Sabra, I am SO in total agreement with you. It bothers me that Mickey D is able to get away with hoodwinkin' the public (sorry, this is my opinion) by making some of their menu items (like the fruit 'n walnut salad) sound like Nirvana-style healthy choices and that people then line up and pass the word how great it is that MD is at least TRYING to offer some real choice for the health crowd. IMO, what they are trying to do is LOOK like they are tryin' ... but they have a ways to go. Your post is a breath of fresh air and common sense.

Diamond, thanks for the info on the Whataburger offering ... I wouldn't even have known they put oil on the bun ...

I needed something on my way up north and got the fruit salad from McDonalds. I thought it was really good and for a meal replacement the calorie count wasn't bad either. Also agree with whoever said we have been eating preservatives all our lives and we are still alive and kicking. I would buy it again and probably still enjoy it, crisp apples and all....lol

I found this out looking for information for another site: If you go by calories alone, you're better off eating a 3 Musketeers (260 cal.) than a Fruit & Walnut Salad (310). Heck, for that matter, the candy bar also has less fat than the salad! (8g vs 13g) The only place the salad wins if you look at where the calories come from is that it has less sugar, 32g instead of 40g.

If you treat it as a meal replacement, it'll work well if it's within your calorie range, but I think a grilled chicken bacon ranch or grilled chicken Caesar salad with one of their low-fat dressings would be much more filling. It's a matter of personal taste, of course. I just object to McDonald's seemingly marketing it as a snack.

Well, the fat comes from the bag of walnuts-which are in a separate package-they are not already on the salad. If you don't throw the nuts on, then the fruit salad loses well over 100 calories, and most of the fat content.

But you still have to pay for the nuts, so I just don't see the point of this salad.

Why not go to the 7-11 and buy an apple?

The Undead Scary Fruit Salad Thread... it just will not die!

I find it funny that there needs to be a point to this fruit salad. It's just a menu item on a fast food restaurant, ya know? Sure, there are healthier choices out in the big wide world, and there are worse ones too. The people buying it by the bushel seem to dig it. Heck, at least one of my coworkers buy it a day

Sometimes people are in a hurry for something sweet, a bit tarted up, and heavily marketed

Amen Sistah!!!!!!!! My husband gets them now and then for lunch (he is trying to eat healthier) on his break at work, and I have to say that I would much rather him eat this, walnuts and all, than the cheesburger value meal with fries and Coke topped off with a cigarette like he was 6 months ago. (He recently quit smoking as well.)
No one is saying that the salad is the most nutritious thing in the world, but it is better than what you could be ordering at the drive thru window.

My comment was just a comment, no real need to make fun of it.

The only fast food I do is Wendy's. Generally a salad and plain potato with brocoli or a small chile. However, was out with my sister and BIL last weekend and they just stopped at the closest place...Hardees. I don't know about fast food, but greasy, green, icky-looking, and just plain disgustingly fattening might describe their menu. I got an order of chicken strips that were probably 5,000 calories. God only knows what they cook them in...or if they even contain real chicken.

Make "fun of it"? Aw, Poopyschnitzel!

I just think the McDeath fruit salad toxicity idea has been ridden into the ground here. Would an apple picked from an organic orchard 5 minutes ago be better for you? Sure! Have at it! I'm all for the natural good-for-you stuff too.

But as far as Fast Food goes... Is McDonalds sowing the seeds of health destruction by offering a fruit salad complete with sugared nuts and (vitamin C) preserved apples? I don't think so. I think harping on that angle is (pun intended) fruitless.

As my sister says, rub some dirt on that thar wound... walk it off

And... McDonalds good?
Originally Posted by Amarantha
But I agree it's a good move on McDonald's part. Maybe someday they'll come up with a McRealFood burger, followed by a McRealFruit salade with McReal walnuts. Sorry, I digress. It's good of them to try.

Or... McDonalds eviiiiiiiil?
Originally Posted by Amarantha
It bothers me that Mickey D is able to get away with hoodwinkin' the public (sorry, this is my opinion) by making some of their menu items (like the fruit 'n walnut salad) sound like Nirvana-style healthy choices and that people then line up and pass the word how great it is that MD is at least TRYING to offer some real choice for the health crowd. IMO, what they are trying to do is LOOK like they are tryin' ... but they have a ways to go.

This thread has had so many ups and downs, including quite a few edited or deleted posts. I think it's time to put it to rest. In the end, it all comes down to personal choices and what you feel comfortable with. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Fortunately, our food choices are 100% our own and are not forced on us. You can eat McDonalds salad if you wish, or you can buy the ingredients (organic or not) and put it together yourself.


It's just a salad