1. Partially Hydrogenated Oils (19 menu items): These oils have no place in our food, as the main source of trans fats in our diet that has been unequivocally linked to heart disease and death. Until the FDA finally bans it,
this ingredient should be voluntarily removed. Why should they wait for
the FDA to force them to take it out when they already don’t use it in
other countries? McDonald’s uses partially hydrogenated oil in
their “liquid margarine” that’s used to cook their eggs – and even their
“egg whites” that are advertised as a healthier option. You’ll find it
in virtually all of their breakfast items with either an egg or biscuit,
like Egg McMuffins, Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel, and even in their
low-calorie “Egg White Delight”.
2. Artificial Colors or Caramel Color (31 menu items):
Artificial colors are an easy ingredient to ditch, since they don’t
serve a purpose other than making “food” look better. These ingredients
are on EWG’s Dirty Dozen Food Additives list, because caramel coloring is associated with cancer and there’s ongoing debate about the effects of artificial colors
on children’s behavior. I’m a sucker for good ice cream, but McDonald’s
doesn’t have it. McDonald’s chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry shakes
are all artificially colored with either Red 40 or Yellow 5. Their
“McCafe” mochas and chocolate chip frappes are tainted with artificial
color Red 40 and caramel coloring. They also add caramel color to their
“healthy” items like oatmeal and 8-Grain English Muffin (that’s used in
the Egg White Delight), probably to make them look darker and more
healthful.
3. Azodicarbonamide (aka The Yoga Mat Chemical) (30 menu items): This ingredient has been dropping like flies ever since I petitioned Subway
to remove it from their bread. Pizza Hut, Bimbo Bakeries, Martin’s
Potato Bread, Nature’s Own, Olive Garden, Starbucks, and Publix Grocery
Store have announced they also have plans to remove the chemical from
their products – and I think McDonald’s should be next. The EWG supported my petition because, “It is an industrial chemical added to bread for the convenience of industrial bakers,” and “EWG
recommends that consumers take steps to avoid the industrial additive
ADA in their food. It is an unnecessary ingredient, its use has raised
concerns about occupational exposure, and questions remain about its
potential risk to consumers. EWG also calls on all manufacturers to
immediately end its use in food”. Nearly every sandwich at
McDonald’s is still made with a bun that contains azodicarbonamide, from
their most basic hamburger to the classic Big Mac.
4. Carrageenan (44 menu items): The Cornucopia Institute,
has completed an in-depth analysis regarding the safety of this
ingredient and subsequently petitioned the FDA to
remove carrageenan from the “Generally Regarded As Safe” or GRAS
determination. According to Cornucopia, animal studies show that “food-grade
carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of
intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors”.
McDonald’s adds carrageenan to “crispy chicken” items like the Crispy
Chicken Classic Sandwich and the Crispy Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap. You’ll
also find carrageenan in their vanilla ice cream, McFlurries, Shakes,
and in some breakfast sandwiches like the Sausage, Egg & Cheese
McGriddles.
5. High Fructose Corn Syrup (30 menu items): This type of sweetener has been shown to contribute more to obesity and diabetes
than regular cane sugar (sucrose). Even if you don’t drink a Coke at
McDonald’s, you’ll likely eat something with High Fructose Corn Syrup.
It’s in most of the sauces that are slathered on their burgers, the
Southwest Chicken wrap, and it’s mixed into their shakes and frappes.
Not included in my count, but it’s also found in some of the dipping
sauces that come with Chicken McNuggets such as the Sweet n’ Sour, BBQ,
and ketchup.
6. Soybean Oil (65 menu items): Soybean oil is processed to death (usually with toxic hexane) and is very high in omega-6 fatty acids that are associated with an increased the risk of
inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. I
was downright shocked at the number of items that contain soybean oil
at McDonald’s, and it would be a shorter list if I just summarized where
you won’t find it! That’s because soybean oil is used in their fried
items, buns, eggs, tortillas, and sauces – it’s pretty much impossible
to avoid at McDonald’s.
7. TBHQ & Dimethylpolysiloxane (27 menu items):
They use both of these ingredients in the oil in their fryers – but
only in North America! TBHQ is a synthetic preservative that McDonald’s
competitor Chick-fil-A is finally dumping, as it’s truly unnecessary. TBHQ is derived from petroleum and eating only 1 gram has been shown to cause all sorts of issues, from asthma to allergies, dermatitis, dizziness and it has even been linked to cancer. Dimethylpolysiloxane, the “silly putty” ingredient, simply doesn’t
belong in food, and McDonald’s doesn’t use it in their fryers in other
countries. So, why use it here? You’ve probably heard about its use in
McDonald’s french fries and McNuggets, but you may not realize that it’s
in other fried items like the Filet-O-Fish, Crispy Chicken Salads and
Crispy Chicken McWraps.
8. BHA & Propyl Gallate (10 menu items): You’re
not starting your day off right with these risky preservatives found in
many breakfast items at McDonald’s. These preservatives are used
together by McDonald’s and are both on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen List of Food Additives to avoid. BHA has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor and is believed to be a carcinogen, as BHA has caused tumors in animal studies. Propyl gallate has also been associated
with tumors and endocrine disruption. You’ll find both of these
ingredients in their Sausage Egg McMuffins, Sausage McGriddles, and Big
Breakfasts.
9. Hidden MSG, Yeast Extract, Hydrolyzed Protein (23 menu items): Instead of adding straight-up monosodium glutamate (MSG) to their food, they sneak in other additives (yeast extract and hydrolyzed proteins)
that contain free glutamic acid, the main component of MSG. These
ingredients are purely used to make you crave their food and eat more
than you should, and are excitotoxins
that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. McDonald’s
adds these to Chicken McNuggets and Chicken Selects chicken strips,
along with some burger sauces like the Big Mac sauce and Buttermilk
Ranch sauce. You’ll even find it in salads with crispy chicken.
10. Sodium Phosphate (56 menu items): This preservative is
so commonly used that if you eat processed food, you likely eat it
daily. That doesn’t mean it’s safe. When you eat phosphate additives
often, it can lead to excessive levels of phosphate in the blood and puts you at risk
of chronic kidney disease, increased mortality, heart disease, and
accelerated aging. The EWG also warns that sodium phosphate is an additive to avoid.
This preservative is used in all of their cheese slices and in their
ice cream, so all burgers with cheese and shakes contain it. It also
preserves the crispy chicken used in McWraps and salads.
11. Cellulose (30 menu items): Ground breaking research links this additive to weight gain, inflammation and digestive problems. As reported by CBS News, “A
new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, finds evidence
that these chemicals in food can alter the gut bacteria, or microbiome,
potentially causing intestinal inflammation which makes a person more
likely to develop inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome and
significant weight gain”. McDonald’s adds cellulose to the shredded
cheese in their McWraps, their Sausage Breakfast Burrito, biscuits,
shakes, smoothies and ice cream.
12: DATEM (30 menu items): The
acronym “DATEM” stands for “Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of
Monoglycerides”, and it’s a dough conditioner that is usually derived
from soybean or canola oil (GMO crops). This ingredient can be a hidden form of deadly trans fat in
our food that most people don’t know about. Just like partially
hydrogenated oils, these artificial trans fats have been linked to heart
disease and the CDC attributes them to up to “7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year in the U.S”! This chemical
invention is clearly not a necessary ingredient in bread, but you’ll
find it in most of McDonald’s buns and in their english muffins.
read more: http://foodbabe.com/2015/03/27/everyone-still-eats-mcdonalds-even-wont-admit/
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