McDonald's - No More Trans Fats

Posted by Cyndi Allison May 25, 2008

It took some time, but the big daddy of the fast food chains, McDonald's, is now serving foods sans trans fats with the exception of the pies and cookies which should be trans fat free by the end of the year.

McDonald's lagged behind many other restaurants, since the organization is so large and because company officials wanted to maintain the signature flavor of the French fries. In addition, healthier oils cost more and have a shorter shelf or cooking life.

After New York basically banned trans fats and with the public pushing for healthier cooking preparations, McDonald's along with many other chains including Krispy Kreme doughnuts made the shift. Vegetable oils like canola, for example, do less damage to arteries while trans fats are associated with artery clogging. McDonald's is using a combination of canola, corn, and soybean oils for frying.

This does not mean that your Big Mac and fries are healthy. And, neither are the doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. You're still getting fat and lots of empty calories. But, you're not getting the trans fats at least.

As far as the food flavors, there's not a huge difference. If you have a good palate, you'll detect a slight difference. The French fries are still kickin' at McDonald's, but they aren't clogging arties as much - so that's a good thing.