My Blog

Breaking story in NZ Herald today about Weight Watcher's Points appearing on selected menu items at McDonald's in NZ. Many people's reactions... what the?

I'm not surprised, given the shift towards offering "healthier for you" choices at McDonalds and other fast food outlets.

Watch the Today Tonight 'McHealthy' story - Wed 3rd March 

So, what are the positives here?

> Highlights healthier menu options.

> Educates people on Weight Watchers Points (roughly 70 Cal / 300 kJ per Point), which is a simple guide to count energy intake.

> May shift food choices towards lower calorie, healthier choices.

But now the negatives

> More families will go to McDonald's because there is something for everyone on the menu. Mum can have a healthy option, but Dad can keep eating the high-calorie burgers.

> More meals get eaten at McDonald's with a decline in food knowledge and cooking skills. 

>  New 'dieting' customers try to choose the healthier option but get hijacked once they are in the door and opt for less healthy choices. You'll need strong willpower to resist tempting posters of chocolate desserts with taglines like "Treat yourself".

> The Weight Watchers Points system gives diet soft drinks a zero point score, driving increased consumption. 

> If only the healthier, lower point options are labelled and promoted, you won't be shown how many Points are in high-calorie options. A Big Mac has 9 Points, a large fries has 6.5 Points and a large thick shake has 8 Points. That's 23.5 Points in total in just one meal and well above a whole day's energy intake in the typical 18 Point Weight Watchers diet plan.

I'm a fan of Weight Watchers' nutrition education, but not of some aspects of the Points system. Points relate for the most part to total calories and make calorie counting seemingly simpler, however they can be abused.

Many times, I've heard the humorous comment, "My Points are perfectly balanced. I have 9 Points of food and 9 Points of alcohol."

Points don't have to be balanced in terms of food groups and nutrient-rich eating to make the system work.  

I'm biased because I teach an Exchange system that provides an optimum balance of nutrient-rich foods from all food groups - Vegetables, Fruit, Dairy, Protein, Starches, Healthy Oils and Extras.*

If McDonald's wanted to label ALL their menu items with MJ Exchanges and show customers how Exchanges apply, this is still simple and is less open to abuse.

I'm not pitching for this, but I've seen how confident people become about nutrition and managing their own diet when they know what food groups are and the correct amounts to eat.

I'll be creating an MJ Exchange Guide for McDonald's foods. With so many menu items, it will happen in stages. I'll alert you when it's ready.

In the meantime, I hope the marketers in the WW-McD's meetings rethink their plans. 

*Sure, Protein and Starch are not actually food groups. They are nutrients, but Protein covers vegetarian protein options and Starch includes potatoes and other starchy vegetables as well as cereals and grains to keep it simple.