Hey Heart & Soil Tribe 👋
Ever heard the story about the cheeseburger that wouldn’t die?
Story goes: Lady forgets her cheeseburger only to find it a decade later, perfectly intact.
And there are tons more of these stories online if you look.
Well, this week we’re taking a look under the hood at some of these popular fast foods that won’t die…
We already know they are some of the worst foods we can eat, but would you believe us if we told you some of these ‘foods’ have 50+ separate ingredients?
Let’s take a look 👇
McDonald’s Big Mac 🍔
Ah, the quintessential Big Mac… as American as Bruce Springsteen and Ford Mustangs…
But don’t be too quick to venerate this cultural icon, because what at first looks like just seven innocent ingredients (bun, beef patties, lettuce, sauce, cheese, pickles and onions) is actually an ultra-processed mix of 50+ ingredients, including:
- Soybean oil (in the bun and sauce)
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (in the sauce)
- Propylene Glycol Alginate (a thickening agent in the sauce)
- Potassium Aluminum Sulfate (in the pickles)
- Polysorbate 80 (in the pickles)
About the only thing worth eating in the Big Mac is the beef patty, which thankfully is 100% American beef.
See the full list of ingredients here (if you dare).
Instead of the Big Mac, make your own burgers with ground beef, pickles and some real cheese. Skip the bun.
McDonald’s French Fries 🍟
Believe it or not, McDonald’s used to cook their fries in beef tallow.
Unfortunately, in the 90’s they switched over to seed oils…
And if you’re new around here, you need to know that seed oils are some of the worst things you can put in your body.
For something as simple as french fries, you might be surprised to know there are a total of 19 ingredients, including:
- Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [wheat And Milk Derivatives]*)
- Dextrose
- Sodium Acid PyrophosphateSalt (which isn’t actually salt, because it contains Sodium Silicoaluminate and Dextrose too)
And it’s not just McDonald’s… whatever your fast food outlet of choice, the fries will be dripping in similar ingredients.
Ditch them and if you really want fries, then make your own with potatoes cooked in beef tallow.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte 🍁
Everyone loves fall, and Starbucks knows it.
They take advantage of our love affair for foliage, chunky knit scarves and crisp air by associating their Pumpkin Spice Latte with everything fall.
But the truth is, this drink contains a TON of processed sugar, with a Grande cup containing 12 teaspoons of it!
The full list of ingredients includes:
- Pumpkin Spice Sauce (contains processed sugar)
- Whipped Cream (includes carageenan, a known gut irritant)
- Vanilla Syrup (more processed sugar)
Instead, just get a normal coffee… or skip the coffee entirely and drink some raw milk and honey.
Domino’s Pizza 🍕
No matter what style of pizza you choose, you can expect to find soybean oil in the crust and sauce:
And even if you ditch the pizza and choose a salad instead, you’re still getting seed oils:
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC):
It’s just chicken and a secret blend of herbs and spices, right?
Well unfortunately not.
The list of ingredients places monosodium glutamate (MSG) ahead of spices. This popular flavor enhancer is known to induce headaches, sweating, and palpitations in many individuals.
And of course, it’s Kentucky FRIED Chicken, so what is the chicken fried in?
According to the website:
“KFC products are fried in oil which may contain the following: Canola Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added OR Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added.”
More seed oils 😞😞😞
Closing Thoughts
Our aim isn’t to single out a particular food brand or food item in this newsletter… truthfully, they’re all toxic.
And sure, what they sell may taste great in the moment, and it’s cheap and convenient…but it isn’t real food. And we know we’re not doing ourselves any favors by eating it.
In case you missed it, here’s why seed oils are some of the worst things we can put in our bodies.
Besides the seed oils and other questionable ingredients, the salty, crunchy, fatty, and sweet flavors of these products hijack the dopamine receptors in our brains, creating a “food-high”…
And then we “come down” from the “food-high”, craving more.
It’s a vicious cycle similar to what happens with many highly addictive drugs.
The quality of the food you eat determines the quality of your health, and the quality of your life.
And when you choose real food with NO ingredients, over processed food with unrecognizable ingredients, you WILL feel better.
And we know change is hard, but changing your diet does get easier with time.
When you choose healthy foods that are also incredibly tasty (like steak, honey, raw milk and fruit), then it’s easy to continue…
And because you will feel so much better, you won’t WANT to eat fast food.
Yes, it’s true that you might have to sacrifice convenience, and change some habits…
But the inconveniences of preparing your own food will ALWAYS beat the inconveniences of ill health, whether that be fatigue, diabetes, obesity, joint pain, brain fog etc.
And when you look at it this way, it becomes a no-brainer.
Besides, something as delicious and nutritious as steak can be the ultimate fast food:
- 5 minutes to cook
- 5 minutes to eat
- 5 stars for nutrition
- 5 stars for taste
Or if you’re willing to put in a little more time, it’s totally possible to make your own version of some popular fast foods, using simple and healthy ingredients:
That’s all from us this weekend!
The Heart & Soil Team
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