nutrition

The Double Down sandwich, in the wild. (Photo courtesy Foodgeekery.com)

KFC has decided that in a triumph of corporate profit over heart disease, the Double Down Sandwich—two cheeses, “special sauce” and bacon, in a “bun” made of fried chicken—debuts today across the entire chain.

Meanwhile, their stores can’t keep enough of their healthier grilled chicken in stock to satisfy demand, at least from the information I’ve gathered.

From my previous take on the Double Down, The War to Break Your Willpower:

Remember that old Jack-In-The-Box ad where the focus group says that their only problem with a meat-and-cheese sandwich is that it has a bun? KFC has listened to that focus group.

And even the Canadians are laughing at us (although they shouldn’t: I give you poutine). When a KFC spokesperson has to step in and calm people down by offering a corporate estimate of “only” 590 calories and 31g of fat (that means the calories are half fat), there’s a problem.

This is why it’s incredibly hard to stick to a diet in America. You can’t turn on a TV for five minutes without a pitch for fast food, usually involving an oversized American portion of meat, accompanied by photos of something that looks nothing like what they’ll actually serve you. It’s a quick fix for hunger that is harmful to you in every other way. The recipes are not created out of some sort of food artistry — they’re designed to make you come in and buy. If it takes more fat and salt to do that, they’ll be happy to put more fat and salt in there.

What Can You Do?

• Keep your house full of fresh, good food.
• Eat 5-6 meals a day, so you are never really hungry.
• Make yourself understand the calorie, fat and sodium content of a fast-food meal.
• When you get a craving for something you see on TV, eat something similar at home. In this case, grill or bake some chicken breasts with herbs or spices.

That last one is really important. You should have a recipe you like for something close to what you most often crave. My weakness is burgers, so I periodically grill some with grass-fed ground sirloin mixed with onions and spices. There are a huge number of healthy chicken recipes out there – if you can keep from from frying it, a chicken breast is one of the staples of a nutritious diet.

The key is to have tasty, healthy choices close at hand and by getting the regular exercise that will make you crave nutritious food.

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Posted by Michael in Health & Fitness