Sometimes having co- workers can be sad. Mine like to eat fast food. And lots of it. Its not uncommon for someone to run to Mcdonalds at about 10 am, and that is just breakfast!…Afternoons are lunch of course, and that could be anything under the sun, but its never brought from home. Needless to say, they could use some help! They are trapped in a “cannot bring food from home, must eat out” cycle, like so many others.They like to hear about what I am doing, but its tough to change habits, and I respect that.
What really peaked my interest was that one of my co-workers mentioned really enjoying the Mcdonalds new menu item, the Mcwrap. I did a little investigating, and the story of the development of the Mcwrap is fascinating. Its also a tale about how giant food companies can be a force for good if they put their minds to it. I am also challenging myself to make a very tasty vegan alternative, and the recipe will be right here on this blog in another post. But first, the story !
Mcdonald’s has a problem, and they know it. People are moving away from the “hamburger and fries” lunch to something healthier. However if you take a look at the websites for all the major fast food chains whether it is being marketed as healthier or not (think subway) you are not exactly eating health food. I just looked at both menus, and a typical subway sandwich has about 16 grams of fat, and at Mcdonalds, you get about 22grams. I am sure that most restaraunt meals total are coming in at least 30 grams of fat, which would get you in three meals a day to around 100 grams of fat, which is close to what I was consuming when I weighed 240 lbs. Now? about 40 grams of fat a day max, and its all from vegetable fruit or whole grains.
The Mcwrap, at 360 calories and 9 grams of fat,is most definitely a better choice.Its the brainchild of Mcdonald’s vice president and chef Dan Coudreat. Dan studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and is Mcdonalds chief chef. Its interesting to read about how they develop their menus. Everything is done with focus groups, and decisions about every little thing are made on the highest level. For example, just adding sliced cucumber to the Mcwrap meant the need for about 6 million pounds a year of cucumber! Also, the company requires certain foods to be paired no matter what. In the US lettuce in an item means ranch dressing, no exceptions. Talk about food nazis!
When properly prepared, the wrap takes about 60 seconds to create, which is what the company requires. Fast food has to be fast, and the new guy on the menu is no exception. But do they have a hit ? Hard to tell. Reviews are good, but the company is not touting the numbers, which could indicate that they are not getting where they want to on sales. Another sign that the mass market for “low end food” has not yet gotten the health message. But only time will tell.
But what about us? Meaning people like me that are never going to walk into a Mcdonald’s no matter what? Can we mimic the flavors of that convenient meal, without the meat? The answer is absolutely yes. You can produce, for yourself at home, something that tastes almost exactly like a Mcwrap, that has even less fat and calories than the real thing, and takes only a few minutes to boot!……
In my next post we will show you exactly how !<a
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