KFC's Double Down, Their Latest Double Cross

Haven't we had enough yet? I guess the test marketing KFC did for their 'Double Down' monstrosity was a hit because now it's available all over the U.S. with a national ad campaign. Lucky us. One minute they are teaming up with the money whores at Susan G. Komen to help cure breast cancer by donating money from pink buckets of chicken (what a joke), and the next, they are introducing a sandwich so unhealthy that it could worsen heart disease and obesity statistics all on its own! Are they kidding? But more important, are we going to fall for even more of their poison?

KFC is to food what Glenn Beck is to truth and it's about time we woke up and saw that. Their insidious ad campaigns always show the healthiest, fittest and most vibrant people eating their unhealthy fare. Truth is, if you hang out at a KFC and take a good look at the customers, they will hardly resemble the clear-eyed models in the ads.

'So meaty, there's no room for a bun' heralds their website. Just what America needs: more meat to clog our rapidly hardening arteries. Wrapped around bacon and Monterey Jack cheese, this atrocity is a heart attack on a plate!

At a time when our country is fighting a losing battle with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, what is KFC thinking? It's not like they need the money. With all their chicken options already on the menu (more than 35) and exceeding $5 billion in annual sales domestically, do they really need to add another item designed to make more profit on stealing the health of America?

But wait! There are two versions of the 'Double Down' to choose from...original fried chicken and the healthier (and I use the term loosely) grilled version. The nutritional facts are staggering with 540 (original) or 460 (grilled) calories, 32 and 23 grams of fat and 1380 and 1430 milligrams of sodium (respectively). You have to wonder why the 'healthier' grilled version has more sodium, but hey, it's KFC. The kindly old Colonel wouldn't make food that's not good for us, right? KFC only cooks homey Southern fried comfort food, just like Paula Deen! Do they believe the one house salad without chicken they sell erases the karma they have created?

'Don't feed your hunger; crush it' goes the tag line for this new atrocity from KFC. Your hunger won't be the only thing crushed. Your health will be positively trampled.

But you know KFC isn't the only chain to sell us out, to lead us down the path of poor health that keeps pharmaceutical companies thriving, our healthcare system groaning under the weight of our infirmary and us bloated and sick. McDonalds' sells frappes that have 480 calories, 189 of them from fat. And that's for a small! Burger King's heart stopping 'Tendercrisp' chicken sandwich has 800 calories and 46 grams of fat.

The fast food chains seem to be in competition to see who can kill us first, fastest and with the most misery. And we just trudge along, under the Golden Arches, into the Olive Garden to chow down on food that is making us fat and sick. I know, I know, we have free choice.

We hear it on the news every day. Every expert tells us to eat whole grains, vegetables and fruit. But then they sell us out. Even Dr. Oz, (for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration). When he hit the airwaves on Oprah, he talked about ridding our diets of saturated fats as the only path to vibrant health and to prevent disease. I was so excited to see someone with his credentials telling the truth.

Now, a star with his own show, he has to keep advertisers happy, I guess. So I shouldn't be surprised to see his new double-page spread in AARP magazine telling America the same old tired advice: skinless chicken, low-fat milk and cottage cheese as a part of his six-month plan for healthy living. What happened to the Dr. Oz who told America to eat whole grains, like quinoa and to take saturated fats out of our diets for health; to eat nuts and avocadoes for the healthy fats we need? Where has that renegade pioneer of health gone? While he still dispenses a lot of good, sound advice, I wish he would stick to his guns and continue to tell the truth about what's in the food we are eating and what it's doing to our collective health.

It's no wonder we are confused and eating has become so complicated.

America is a country of free choice and free enterprise. We can make what we like, sell what we like, say what we like. But we don't have to buy what they are selling. What will it take for us to choose health instead of accepting the artery-clogging poison being peddled by every fast food chain and most celebrity chefs? Sure, you can get more calories of junk food than broccoli for every dollar you spend.

Sure, you can feed your family more cheaply on junk food. And no, these companies have no restrictions on what they develop and sell to us (nor should they in a free society). And no, they have no conscience. They do not care for one minute about your family or you. They do not care that they peddle food laced with hormones, steroids, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other toxins, as long as they can produce it on the cheap and make more money. And they pass it on to you. It's poorly manufactured, heavily seasoned to trick your taste buds into thinking it's food.

But it's not. It's toxic and will rob you and future generations of our birthright: vibrant health and wellness. We are a country of smart, beautiful people. We deserve the best from the people that produce and sell food. It's time to take back our health. Vote with your fork and tell all these pirates that we are stronger than their seductive marketing and we want to eat real food, not the chemical concoctions they sell that masquerade as dinner. We won't eat fried animal parts wrapped around cheese and more fried animal parts. And we won't eat dinner in a bucket, pink or any other color.

 

 

 

Follow Christina Pirello on Twitter: www.twitter.com/christinacooks

Comments

[bucketsforthecause]

03:32 PM on 05/12/2010

KFC and the Komen Foundation PROMOTE cancer, NOT a cure:

www.BucketsForTheCause.com

[Mumble]

04:47 PM on 05/01/2010

The hysteria over this sandwich is absurd. 500 calories? Do the math - if someone ate this for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they would be getting 1500 calories - too few for most adults. Furthermore, no one is going to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and no one who is concerned about fat grams or sodium is going to eat it on any regular basis. Treat adults like adults capable of making their own nutritional choices, and for god's sake, stop pretending it's healthy to eat 900 calories a day (which could still encompass a "double down" AND a bowl of soup & some plain yogurt with fruit and cereal - the horror!)

[Caroline Sutherland]

03:58 PM on 04/23/2010

What next – KFC is getting involved in something pink – this time buckets. Yes you heard it - 50 cents from every pink bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure – a breast cancer foundation. A novel and perhaps noble idea. But KFC is not healthy. Sure a bucket once a year would not tip the scales but frequent consumption of fried foods is not healthy, and leads to obesity which raises cancer risks. Then there’s the foundation and the National Cancer Institute who is behind all this. All the money raised in these noble fundraisers whether they are healthy or not goes into a big pot – the drug companies. Big drug companies who manufacture cancer drugs are not one bit interested in finding a cure for cancer. So stop your runs and your fundraisers. Go directly to your kitchen and create healthy meals for yourself and your family. Then run to your back yard or neighborhood park for a brisk walk. Breathe in fresh air and give thanks for the blessings of this life. When we treat our bodies and our environment right- there won’t be any cancer. The cure is you – your habits and your thoughts.
Caroline Sutherland, www.CarolineSutherland.com, @TheBodyKnows, Facebook: Caroline-Sutherland

[surfsup000]

06:47 AM on 04/22/2010

The comments from apologists for KFC really have me scratching my noggin. KFC is one of the worst of the worst and they look for a way to justify. It's just like a tobacco addiction...KFC and their ilk are no better than the tobacco companies (as they work to push smokes with lung cancer a result). These food companies are just dispensing another sort of suffering to the masses that reaks havoc on our systems in so many ways. This does not even speak to the environmental impact of their chicken "farms" either. Another subject for another time. These companies appeal to the worst in America and so many lap it up like puppies.

[LukeTunyich]

08:03 PM on 04/21/2010

Seeing an obese person in KFC or in MacDonald’s is very rare. Most people that a man can see to eat so called junk food are “people who are slender build”. If an obese parent takes children in KFC or in MacDonald’s it will cause widespread outrages.
It is hard for me to comprehend why people repeat again and again that junk food is responsible for obesity.
Instead to blame so called “junk food” it should be blamed “Junk Science”
Driven from own fear from obesity; people like to imagine obese people eating “junk food” but they don’t like to confront with the reality that the basic science of obesity is wrong .
On my Website there is a little bit more: http://www.biomechanicsandhealth.com/
Luke Tunyich

[LukeTunyich]

07:55 PM on 04/21/2010

Seeing an obese person in KFC or in MacDonald’s is very rare. Most people that a man can see to eat so called junk food are “people who are slender build”.
If an obese parent takes children in KFC or in MacDonald’s it will cause widespread outrages.
It is hard for me to comprehend why people again and again repeat that junk food is responsible for obesity.
Instead to blame so called “junk food” it should be blamed “Junk Science”
Driven from own fear from obesity; people like to imagine obese people eating “junk food” but they don’t like to confront with the reality that the basic science of obesity is wrong .
On my Website there is a little bit more: http://www.biomechanicsandhealth.com/
Luke Tunyich

[grailknight]

06:28 PM on 04/21/2010

I understand the writer's concern of what the fast food industry is foisting on us, but you know, you can have these things on occasion, not three times a day every day. Also as part of my health care regimen, I see a dietician annually. There's nothing wrong with eating meat and dairy as part of a balanced diet.

[degenerate1991]

05:41 PM on 04/21/2010

What's so bad about the double down? Nutritionally speaking, it isn't that bad relative to other fast food items.

[Atchka]

04:27 PM on 04/21/2010

Okay, I get it, but this sandwich is hardly worthy of people going into apoplectic panic mode. The Double Down has 540 calories, same as the Big Mac, and about 380 calories less than a Double Whopper.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/anticipating-monday-lunch-at-kfc

I'm all for promoting health, but can we stop acting like one stupid sandwich is going to cause the collapse of civilization as we know it?

Peace,
Shannon
Atchka.com
FierceFatties.com

[SteagleCobEagle]

02:13 PM on 04/21/2010

Anybody who eats a Double Down thinking it's healthy has more to worry about than clogged arteries.

[jamesbipolar]

02:01 PM on 04/21/2010

I see billions of ads whenever I surf my links. There are a bunch of ads on this page. So here’s one back at you: I’m a kick-ass guitar player and digital composer, and I just released my first CD: Bipolar Shaman. Come listen and buy at www.bipolarshaman.com!

[Romulus]

01:53 PM on 04/21/2010

For crying out loud, people! You don't have to buy fast food and, if you didn't, KFC, McDs, etc, would quit selling it.

[Havana Thinks]

10:00 PM on 04/21/2010

With all the brainwashing kids suffer through, peer pressure and unlimited props like happy meals with TOYS!, & don't 4get Ronald----it is very difficult 4 parents who are not vegans and raise their kids as such, 2 skip through the tulips like U must do. It should B clear that the corporations, media are all intoxicating the children 2 crave and encourage their parents to purchase this food for them.
Finally, because of the cheap price (heard of dollar menus?) some parents can and do feed their kids 5 days a week, fast food. Of course it is unhealthy. Of course they don't have to. But, if a happy meal will shut the kids up and allow the parent to avoid cooking....and it is filling......(see the point).......why not???
I don't support fast food but I do understand why some parents do fall victim and become constant purchasers of the stuff. Sad but true.

[Romulus]

12:05 AM on 04/22/2010

Why not? We all know the reasons why not. There have been news stories about unhealthy fast food for years. Yet people continue to buy the stuff knowing it's unhealthy. Blame them, not the fast food companies. Again...they wouldn't sell the junk if people didn't buy it.

[jayraye]

01:44 PM on 04/21/2010

Here is what a person looks like when they live on fast food, cigaretts and soda pop: age 40, toothless, liver problems, overweight, prediabetic (BS up and down), stomach ulcer, low energy, mood swings, but mostly extreme irritability. This is a real person. Are the cigs, soda pop, & junk food really worth the loss of good health?

[Barbara Brenner]

01:12 PM on 04/21/2010

Breast Cancer just launched an on-line campaign to stop the KFC/Komen campaign. Join us at www.bcaction.org

[MichelleRodulfo]

12:26 PM on 04/21/2010

Money seems to overriding force that sways these seemingly honorable organizations to make absurd linkages with fast food companies. First McDonald's and Weight Watchers and now KFC with Susan G. Komen to raise money for breast cancer. It's just downright shameful and despicable.

http://michellerodulfo.com/mcdonalds-health/