Warning: The KFC Double Down Could Be Hazardous to Your Health

Have you seen the latest Kentucky Fried Chicken Sandwich just released? It is called the "Double Down." Imagine two slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese, two pieces of bacon and the mysterious Colonel's sauce. Instead of a bun, there are two slabs of chicken (original recipe or grilled). Click here to see for yourself.

Not everyone is thrilled about such an out of the box (or should I say out of the bun) idea. In fact, it's been awhile since a sandwich has cause this much controversy. In response to this creation, some dietitians have proposed that a "black box" be added to the sandwich's food label. Also, they believe that it should not be marketed to kids due to the possible negative health effects.

The black box proposed is much like those we see on cigarettes and bottles of wine. "WARNING - Eating meat can contribute to obesity in children, and can increase their risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer." Would this make you put down the sandwich or think twice?

Regardless, here are the statistics.

An original recipe Double Down:
540 calories,
32 grams of fat
1380 mgs of sodium.

Grilled version
460 calories
23 grams of fat
1430 mgs of sodium.

So, weigh in on this controversy. Do you think that restaurants should be able to serve whatever kind of food they want, regardless of possible long term hazards to your health? Or, do you think that restaurants should have some responsibility in creating options that are nutritionally balanced?

The big question--should certain foods come with a "black box warning?" You decide.

By Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of Eating Mindfully, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, Eat, Drink & Be Mindful, Mindful Eating 101. www.eatingmindfully.com

 

 

 

Comments

[emmeaki]

07:15 PM on 04/19/2010

How is this sandwich more dangerous than a regular 3-piece KFC meal with two sides and a soda? What about the quad-burger (or whatever it's called) sold by Burger King? I think most people have sense enough not to eat this type of food all the time.

[farmilyman]

02:06 AM on 04/17/2010

"Eating meat can contribute to obesity in children, and can increase their risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer."

I don't think that wild game or grass fed bison or beef would be a problem. It's only when animals are forced to eat corn diets and are in unhealthy environments that they become toxic. Not many people realize that what an animal eats ends up in the consumer.

[sonah22]

12:53 AM on 04/17/2010

This thing is not that unhealthy. 11 grams carbs, which would be good for someone trying to remain in ketosis. And fat metabolizes when not mixed with carbs, which is another plus. It is healthier than most burgers out there. Fat as a danger is so overrated, and since the low fat movement was popularized, obesity rates have skyrocketed. The media need to chill. It's just a sandwich without a bun. Big whoop.

[ThinkCreeps]

05:25 PM on 04/16/2010

It doesn't look like anything you'd want to eat.

[Holypat777]

03:22 PM on 04/16/2010

Anything and everything at KFC is hazardous to your health!!!!

[The Sonoma Kid]

03:13 PM on 04/16/2010

I believe that KFC has done a great job marketing this "new recipe". They've created all of this furor about their new "sandwich" and brought people, like the good doctor that wrote this article, out to write about what a terrible thing this is. Everyone is condemning this sandwich and missing a very obvious irony.

The irony is that this sandwich is not a new thing. It is a classic dinner item that no one has ever yet condemned. That is, this is nothing more than a very simple interpretation of Chicken Cordon Bleu being sold as a "sandwich" by a fast food chain.

The prosciutto or ham has been replaced bacon and the cheese has been switched from Swiss or Gruyere to jack. It's still a breaded chicken dish.

Just because it comes in a wrapper instead of on a dinner plate everyone gets up in arms about it.

[Morgantheaxe]

02:09 PM on 04/16/2010

Ok, Fridays runs an entire add campaign on 500 calorie lunches and its a health craze. KFC makes a 500 calorie sandwich and its the end of the world I guess because they left off the bread. Im just not seeing the problem. Im actually betting folks on a low carb diet will love the grilled version.

[Mattcat25]

11:38 AM on 04/16/2010

Nutritional information is already required (in CA. anyways) to be posted in plain site at the restaurant for perusal by the clientele. sCaRy wArNiNG labels don’t really detour or educate prospective consumers such as people that continue to smoke cigarettes.

[steve850]

09:54 AM on 04/16/2010

Well, this is great. As noted in the http://www.weltbranding.com/blog/ , our country has had enough of healthier" fast food. Although that concept is laughable, at least it reduced the time between our next bite and a heart attack. Americans, I hate to say this, but we are ready to loosen our belts. We are ready to put the pounds back on (like they never left). We are seeing a shift in fast food back to its roots. Grease, sodium and carbs are the backbone of our diets. This is depressing and humorous.

[MorganT]

07:10 AM on 04/16/2010

And this thing looks like it would clog an artery!!!

[MorganT]

07:09 AM on 04/16/2010

I read an article on CNN that health insurance companies have a HUGE amount of money invested into fast food companies such as these. As of last summer they had about 1.9 billion in the 5 largest fast food companies..... That's just insane

[dkan71]

04:36 AM on 04/16/2010

The people of KFC thank you for your all the free publicity stemming from your faux outrage.

Thanks to hyperbolic articles like this I felt compelled to try the thing when I hardly ever eat at KFC.

[Rudy Luevano]

01:39 AM on 04/16/2010

Its refreshing and encouraging that Huffpost readers have such common sense. Can't say the same about the posters on yahoo and even the so-called journalists are who are so fear-stricken from this apparent monstrosity. Most fast food chains have some kind of triple burger with bacon and mayo and they eat with fries and a coke, so this might actually be a healthier alternative to the garbage people usually eat at Burger King and Carl's Jr.

[Smirk]

12:41 AM on 04/16/2010

The sodium content is horrifying, but I'm surprised the grilled chicken has even more sodium in it.

[ddanimal]

09:54 PM on 04/15/2010

I suggest that nutritionists should be attacking the real villains: trans fats, oxidized fats and refined vegetable oils.

[AmyRenee]

12:12 AM on 04/16/2010

thank you.. it seems like she doesn't know what she is talking about or being misleading on purpose.