Hitting the Refresh Button on Fast Food
Like any savvy business, restaurants keep an eye on trends to see what consumers are asking for. And lately, what they’re asking for is healthy food.
While diet items have been available at eateries for a while now, many healthy options are applied haphazardly. Often, the offerings include vegetables drenched in high-fat or high sugar dressings and batters or low-fat options that trade taste for lower calories. Chemical and highly-processed substitutions also leave diners with few options if they’re hoping to keep to diets.
That’s changing. Starting with a few niche places, like a’Bravo Bistro in the Green Bay area, restaurants are beginning to provide honestly healthy options. Specifically, there has been a recent boost in low-carb menu offerings, reflecting a consumer swing toward ketogenic diets.
India’s Lovin’ It
With a large consumer base, India is the perfect testing ground for healthier menus. For the last few years, Indian restaurants have begun offering diet options, including vegetarian, paleo, vegan and, yes, keto dishes.
This is why it’s no surprise that McDonald's’ has chosen India to launch its new low-carb initiative.2 In April the Indian branch of the company sent out a volley of tweets to announce the new changes. In addition to lowering the sodium content in their fries and promising whole grain options for their wraps, they introduced a low-carb version of their McAloo Tikki.
That the major franchise has jumped aboard the low-carb trend signals an opening of more options for dieters who want to enjoy a meal out with family and friends without compromising the strict standards of the keto diet.
Happier Meals
The changes made to Indian McDonald’s mark the latest in a line of shifts in the chain’s menu policies. Starting in 2011, McDonald's began adjusting their menu to provide healthier options. They began by adjusting their Happy Meals to reduce portion sizes and trans fats. By 2013, milk replaced soda on kid menus and added more fruit and vegetables.
Though these measures had only limited success–often extra sugar was added to make up for lost fats–they show steps in the right direction. It might take a little longer before they strike a perfect balance. However, McDonald's continues to adapt to market trends.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
- McDonald's Goes Low-Carb Internationally - August 7, 2018
- Inclusive Diabetes Management Program Focuses on Low-Carb - June 21, 2018
- “The Island” Cast Member Attributes Her Success to Keto - May 31, 2018
