In a bid to reinvent its image, McDonald's added kale salad to its menu. However, many experts said that the leafy green combo is much unhealthier than a Big Mac because it contains more calories, fat and salt.
Health experts said they applauded McDonald's for including kale on their food choices because this type of cabbage contains useful vitamins. However, they were disappointed how the restaurant sabotaged their own nutrient-enhanced meals.
The experts are concern about the food combination because once the Asiago Caesar dressing is added to the salad, the meal will be filled with a whopping 1,400 milligrams of salt, 53 grams of fat and 730 calories -- making the chain's "Keep Calm, Caesar On" totally unhealthy.
That's worse than the Double Big Mac because it's a "fat and sodium overload," according to a Toronto-based dietitian, Shauna Lindzon. "By eating that salad, you're getting your sodium for the day," she added to CBC News. "Putting kale into the menu doesn't mean you're getting a healthy choice."
And to ingest the same number of calories, you need to eat three McDonald's regular hamburgers, Lindzon added. Hence, she recommended that people should only use half of the dressing to cut the fat and calories.
Lindzon further added that McDonald's lightest chicken kale salad is also not a nutritional winner too. "One serving of "I'm Greek-ing Out" is just like eating a double cheeseburger as it contains 420 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 1,080 milligrams of sodium," she said.
Nevertheless, Adam Grachnik, McDonald's spokesman said their customers can modify their menu if they want it to be healthier. Customers can opt for a salad without dressing or they can order a burger without bun. They can even "choose their chicken protein crispy or grilled," he added.
It was last year when CEO Steve Easterbrook announced that he wants to turn McDonald's to a "modern, progressive burger company." With that being said, the fast food giant introduced kale salad in the U.S.
