…but I didn’t get any. It was an interesting experience. Having been a lifelong fast food eater, and being “sober” for almost four months, I was surprised that it sounded good today. I was surprised, because ever since I discovered real food, I have happily not wanted fast food. So what happened today?
I’ve been so busy that I didn’t get enough nutrition in this morning … just one glass of raw milk on the way to work. Now I believe that raw milk is a complete food, but not necessarily a complete meal. By lunch time, I was really hungry. I usually bring my lunch, most often leftovers from last night’s dinner, but not today. McDonald’s popped into my head and stayed a few minutes. I thought about the fries, and an extra value meal sounded good.
I thought those days of eating massive amounts of McDonald’s food and Coke in secret, in my car, were behind me. Instead of freaking out or white knuckling it, I calmly and objectively assessed the situation:
Q: Why does that sound good?
A: It just does.
Q: Ever since getting off fast food, you’ve felt so much better.
A: Yes, I have. It’s kind of weird that I want it now.
Q: Where did this thought come from?
A: I passed a brand-spanking new McDonald’s yesterday. It doesn’t look like those nasty roadside joints. It’s made of stone, and it’s in an upscale area. Maybe I should eat there while the oil’s still fresh and the restaurant is clean.
Q: What about the quality of the food. Do you want to rethink that?
A: Let’s see, there’s:
- the rancid vegetable oil they cook the fries in
- the Russet Burbank potatoes that come from a perilous monoculture
- a cheese-like substance
- soybean oil in the sauce
- high fructose corn syrup in the ketchup
- buns made of refined white flour
- beef from cattle fed a diet of genetically-modified corn … on a crowded feed lot …whose stench you can smell for miles … who are killed and processed in factories where workers are treated like animals
- and all that sugar in the Coke …
My whole thought process was quick, much faster than typing about it, and I moved on. I ended up at Chipotle where I got a carnitas quesadilla with guacamole and water. Read Chipotle’s “Food with Integrity” story, and you’ll see the difference. Will I ever darken the doorway at McDonald’s again? Maybe to buy a bottle of Dasani water, ironically made by the CocaCola company.
By the way, I’m not opposed to burgers and fries; in fact, it’s one of my favorite meals. But why have low-quality fast food, when you can have a truly great burger and fries? By truly great, I mean delicious, satisfying and nutritious. The best I’ve had so far are the ones I made from the America’s Test Kitchen show, Best Burgers and Fries. I made everything exactly according to the recipe, and I just swooned … so did my husband. Will you let me know what you think if you make it? Be well.
The Healthy, Happy Eater 
Great story. I wondered, “how did she do that?” I read the story again and came across the part in which you calmly and objectively assessed the situation. I wondered again, “how did she do that?” Dicipline? Determination? Education? Alternatives? All of the above?
Hi, Jeff. Several things happened at the beginning of the summer that propelled me into another world. This may sound hokey, but I saw REO Speedwagon perform at a Memorial Day weekend concert, and a line in a song struck me like a lightning bolt: “If you’re tired of the same old story, turn some pages.” Yes, I’ve heard that song many times in the past 20 years, but it never hit me like that. I knew in my heart that I was tired of the same old story: being fat, hating myself for being fat, soothing/numbing myself with junk food, having low energy, not sleeping well and not being able to fit into most of my clothes. In the three months before my epiphany, I had a tragic loss in my family, and gained 15 pounds to be the fattest I’ve ever been. To numb myself, I’d go to McDonald’s, sometimes up to three times in one day. A few weeks before the REO moment, I asked myself if I was ready to give up that lifestyle; my answer to me was No. At the concert, I came up with a Yes! I was tired of living that way. I started Camp Gladiator boot camp a few days later and joined a challenge to work out, eat well, take supplements and drink lots of water. That 24-day period helped clear my body and mind of all the sugar and chemicals from years of industrial food. Blessing upon blessing, I discovered Nina Planck and Real Food, and now I feel fantastic. It’s amazing how fast a body can rebound. I’m still loving Camp Gladiator, eating real food and am soaking up information like a sponge. I hope this helps! Be well.
Hey I found your blog via Primal Toad’s. Have added you to my links!
Hey, Dan – welcome!
Is it weird that I get cravings for that “American” Franken-cheese stuff way more than I do for the bread? Weird or not, there’s nothing like that stuff to top off a burger or perfectly round egg and a piece of Canadian bacon.
Yep, I worked in all of North America’s signature foods in only two sentences!
Speaking of franken-cheese stuff, my husband used to be a commercial photographer, and on a food shoot one of the restaurant ingredients was actually labeled “cheese food.” No thank you.