SUBWAY V. MCDONALDS or Poison for Lunch?

Lunch on the Run - Part One

In my work neighborhood there are all the usual fast food choices,
plus a handful of restaurants. Since the idea today is to get lunch
fast, I’m going to look at what I think ought to be some fairly safe
lunch choices.

I know I want chicken, everyone knows it’s better than beef. So
far so good. I want it on a bun, since I am in a hurry, and I want it
grilled, not fried. I know if I eat it grilled I avoid all those nasty
transfats and the hydrogenated stuff. I am feeling kind of good
about my choices but I don’t really know which I want, Subway or
McDonalds. Since both are very close, I decide to make my
decision after looking at both online.

First the Subway. Fresh baked buns, fresh ingredients, lots of
yummy vegies. So, on to the website, subway.com - once there I
choose the Menu/Nutrition tab at the top and nutrition from the
submenu. Then from the selection at the bottom marked additional
nutrition links I choose product ingredients. Since I know wheat
bread is better then white I chose wheat.

WHEAT BREAD Enriched flour (flour, malted barley flour,
niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water,
whole wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, wheat gluten, contains
less than 2% of the following: wheat bran, yeast, salt, soybean oil,
dough conditioner (acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono-and
diglycerides, ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, ascorbic acid,
azodicarbonamide, potassium iodate, amylase (enzymes)], cracked
wheat, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, caramel color (contains
sulfites), dried honey preparation (honey powder, invert sugar,
wheat starch, soy bran flour, silicon dioxide [anti-caking]), mineral
oil. Contains soy and wheat.

Wow. Who would have thought? White flour is the first
ingredient? High fructose corn syrup? Sulfites? Mineral Oil?
WTF?

Ok, the breads scary. I don’t even know what most of that stuff is
really, but the stuff I do know. YIKES.

But, I am in a hurry, and chicken is good for you, so lets add that
chicken breast now.

CHICKEN BREAST PATTY Chicken breast with rib meat,
water, seasoning (corn syrup solids, vinegar powder [maltodextrin,
modified corn starch & tapioca starch, dried vinegar], brown sugar,
salt, dextrose, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken type flavor
[hydrolyzed corn gluten, autolyzed yeast extract, partially
hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil, thiamine
hydrochloride, disodium inosinate & disodium guanylate]), sodium
phosphate.

Ok, what is the deal here. It’s a joke, right? Corn syrup, brown
sugar, MSG hidden as Hydrolyzed corn gluten and autolyzed yeast
extract, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and more of that what
the hell is it stuff.

Sigh, I am hungry, but not that darn hungry.

Ok, all hope is not lost, maybe McDonald’s is better. With hope in
my heart and rumbles in my belly I head to mcdonalds.com. Once
there I choose USA from the pull down menu in the top left corner,
then food, nutrition and fitness from the menu bar. Then Nutrition
Info and Ingredients List.

Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich:
Honey Wheat Roll, Grilled Chicken Breast Filet, Mayonnaise Dressing,
Leaf Lettuce, Tomato Slice, Liquid Margarine

Hey that looks ok, except for the liquid margarine, my doc says not
to eat that stuff. But look what was in the Subway bread, better
have a closer look.

Honey Wheat Roll:
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin,
reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, whole
wheat flour, dry honey blend (honey, high fructose corn syrup, invert
sugar, corn syrup, wheat starch), sugar, yeast, contains 2% or less of the
following: soybean oil, canola oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil,
salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, potassium iodate, L. cysteine,
monocalcium phosphate, dough conditioners (may contain one or more
of the following: DATEM, ascorbic acid, calcium peroxide, enzymes,
azodicarbonamide, distilled monoglycerides, mono- and diglycerides),
calcium propionate (preservative), soy lecithin. CONTAINS: WHEAT
AND SOY LECITHIN

Ok, I am getting worried now. White flour is the first ingredient in
the wheat roll. Honey, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar and
sugar. Geeze, is there any other sugar they could add? Just to
make it a little better they added some partially hydrogenated oil
and a whole slew of chemicals that might could be used to kill
roaches.

I’m not giving up yet, maybe the chicken’s good and I can just
throw the bun out.

Grilled Chicken Breast Filet:
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food
starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract,
hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder,
paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal
source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder,
extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates.
CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT. Prepared with liquid margarine: Liquid
soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils,
salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides,
sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor,
citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). CONTAINS: SOY
LECITHIN

I think I’ll cry. Autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed proteins, lots
of yummy MSG, a rose by any other name... hydrogenated oils, and
again with the roach spray list of other stuff.

No chicken sandwiches today.

DISCLAIMER: the ingredient lists were directly copied from the
websites of Subway and McDonald’s. I am not a doctor or
scientist. My opinion that all the food I have listed here is poison is
just that, my personal opinion. Do your own research, its only a
google click away.