some frozen treat from their menu. Who can eat that much food? Why would you want to?
Aside from the visual glisten of grease, what else does this burger bomb have in store for us? Look at the nutrition facts.
- 1500 Calories – most adults should consume no more than 2,000 IN A DAY
- 79g Total Fat – well more than the 65g/day
- 38g Saturated Fat – twice as much as daily recco. This causes heart disease, which causes heart attacks.
- 180g Cholesterol – At least it’s under the daily recco.
- 2090mg Sodium – Nearly a day’s worth. Again, heart disease… heart attacks…
- 101g Carbs – A third of a day, but you haven’t had the fries or the ice cream yet.
- 9g Dietary Fiber – Thank goodness for the ounce of tomato and lettuce. Ask them to double up on veggies.
- 4g Sugar – we’ll cut them a break here.
- 54g Protein – more than a day’s worth, but it’s not lean, and comes with all that saturated fat.
If the fast-food industry wants to impress us with shock-and-awe, over-the-top menu tactics, here are some thoughts. Give us a portion size that’s reasonable. Get rid of the high fructose corn syrup and trans fat. Try serving a whole grain bun instead of starchy, nutrition-void white. Make a salad that doesn’t have more calories than a burger. All of these things would shock us if they did it, and we’d be impressed.
