Renewable Revolution

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SNIPPET 1:

By Dr. Mercola

When talking about fast food giants, nothing can be bigger – and more infamous – than McDonald's. Those two "golden arches" sign are so abundant and so well-known all over the world, that some toddlers can even recognize it even before they are able to speak full sentences.

In 2014, over 36,258 McDonald's restaurants operate worldwide,1 serving over 69 million people every day. From its humble beginnings in the 1940s, the brand has now grown to be a multi-billion dollar company with an estimated value of over $85 billion.

And the fast food's most popular menu item? The burgers.

According to The Fiscal Times, McDonald's sells 75 burgers every second.2 That amounts to over 2.36 billion burgers per year – roughly the equivalent of eating a million cows.3

For many people, nothing seems wrong with eating a McDonald's hamburger. After all, it looks and tastes the same as other burger patties, and the added convenience makes it a much sought-after meal for busy people, those who are on-the-go, or those who simply do not have time to cook food at home.

But considering just how much burger patties are sold per day, haven't you ever wondered just how McDonald's hamburgers are made and, more importantly, what they're made of?

Even more disturbing are the reports of McDonald's burgers that do not decompose or rot for weeks, months, or even years after they've been cooked. 


SNIPPET 2:

McDonald's Beef Comes from Factory Farms   


Even if it is true that McDonald's burgers do not contain preservatives or additives (which I seriously doubt), this does not excuse the fact that McDonald's meat actually comes from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Not only are cows and other livestock in these factory farms made to live in unsanitary and inhumane conditions, but they are also given antibiotics and growth hormones to make them grow faster and more resistant to disease. In fact, nearly 25 million pounds of antibiotics are administered to livestock in the US every year.

These antibiotics, along with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are transferred to you every time you eat CAFO meat – and sometimes even through the animal manure used as crop fertilizer. Two million Americans become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria every year, causing at least 23,000 deaths.11

What's worse, antibiotic-resistant disease is not the only danger brought on by CAFOs. Excessive exposure to antibiotics and regularly eating antibiotic-laced CAFO meats also harms your gastrointestinal health, predisposing you to virtually any disease.

But it's not just the hamburger meat   that's really problematic...



Here's Why McDonald's Bun Stays Mold-Free for Years 

McDonald's patty's long life may be because of its sodium content, but what about the bun? Bread typically stays fresh for several days, but have you ever heard of one that stays mold-free for years? Yet that's exactly what happened with the McDonald's bun.

I believe that this is because McDonald's bun is lightyears away from freshly baked bread you make at home – in fact, it is a "bread-like" concoction that bears no actual resemblance to natural bread (except for its appearance, obviously). Just take a look at the ingredients used in McDonald's buns:

"Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% or Less: Salt, Wheat Gluten, Leavening (Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate), May Contain One or More Dough Conditioners (Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Mono and Diglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Calcium Peroxide), Calcium Propionate (Preservative)."

These ingredients should clearly offer clues as to why the burgers stay blemish-free and "fresh" for years. But what's more alarming is that they can also open your eyes to the potential health ramifications you may experience if you eat a McDonald's hamburger. For example, calcium sulfate, also known as plaster of Paris, can possibly cause digestive problems. Meanwhile, ammonium sulfate is known to cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea due to gastrointestinal irritation.

Full article:

http://articles.mercola.com/mcdonalds-hamburger.aspx