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It is about net calories per serving. For example a big Mac meal with soda is 1050 calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/mcdonalds-big-mac-meal-m

It is about net calories per serving. For example a big Mac meal with soda is 1050 calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/mcdonalds-big-mac-meal-medium-size-with-soda-86722281 http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/mcdonalds-big-mac-... Combine it with average daily average intake: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_food_energy_intake https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_food_en... Let's take India for example. So 2380 calories a day. The big Mac will constitute nearly 50% of calories in a meal. Then people do have other meals too - breakfast, lunch and snacks. That means the calorie count is near to 3k calories. So a 700 calories or 30% in excess to average calories consumed. If this happens for say only for weekends ie 8 days in a month. That is 5600 calories in excess. Without any exercise this is going to hit hard on the waist line and weight.

pkaye 9y ago
But there is nothing special about that McDonalds food. In India, you can buy street food which is way more caloric that a Big Mac. Fried starchy food, loads of cheese, salty sauces. And they are just as addictive as the McDonalds stuff... probably more addictive given how awesome and flavorful some of them are.
- thisisit 9y ago
  The meal was taken as a reference only. All three things you mentioned would mostly still go into the category of fast foods. So let me clarify, fast food is not a copyright trademark of McDonalds or KFC. It refers to general moving away from a properly prepared meal to using processed and easy to prepare meals.
jalayir 9y ago
> The big Mac will constitute nearly 50% of calories in a meal The big mac in India is chicken, and a lot smaller. Edit: Also, it's called The Maharaja.
- thisisit 9y ago
  I know and as I explained to the sibling comment, it was just an example. But if we are going to be pedantic about it: Mcdonalds India fact sheet: https://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/images/Nutrition-Information.pdf https://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/images/Nutrition-Information.... A meal = Maharaja Mac + Regular Fries + Regular Coke = 998 calories. So close enough.
Someone 9y ago
”It is about net calories per serving.“ I think they chose food that is cheap to buy, easy to consume and that everybody will like (for some measure of ‘everybody’ and ‘like’) That food happens to have a high ratio between number of calories and how full it makes you feel. That, in turn, allowed them to make servings larger. If a Big Mac or a soda would give you the same ‘I have eaten’ feedback as, say, raw vegetables, Macdonald’s would never have considered making servings that large (customers not finishing their meal makes the meal look bad in US culture)

pkaye 9y ago

But there is nothing special about that McDonalds food. In India, you can buy street food which is way more caloric that a Big Mac. Fried starchy food, loads of cheese, salty sauces. And they are just as addictive as the McDonalds stuff... probably more addictive given how awesome and flavorful some of them are.

thisisit 9y ago
The meal was taken as a reference only. All three things you mentioned would mostly still go into the category of fast foods. So let me clarify, fast food is not a copyright trademark of McDonalds or KFC. It refers to general moving away from a properly prepared meal to using processed and easy to prepare meals.

jalayir 9y ago

> The big Mac will constitute nearly 50% of calories in a meal The big mac in India is chicken, and a lot smaller. Edit: Also, it's called The Maharaja.

thisisit 9y ago
I know and as I explained to the sibling comment, it was just an example. But if we are going to be pedantic about it: Mcdonalds India fact sheet: https://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/images/Nutrition-Information.pdf https://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/images/Nutrition-Information.... A meal = Maharaja Mac + Regular Fries + Regular Coke = 998 calories. So close enough.

Someone 9y ago

”It is about net calories per serving.“ I think they chose food that is cheap to buy, easy to consume and that everybody will like (for some measure of ‘everybody’ and ‘like’) That food happens to have a high ratio between number of calories and how full it makes you feel. That, in turn, allowed them to make servings larger. If a Big Mac or a soda would give you the same ‘I have eaten’ feedback as, say, raw vegetables, Macdonald’s would never have considered making servings that large (customers not finishing their meal makes the meal look bad in US culture)