After visiting the beautiful sights of Venice, taking a romantic trip on the gondola with my fellow Emory friends, and gambling in the Casino Venezia late into the night, I returned to Siena tired and full of hunger from the long journey. I decided to go for some fast food by Siena’s bus station. That’s right. I got me some Mickey D’s.
The entire time I was devouring those chicken McNuggets, all I could think about was the HCA article we read in class from the National Cancer Institute. More importantly, I thought about what a great decision I made for dinner.
Heterocyclic amines are formed from cooking muscle meats and are carcinogenic, placing us at risk for stomach cancer. Cooking muscle meats during high temperature is one method that influences HCA formation. A research conducted showed that HCA content increases three times when the temperature rises from 200 to 250 degrees Celsius.
However, a study that evaluated HCA content in fast food restaurants concluded that low levels of HCA were found their meat products due to cooking temperature and the amount of time. What’s more surprising is that the study showed that one gets greater exposure to HCA by cooking at home or eating at a nice dine in restaurant since the meat is cooked at higher temperatures for longer periods of time. Surprising, huh?
If more people learn about how HCA content level is less in fast food chain restaurants, what will become of this world? Already, so many people consume fast food on a daily basis for lunch and even at times, for dinner. Obesity is a huge problem in the United States in the first place. I doubt that a huge difference has been observed since people barely read nowadays (I know I am one of them), but I would like to see some statistics on how much fast food consumption has increased recently after acquiring knowledge on this topic.
Either way, dinner at Mickey D’s was a fine choice, both exquisite and cheap. What more can I ask for?
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After reading this article and post, one must look at the tradeoff between eating fast food and better cooked meat. On one hand eating fast food and reducing HCA exposure can be both good for the body and delicious. However, is eating food that is loaded with fat, calories, preservatives, and other harmful substances the real solution? I think more research could be done to see how to reduce HCA content in cooked meats because then they would undoubtedly be the best option.
ReplyDeleteThat's brilliant Imran, and I can agree with you whole-heartedly on the deliciousness of McDonald's. However, I also agree with Rajiv in the frightening truth behind the quality of meat served at McDonald's. The tradeoff between caloric intake and meat quality is something that should greatly be considered, however, in a time where the economy is doing so poorly, we must try and use our money as wise as possible. Granted, a delicious 800g steak is something that I would always be willing to devour, spending 32 Euro on such a fine treat will surely make a dent in my wallet. Ultimately, when push comes to shove and I am near Piazza Gramsce, there is a guarantee that I will be eating at McDonald's.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed by this article, very good point Imran. It is crucial for our healthy to have a balanced meal and as Rajiv and Sameer said there are a lot of factors on here: How much money is in your pockets, the taste of the food, the quality of the food and also the nutritional value of it. The article about the little content of HCA in well cooked meat was very informative and practical but people (especially fast food lovers) may take it as a good excuse for consuming Big Macs in excess. I think that even though you could benefit from the McDonalds food in terms of HCA intake, it is not enough to overwhelm the amazing content of calories which could lead to severe cardiac problems in the future.
ReplyDeleteBy the way boys,
ReplyDeleteI got me some Mickey D's tonight too!!! mmmhhmm....that double cheeseburger had never tasted so delicious!!!
Luis makes some good points. I encourage all of you to read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. He is also the author of Reefer Madness. I recommend both books. Fast Food Nation predated Super Size Me and some other more widely publicized exposés.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455