Are you buying your children happy meals? You won’t be so happy when you read what are in these meals.

San Francisco’s has already made nutritional changes, and now a NYC Councilman, Leroy Comrie is proposing a bill to ban Happy Meals as well as other fast foods that are nutritionally deficient and marketed directly to kids. This is a great start, but what about all the artificial and synthetic ingredients that are dangerous to our children’s health. 

Why You Should Never Feed Your Kid a McDonald’s Happy Meal

Chicken nuggets:

“White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary).

Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch.

Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.”

-TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone): TBHQ comes from petroleum and is related to butane. This can be toxic and also cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ear, delirium and collapse. It is shown to cause stomach cancer in lab rats, fragment DNA and cause damage to humane lung and umbilical cells. In children it can cause anxiety, restlessness, and intensify the symptoms of ADHD. 

-Hydrogenated soybean oil: Is an unnatural man-made fat (from one of the most unhealthy oils-soybean oil) that causes cellular dysfunction. This dysfunction can cause cancer, autoimmune disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, heart disease, bone degeneration, increased levels of “bad” cholesterol and decreased levels of “good” cholesterol, reduces immune function, creates reproductive problems and causes interference with our body’s ability to utilize omega-3 fats.

-Modified starch: This is treated with acid to lower viscosity. These starches are difficult for the body to digest. The gluten in modified starch can make celiac disease worse and people can be allergic to it. It may lower blood sugar levels making it dangerous for diabetics. Modified starch may interfere with blood sugar levels during and after surgery and should be avoided 2 weeks before scheduled surgery. Physical discomforts from ingesting this starch include, nausea, gas, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, bloating and vomiting.

-Sodium phosphate: Trace amounts of arsenic can be found in sodium phosphate which is a carcinogen. It can also cause kidney problems, dizziness, vomiting and dehydration

-Dimethyl ploysiloxane is a form of silicone used as an anti-foaming agent found in Silly Putty, caulking agents, sealants, cosmetics and McNuggets.

-Corn oil and corn starch are derived from corn. As of 2012, 94% of non-organic corn is genetically modified. 60 countries have completely banned GMOs but here in the USA, labeling requirements have been up to the discretion of each state.
McDonalds purchases over 3.4 billion pounds of pesticide drenched potatoes every year. These chemicals include pendimethalin, PCNB, 2,4-D and chlorothalonil. The U.S Enviornental Protection Agengy categorized these chemicals as “highly toxic, probably carcinogens”.

French fries ingredients

Potatoes, canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, safflower oil, natural beef flavor, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate, citrus acid, Dimethyl ploysiloxane, vegetable oil, TBHQ

-Sodium acid pyrophosphate is used to keep the color (of the french fries in this case) looking fresh. On the chemical industry’s safety data sheet this ingredient is listed as “hazardous for ingestion”.  

TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone): TBHQ comes from petroleum and is related to butane. This can be toxic and also cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ear, delirium and collapse. It is shown to cause stomach cancer in lab rats, fragment DNA and cause damage to humane lung and umbilical cells. In children it can cause anxiety, restlessness, and intensify the symptoms of ADHD.

-Hydrogenated soybean oil: Is an unnatural man-made fat (from one of the most unhealthy oils-soybean oil) that causes cellular dysfunction. This dysfunction can cause cancer, autoimmune disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, heart disease, bone degeneration, increased levels of “bad” cholesterol and decreased levels of “good” cholesterol, reduces immune function, creates reproductive problems and causes interference with our body’s ability to utilize omega-3 fats.

-Dimethyl ploysiloxane is a form of silicone used as an anti-foaming agent found in Silly Putty, caulking agents, sealants, cosmetics and McNuggets.

A Russian consumer rights’ group files a lawsuit against McDonalds. The consumer groups say McDonald’s milkshakes are “falsely named because they contain very little milk”. Analysis of McDonald’s milkshakes report these cold drinks are more vegetable oil than any dairy product.

McDonald’s strawberry milkshake ingredients

59 ingredients in this popular milkshake flavor, but no strawberries!
Milkfat and nonfat milk, sugar, sweet whey, high-fructose corn syrup, guar gum, monoglycerides and diglycerides, cellulose gum, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, citric acid, E129 and artificial strawberry flavor.

-Sodium phosphate: Trace amounts of arsenic can be found in sodium phosphate which is a carcinogen. It can also cause kidney problems, dizziness, vomiting and dehydration

-Mono and diglycerides: are food additives that are used to combine fats and water within the product. Many different chemicals are used in the manufacturing process of creating this food additive. Many of the chemicals can still be found in the final product. Other compounds used for creating mono and diglycerides are, tartaric acid, synthetic lactic acid, nickel, ricinus fatty acids and sodium hydroxide which all pose health risks of their own.

-Sugar and corn sugar (high fructose corn syrup). Rats fed HFCS gained 300% more fat than those being fed (even slightly more amounts of) regular sugar or sugar from fruit. It also fattens your heart with bad cholesterol, causing plaque build up, leading to hypertension, heart disease and even stroke. Liver, gallbladder and kidneys process HFCS. It is highly destructive to the liver and can cause fatty liver. Scarring of the liver diminishes its ability to process out toxins that will make you sick. HFCS is also high in Mercury levels. Exposure (in young, growing children especially) can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage.

-Carrageenan: lowers blood pressure, slows blood clotting, causes intestinal lesions, ulceration and malignant tumors.
In the past 4 decades, Scientists have repeatedly warned carrageenan is not safe for human consumption

-The artificial strawberry flavoring alone contains these chemicals:
Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethylpropionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2-butanone (10% solution in alcohol), ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylace-tophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphtyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, undecalactone, rum ether, rose, vanillin and solvent.

I’m NOT “lovin’ it”!!