Marketing the work "FRESH"

I posted an article to my Facebook yesterday that really got on my nerves.  I see articles like this all the time.  They claim that eating out can have healthy options, then go through various menu choices at various fast food joints and claim that you can still "Eat Right" while eating out.  I am about to pick this article apart so stay with me.......here is the article:

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/15-surprising-places-youll-find-healthy-food

Please read through it. 

I understand that it is great to have a gas station or drug store carry items (fruit or veggies) you can grab in a pinch in order to eat healthier during a "fast" lunch.  That is about all the article contributes to a healthy lifestyle.  On page 5 it brings up Arby's and their Market Fresh menu.......this is where steam starts coming out my ears......

http://cds.arbys.com/pdfs/nutrition/nutrition-info.pdf


That is the link to Arby's entire nutrition menu.  I hate to throw Arby's under the bus like this since they are not the ones who wrote the article.  However, the Turkey Market Fresh sandwiches that are supposed to be the healthiest options on the menu, happen to be some of the most fattening, highest calorie, highest sodium options that they have.  The article even uses a picture of the Turkey Ranch and Bacon sandwich.

Let's compare shall we?

I made the comparisons for you by breaking up the nutrition info to compare the regular roast beef sandwiches and the Market Fresh.

There is so much wrong with this I don't even know where to start......

I guess I will start with saying that just because something is lower in calories or fat doesn't make it "better."  The reason I say this is because from my own personal reference things labeled low fat or low calorie have a ton of chemicals, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and sodium in them.  I should really discuss that in another blog, but I just wanted to throw that out there because I want you to look at entire labels before deciding to eat it or not. 

First thing is first, take a look at the weight "size" of the portions.  Sadly the Roast Beef Classic is nearly half the weight of the Market Fresh Turkey Ranch & Bacon.  The calories in the MF (Market Fresh) group are out of control.  They even have more fat calories and fat content as well as saturated fat, which is ironic since the article claims that the turkey was a low fat option, right?  The cholesterol grams in all foods listed isn't great, I just found that the MF foods seemed to be more consistently higher then the Roast Beef. 

As for the sodium, HOLY HAND GRENADES BATMAN!!!! You want to know why you might be holding on to weight even though you are choosing healthy options while eating out?  Well there is your answer!!!! 

MF has more carbs, but has more fiber, not enough to make up for all the other junk in it but it is a positive, just as the protein in the MF is more.  However, it also has more sugar.

MF does beat the Roast Beef in vitamins, calcium, and iron, but if you are waiting for your fast food intake to meet your daily vitamin intake, you'll be waiting awhile...........and gaining a lot.

I will add that there were other items on Arby's menu that seemed to be better options all together, but they were not MF sandwiches.  The salads were slightly better, but had high fat content and cholesterol for a salad.  The Turkey Roasters were also better on calories overall and better on cholesterol and carbs but still had high sodium content.

Why am I taking the time to write about this???

Because articles like this confuse those who are looking for healthy options.  They read an article like that in a nationally/internationally advertised news source and think because the information is out there that it must be true or that it must be right, but it isn't.  You saw those numbers, if anything I would say that MF was one of the worst things on the menu to eat for my own personal nutritional needs.  The MF portions are large, they contain tons of cholesterol, sodium, and fat.  I don't care that they have some vitamins, granted a very small amount.  That in no way makes up for all the bad stuff.

In conclusion.....I ask, beg, plead with you..........please read, please research, and please question the information you are given.  There are tons of articles out there claiming one thing or another.  What is important is that you follow the diet (daily source of food, I am not talking about a weight loss plan) that is needed in order to fuel your body and live a healthy life.  I am slowly making this change.  I do stay away from artificial sweeteners, things labeled "low fat,  no fat", try to avoid preservatives, and eat as much organic as I can.  If you are making a change, please do your research!