How many of you have seen the commercial advertising McDonald's new Fruit and Maple Oatmeal? If you haven't seen it, you can check out the latest addition to the menu at McDonalds or check out a clip of the commercial on YouTube.
Most of you are probably amazed that McDonald's would offer such a healthy option on their menu. You might also be thinking they are playing it smart by offering this new breakfast during the "New Year Resolution" season. All the same, I wanted to see what this breakfast was all about.
Here is what I found....
McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal Ingredients
Oatmeal:
Whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, food starch-modified, salt, natural maple flavor with other natural flavor (plant source), barley malt extract, caramel color.
Diced Apples:
Apples, calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C to maintain freshness and color).
Cranberry Raisin Blend:
Dried sweetened cranberries (sugar, cranberries), California raisins, golden raisins, sunflower oil, sulfur dioxide (preservative).
Light Cream:
Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, datem, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate, carrageenan.
CONTAINS: MILK.
Okay, so some of you are saying to yourself, "So what." Well, let's look at the ingredient list if I made the same dish at home.
Homemade Fruit and Maple Oatmeal Ingredients:
Oatmeal:
Whole grain rolled oats, pure maple syrup
Diced Apples:
Apples
Raisin Blend:
California raisins, golden raisins
Milk:
Milk
Do you see the difference? No preservatives, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors. Just REAL food. One of my favorite sayings is: "If you don't know what you are eating, your body probably doesn't know what you are eating." And if your body doesn't know what you are eating it doesn't know what to do with it, so it will just store it somewhere - probably as fat.
Notice the homemade version does not have to have sugar. Did you know, refined white sugar is over 99.9% sucrose and for all practical purposes contains no nutritional elements such as vitamins, minerals, proteins or fibers. This accounts for expressions such as "empty calories" and "junk food."
But what about the pure maple syrup? Isn't that the same as sugar? Well, not exactly. Pure maple syrup is composed of balanced sugars, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. The majority of the minerals making up pure maple syrup are potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. The vitamins present in pure maple syrup are PP (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B2 (Riboflavin), Folic Acid, B6 (Pyridoxine), Biotin, and Vitamin A. I would much rather have pure maple syrup than refined white sugar.... and whatever the natural maple flavor and other natural flavors are! And just to clarify, I am talking about 100% pure maple syrup, not the imitations you usually find at the supermarket loaded with artificial colors, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup.
Side note: The Vermont Agency of Agriculture noticed the ingredients of McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal. They requested McDonald's to change the ingredients to include honest to goodness real maple syrup. According to the state law, if they don't add maple syrup, they will have to change the name of their new breakfast oatmeal by taking out the word "maple."
Now don't get me wrong, if you find yourself at McDonald's needing to make a "healthy" choice, this is probably the way to go. However, I just want people to realize what they are eating. You could make a much healthier version of this breakfast at home in the time you would wait in line at the drive-thru.
At our house, we eat oatmeal 6 days a week for breakfast. I put water in the tea kettle and put it on the stove. By the time I finish measuring out oatmeal in our individual bowls, the tea kettle is whistling at me. Just add the hot water to the oatmeal and Wha-laa! Oatmeal for everyone in no time at all! And everyone can add their favorite toppings. Mine is two scoops of applesauce and cinnamon. My husband likes to add honey and milk. ;)
What are your favorite toppings?
Source:
McDonald's
USDA
WCAX
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