A June 8 article about obesity, eating habits, and McDieter Soso Whaley quotes ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava:
Ruth Kava, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health in New York, is analyzing what Whaley ate at McDonald's during the month of April...
According to Kava, during the first week, Whaley kept her calories right around 1,845 per day...
Kava noted that the meals do not include enough fiber, and lack a variety of vegetables and different kinds of meat needed for a healthy diet.
"You're not getting the variety you could get if you're eating at different places," she said. "I didn't see any lamb shish kebab or swordfish there."
To get more fiber, and more vegetables, Whaley could have eaten more salads that first week in April, Kava said...
Whaley believes she's proven that fast food meals can fit into an overall healthy diet, especially if consumers educate themselves and look more closely at the nutritional values of menu items, which are being provided by more and more fast food restaurants.
Kava agrees, noting that Whaley received enough vitamins, including calcium and vitamin C, while eating at McDonald's.
"At least for the first week, what she ate wasn't particularly great, but it wasn't awful," Kava said. "She really got a lot of the vitamins she needed."
Kava, like Whaley, was angered by the movie Super Size Me, believing it sends the wrong message -- that McDonald's, rather than the individual, is responsible for obesity.
Still, Kava, who admits to eating at McDonald's occasionally, doesn't understand why someone like Whaley would want to eat at the same restaurant every single day, three times a day.
"This is kind of a weird thing to do," she said. "Who would want to eat at the same place for thirty days running, for all your meals?"
Find the complete article at: http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20040608/LI_001.htm
For a full analysis of 30 Day "McDiets" see 30 Day McDiet: Results Are In
