Swimming Against the Fast Food Tide

   Harvey's has come up with a new addition to their burgers, and it's one that gets the nod from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest. The new burger on the block is their Grilled Salmon burger. It has about 320 calories, if you have it WITHOUT mayo. The CSPI says the burger has only 2 grams of "bad fat" , including 0.2 grams of trans fat. Compare that with 13 grams in a McDonald's Big Mac.The sodium count is 810 mg which is not so good, but again, compare it to the Big Mac which brings you 1,250 mg of sodium. The human adult actually needs 500 to 1000 milligrams of sodium per day for regulation of fluid balance, contraction of muscles and conduction of nerve impulses. A daily sodium intake between 1,100 and 3,300 milligrams, or approximately ½ to 1½ teaspoons of table salt, is considered safe. The average American, however, consumes 2,500 to 5,000 milligrams per day. This at the same time as many are being advised by their doctors to reduce sodium in their diet in order to help lower high blood pressure and lessen the likelihood of a stroke. What's incredible to learn is that the incidence of strokes among children is on the rise. Put that together with the increasing numbers who make more and more of their meals from fast foods. Doctors say that one of your best defences is to read the labels on foods, but there is no labelling offered on the food at a chain like McDonald's or Harvey's. Shouldn't the writing be on the wall? Fast food chains should be required to show this kind of info for their offerings, right up there beside the menu and the prices. If you really want a fast food meal, skip the regular burger and fries. The CSPI suggests in their November 2004 issue that you head to Harvey's and order a salmon burger and salad.
   One thing more, though. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the drive-thru lane ... have you thought about asking where that salmon comes from? Don't forget that farmed salmon is heavy with contaminants. Toxin levels are highest in farmed salmon from North Europe, but you don't want the farmed salmon from North America, either. If they tell you it's "Atlantic salmon", run screaming for the nearest exit, because that's just another way to say "farmed salmon". The best is wild salmon, but since that is more expensive than its farmed cousin, I wonder if Harvey's would consider its use as sufficiently kind to their profit margin? I think you can probably see that making the decision to 'eat smarter' by ordering that salmon burger is not such a simple decision, after all.