McDonald's to Its Workers: Beware of Fast Food

It's hard to have a healthy diet when you often eat at fast food joints, according to sensible dietary advice posted in an unlikely place: McDonald's own employee resources website. "Fast foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt and may put people at risk for becoming overweight," warns the website, which labels a picture of a cheeseburger, fries, and soda "the unhealthy choice" and a picture of a sub, salad, and cup of water the "healthier choice," CNBC reports. And workers with a hankering for Big Macs may want to hold out hope that there's no mayo in the "Special Sauce": The site recommends one "limit the extras such as cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise."

Fast-food meals are "almost always" very high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt, the employee website notes, but if a worker must eat a burger, it shares the best way to do so: "A single, plain meat patty without the cheese and sauces is the best choice. Ask for extra lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Limit how many French fries you eat. Ketchup contains a lot of calories from sugar. Ask if you can substitute a salad for fries." CNBC notes the posts "appear" to have been written by a third-party vendor; a McDonald's rep says the company is investigating, though the posts are still live. It's far from the first gaffe on the employee website, which has previously advised workers about tipping au pairs and pool boys (More McDonald's stories.)