Typing still not easy but definitely easier than yesterday. I may take the girls for a walk today just to get out, get some fresh air and some exercise in. The girls have been out nearly everyday enjoying the weather before it gets real hot but I've been using that time to keep up the house. Think it'll do me good to get out and play today.
So for another edition of "In the News with Panda". Today's topic is Burger King. USA Today ran a story about BK revamping their menu and look in an effort to appeal more to moms than hungry teens. Article is here. A couple of highlights...my thoughts are in blue.
... the move comes at time that McDonald's has lapped the field — and with rival Wendy's replacing BK in 2011 as the No. 2 burger chain in domestic sales, says Technomic, the research specialist. Personally, I've never been a big fan of BK...the whopper is good but their fries suck, the onion rings are weird and it smells funny inside (and yes, EVERY BK I've been to smells funny inside).
•The menu. Perhaps nothing is more important than for Burger King to quickly bring its menu up to speed with the rest of the fast-food industry. Burger King executives admit that they fell behind by not broadening the menu with healthier and more snackable alternatives. I'm guessing BK thought the healthier option thing was a fad that would go by way of the frozen yogurt craze of the 80's.
Similarly, all kinds of creations were tested for its $4.99 Garden Fresh Salads line. But BK settled on Caesar (with shaved Parmesan cheese and home-style croutons), BLT (with three cheeses and thick-cut bacon) and that chicken, apples and cranberry salad. So here's the healthy options...Let's break it down. Caesar is usually one of the more caloric and fattening options. The BLT...3 cheeses and bacon - don't even want to do the fat count on that one. The chicken - would probably be OK if it weren't for the sugar in the cranberries and their apple vinaigrette dressing.
Then, there's those new drinks. Never mind that McDonald's has been selling smoothies and frappés for years. New, $2.29 BK Fruit Smoothies, tropical mango and strawberry banana, roll out Monday. So do $2.29 mocha and caramel frappés. Because that's just what Americans need...more drinks that equal a total meal's worth of calories. Ugh.
•The marketing. Burger King's marketing is about to re-embrace something it turned its back on years ago: celebrities. Because Americans are sheep and we'll do whatever celebrities tell us to do. If David Beckham (who runs all day long for a living) orders BK smoothies, then they must be good for you.
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It still comes down to knowing that fast food isn't good for you. I know this seems like a no brainer to those of us out here but there are people who are going to see the new "healthy" options and think they're being smart. So for giggles but also to be fair and not blindly bash BK, I looked up the nutritional info on these on BK's website...
First thing that struck me is that all of these salads can come with grilled OR FRIED chicken but let's say you're trying your best and you know grilled is always the better option...
Chick Caesar 490 28 1628 22 41
Chick BLT 510 33 1610 13 42
Chick App Cran 520 26 950 35 35
But remember, you haven't added the dressing yet! How many people eat salad dry? Also, I didn't realize croutons had protein? Hmmmm....
Dressing Cals Fat Sodium Carb Protein
Caesaar 180 18 460 4 2
Lite Honey Bals 120 7 220 14 0
App Cider Vin 210 18 115 10 2
And now that smoothie to go with your salad...these were surprisingly not so terrible. Just remember to order a small one or you'll consume equal calories of smoothie and salad. One thing I don't get on these is how for the strawberry, you can have 5 calories from fat but 0 g of fat???
Smoothies Cals Fat Sodium Carb Protein
Strawberry 200 0 20 48 1
Mango 210 0.5 40 51 2
Keep in mind that this is for a 12 oz serving. Compare it to a 16 oz serving of Coke (which I got from Coke's website as BK's had zeros listed or most of the stats...does that say something about BK's nut info?)
Cals Fat Sodium Carb Protein
Coke 200 0 30 39 0
Is it better than a whopper fries and a coke? Yes...but barely. You save between 300-400 calories so if you must eat at BK, it's a better way to go but I'm not sure I'd be bragging about it.
3 comments:
Glad your hand is feeling better. I just got a call from hom that my 2 year old smashed his finger in the door of the pantry (I'm sure his brother had something to do with it.) Poor baby was bleeding and will more than likely lose his nail. I'll take a look at it when I get home...there may be Dr. visit in our future.
I think that people in general get a better feeling from ordering a salad, just being able to say 'I had a salad today for lunch'. Even if they know the total calorie count, it still sounds better than a burger and fries.
The same thing with smoothies, people automatically associate them with healthy things, so even if they are loaded with sugar, carbs and made with an ice cream base it still has the 'healthy flavor'.
Just marketing departments doing that sneaky crap they do!
I used to like BKs but they ruined their fries and they do smell funny. Now I just stay away.
Glad your fingers are feeling better.
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