That new Burger King Sandwich and the Today Show

[Liza]

Almost forgot to post a message.

Did anyone see the Today Show this morning? They talked about this new sandwich from Burger King that has like 730 Calories. They had a guest on today who said when asked by Matt Lauer if anyone could use a sandwich like this that there was NO ONE that could use a sandwich like this. Ooooohhhh that made me so mad. People like here get companies to take away so much from their food as it is. Why don't people THINK before opening thier big mouth. Do some research for heavens sake. I e-mailed Matt Lauer and let him know that there are people out here that could use a sandwich like that. Sure it may not be the most healthy thing CF'ers could eat but sometimes you eat what you can to get the calories in.

I just had to vent. Anyone else want to let them have an ear full great!

Liza
(mom of 2 teen girls w/CF)

 

[NoDayButToday]

I agree!! New Jersey has this bill I heard about on the news that they want to pass, where nutritional values are on all restaurant menus. I was thinking, "Okay, that's not bad", until they said "The hope is, wth the nutritional information on the menu, restaurants will use less cream, butter and other fattening ingredients in their food." I was mad.

 

[S]

Well, there are around 30,000 people with cf, right? I'm guessing that a majority of people that will eat that nastiness are "healthy" people, that have no reason whatsoever to put that near their mouths. Our country is already huge, do we need to get bigger? I was recently in Paris and saw maybe 2 or 3 overweight people in the week I spent there. I walk around my hometown and it is more like 50% of the people are fat. Drink a couple boost plus shakes if you need calories, then at least you get some nutritional value.

 

[cfgirl38]

Let us know if you hear anything from them. I have often wondered why they do all these talk shows and I have not seen anyone interview a CF'er or how CF affacts a family and community or transplants with lungs or anything. I think we should all email campaign to let them know were all out here since CF is being more and more diagnosed. People should be educated on a larger scale. I know on OPRAH.com they have show ideas. I have emailed them on it. Haven't heard anything but at least they have the idea which hasn't been done.

 

[serendipity730]

I understand where you guys are coming from, but certainly a burger with like 25 g of sat. fat is not the best thing for anyone. Just because we have CF doesn't mean we can't have high cholesterol (which is highly genetic.) Keep that in mind.

 

[Dea]

Actually, high cholesterol isnt a big thing with CFers...because our bodies dont digest anything properly...including fats. I know each individual with CF is different...but someone with digestive probs...doesnt really have to worry about high cholesterol. Thats why the docs recommend foods high in fat as well...such as butter, mayo, sour creams, etc.
Dea

 

[ClashPunk82]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Dea</b></i><br>Actually, high cholesterol isnt a big thing with CFers...because our bodies dont digest anything properly...including fats. I know each individual with CF is different...but someone with digestive probs...doesnt really have to worry about high cholesterol. Thats why the docs recommend foods high in fat as well...such as butter, mayo, sour creams, etc.

Dea<hr></blockquote>

Exactly. My doctor has always told me that we basically don't need to worry about that since CFer's don't tend to have high cholesterol. That's why can eat whatever we want since most of it we don't absorb anyway! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">

 

[Mockingbird]

I know where you're coming from. It gets sooo frustrating when everything in the stores is low fat, no fat, low calories, low carb, etc. Like yogurt, almost all yogurt is low fat now. I know of only one company that still makes it regular. I realize a majority of America is way too fat, and people are such idiots the only way to get them to possibly lose weight is to limit their choices so they can't buy anything else, but they were the ones who chose to eat unhealthy in the first place (most of them, some of it is genetics, and that's okay). I'm not coming up with a solution to the problem or anything, just pointing out who is to blame. =-) It's all their fault! life's no fair! *temper tantrum, stomping feet, throwing valuable and breakable things* Okay, I feel better now.

Jarod
22 w/cf

 

[NoDayButToday]

I just wanted to point something out that is kind of interesting. The Whopper from Burger King is 700 calories, so this new sandwich only has 30 more calories, which in the scheme of things is equivalent to 1/4 of a snack size package of pudding-- which is not much. If they are all up in arms over this sandwich, it's sort of inconsistent to let the Whopper slide by.

 

[anonymous]

I actually think that Mallory Code, a Cfer that is VERY good at golf was on the Today Show a few years back...too bad they didn't remember the interview with her...I am certain she mentioned how much she has to eat to keep up her weight. By the way, if you haven't heard of her you should read up on her...she is amazing and definitely does a lot for CF! <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0"><img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">

 

[thefrogprincess]

A sandwich like that, while it might be ok to eat it for us, is a heart attack in a cardboard box for most people. My dad just had bypass surgery today and all the egg mcmuffins he ate were a big part of his arteries being clogged up with colesteral.

 

[Emily65Roses]

But it's the same idea as smokers with cigarettes. If they cared enough about taking better care of their health, they could stop smoking / avoid boxed heart attacks. They shouldn't ban foods that are that high in calories just because this entire country is obese and people can't control their eating. They don't ban cigarettes, why try to eradicate fattening food? If you ask me, smoking is worse. In my opinion, they can start banning certain burgers or companies like Burger King altogether... the minute they make smoking tobacco illegal.

 

[anonymous]

<a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newmorningtv.tv/todaysshow_092402.jsp
">http://www.newmorningtv.tv/todaysshow_092402.jsp
</a>
The Today Show has interviewed a CF patient in 2002....attachment above. Sooooo, they know about the disease and have forgotten about the digestive part. Not that we can expect them to remember all of their interviews, or take them into consideration when they run stories, BUT, we hope they listen to your emails....anyway, if you all haven't heard of or read about Mallory Code, you should. She is a remarkable young woman who does A LOT for CF.<img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0"><img src="i/expressions/present.gif" border="0">

 

[kybert]

coll in regards to the nutritional info, in australia more fast food places are putting nutritional information on their foods. mc donalds do it with 90% of their menu and the rest that dont have labels have the info on their website. they have reduced the sugar in their buns, switched to canola oil for frying, reduced the salt in everything and have put heaps low fat foods on their menus [which actually taste delicious mind you]. BUT, they have still kept high fat foods on the menu, they still put butter on their muffins, they still have sundaes laden with sugar. so i wouldnt panic. i think its a good thing, i know exactly how many enzymes i have to take. i use to take 3 enzymes with my nuggets but when they started putting the nutritional labels on, i realised i need 4 enzymes.

my post has given me an appetitie for burgers. im off to maccas right now, no joke!

 

[HollyCatheryn]

730 calories? BAH! There's a sandwich you can get at Bennigan's and a few other restaurants called a Monte Cristo that has 1000 calories PER SLICE! There are usually two slices. It's cheeses and ham deep fried in bread and topped with powdered sugar. When I worked there I used to eat one a day. If they are worried about calories they should start by making the Monte Cristo illegal. But, I have to concur that the problem is not foods being legal or illegal or whatever. It is personal responsibility. To me it really isn't much different than having to make laws about kids renting videos and games or putting ratings on TV shows. It isn't laws that are going to really change society. People are what change society and if we are not going to take personal responsibility then no law is really going to make a difference.As for getting in the calories. I definitely eat more carbs than most "healthy" people, but I also make sure that they are good carbs - like brown rice and whole wheat, whole grain bread and pastas. My mom thinks the same as most of you (which is the way the docs taught her) and says that who cares where the calories come from, just get the calories, but I think there are other issues, too. When they made up our dietary rules the docs weren't worried about our hearts or brains in 50 years. They were just thinking here and now. I think that this is a problem with their pushing vaccinations so hard all the time. They tend to think fairly short-term. There haven't been many, if any long term studies done on the effects of current practices on people with CF as we pass middle age, but more and more of us are getting there and these issues are GOING to surface. I don't want to just be around in 50 years - I want to feel good too!And we do know that refined sugars lower the immune system and that pumping fats into a body that can't absorb them just stresses the body and draws other valuable fat-soluble nutrients into the fat that is being flushed from the body. So, even for us who have different dietary needs, there are still some basic overriding principles that should be respected. I, for one, don't think it is as simple as "get more calories."Stepping down from soap box, wiping foam from mouth, apologizing...

 

[Mockingbird]

HollyCatherine, you mentioned something about how the doctors only think of the here and now, not 50 years from now, but keep in mind they haven't had that many people to study on until just recently. Unfortuantely we're the one's who are caught in a time when most of that stuff is gonna come out, but that's not really anyone's fault. Besides, I doubt without the practices you were talking about, we wouldn't be making it to 50 years, anyway. =-)

And about the get more calories thing, it would be nice if we could all eat healthy and get the calories we need, but I know from experience that costs money. It's a lot cheaper to just buy a jar of mayonnaise and add that to everything I eat. I'm not harping on you or anything, just standing up for the people like me who struggle to get all the calories we can, healthy or not 'cause we don't have much of a choice.

Emily, I was thinking about the smoking thing, too. Ha ha, maybe they should put food labels on ciggarettes. Like, "Nutritional value: 0% Crap that's gonna give you cancer: 68% Addictive substances: 74% Cat urine: 5% (I know it wouldn't make any sense at all, but that's not the point. i bet a majority of people would quit simply because of the cat urine thing. =-)

 

[Liza]

Hi everyone. All i got back from the Today Show was an e-mail saying that due to the mass amount of e-mails received that Katie and Matt could not possibly read them all. Kind of a downer but hopefully they will at least show them this one. I realize that the majority of Americans today are obese and that there is a problem. But like many have also mentioned, what they chose to put into their mouthes is something they can control, like having a cigarette. I have yet to hear though of second hand calories from someone eating too much fast food. All I'm trying to say is that, and while I realize companies just want to make a profit, society is pushing low fat, no fat onto those that do not necessarily need it. Let BK make the sandwich, if it doesn't sell well they will discontinue it. But for that woman to say that there was absolutly no one that needed a sandwich like that was wrong. She could have said, there is a small majority of people that can use a sandwich like this but the majority of people in the US didn't need it. But to just omit a group of people is wrong. The last time I heard the Today Show talk about CF was the Glutathione story. I didn't see the one about the golfer, it must have been a while ago or during one of our many moves. I agree with Andrew, if you can just eat healthy and get all the calories you need then great, but some need/have to get calories where ever they can. As many of you know I have two girls w/CF and they are very different where their weight is concerned. Could it be because Rachel was diagnosed at birth and on enzymes from day one or two and Anna wasn't diagnosed until age 3 (one week before Rachel was born)? I don't know, BUT my oldest has always had a bear of a time gaining weight and keeping it. To the point to having to use Megestrol to gain weight. I'm also not saying eat all junk to get in your calories but boy did we have to supplement her normal high fat/high cal. diet with KFC, Dairy Queen and Wendy's Frostees. She has tried Boost, Ensure, Scandi Shake, Scandi Cal, Bars and thinks they are all GROSS. Can't and won't eat them. I won't make her, not that I could. What do ya do, shove it down their throat? (kidding) So when they want chicken strips from Sonic or Taco Bell, heck yeah i'll supplement with that. They don't frequent fast food places, in fact Anna only goes there to be with her friends and usually doesn't even eat. She hasn't stepped into a BK or McD's in I don't know how long. Off the point here though. That guest shouldn't have said it and Matt could go back and say, hey she was incorrect there is a group of people that need hi cal/hi fat, lets do a story! Dream on I'm sure.

Liza
(mom of 2teen girls w/CF)

 

[anonymous]

Not everyone with CF is thin. Some of us have to restrict our calorie and fat intake. I understand your frustration, but we need to remember that despite everything we have in common, we each have different issues.

 

[Emily65Roses]

I think all she was saying (correct me if I'm wrong)... was that that show was wrong in saying that NO ONE needs those kind of foods. Not even all CFers do, you're right. But some of us do, and to say no human being needs that fat and caloric intake is incorrect.

 

[S]

in terms of percentages the numbers are very, very low. there are around 300 million people in the u.s. and around 30,000 people with cf, and not all of us need the extra calories, etc. the numbers come out to 1 in 10,000 using the above figures. it is easier to say no one needs it than explain that people with cf may need it, what cf is, the problems facing people with cf, etc...there are time constraints there. i don't see why it's such a big deal <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif" border="0">