Lisa Nicita
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 26 2008 8:35 am
Fast food doesn't necessarily mean fat food anymore.
Beginning this week, you can hit a McDonald's drive-through and not worry about blowing your diet, long as you pick an appropriate meal.
The fast-food giant announced Monday that it has partnered with the Arizona Department of Health Services to offer eight wholesome meal choices for people on the go.
The offerings are part of the Arizona Smart Choice Program, designed to help consumers quickly the nutritional value of what they are ordering. McDonald's is the first fast-service restaurant to offer Smart Choice options.
Brad Teufel, an owner and operator of eight East Valley McDonald's restaurants, said by repackaging several existing menu items into a configuration, customers can have greater confidence that what they is nutritionally balanced.
"The availability of a healthy option is what we're encouraging," said.
Menu items that are part of the Smart Choice Program meet nutritional requirements developed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and adapted by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Each meal includes a minimum of two servings of beans or whole grains, fruits or vegetables. Meals contain fewer than 700 calories, with less than 30 percent of total calories from fat (and 15 percent of total calories from saturated fat). Items also have less than 1,500 mg of sodium.
Sound like a drag? Don't worry, burgers qualify.
Old McDonald's favorites that happen to meet the nutritional standards include the Egg McMuffin. You'll need to substitute a small orange juice for the hash browns.
And instead of fries and soda with Happy Meals, the Smart Choice option substitutes apple slices with low-fat caramel dip and an apple-juice box.
substitutes for adult meals include side salads with low-fat dressing, apple slices, and fruit and yogurt parfait.
The program might not get people to link"healthful" with "McDonald's," but Teuful said the owners of Arizona's more than 250 locations believe that participating in the Smart Choice rogram was part of the chain's social responsibility.
"It's such a difficult job to change people's perceptions," he said. "It takes the myth away that we are this bad, fat-producing wonderful restaurant. You can have an option. That's what we're trying to say."
