Burger King's Breakfast Bomb Shows America isn't Serious about Weight Loss

One of the great health issues in the US, and other western nations, is the spreading of the middle. An increasing number of Americans are just too fat for their own good. The diet industry makes billions on the US obsession with losing extra pounds without feeling hungry, gym memberships soar right after the winter holidays, and liposuction is no longer an odd-sounding and arcane medical procedure. But the marketplace is the best place to find out what people really want, or so says modern business economics. So, Burger King's new breakfast sandwich, at 730 calories and 47 grams of fat says Americans are only kidding about losing weight.

The "Enormous Omelet Sandwich" will consist of a sausage patty, two eggs, three strips of American-style bacon and two slices of American cheese -- which is processed cheese for those unfamiliar with the junk. Trailing McDonald's in the breakfast fast-food market, clearly Burger King needs some attention from consumers, and this is likely to do it. The world famous Egg McMuffin weighs in at just 290 calories with 11 grams of total fat, while the new Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddle is a heftier 560 calories and 32 grams of fat. Dunkin' Donuts' bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich is 480 calories and 14 grams of total fat. The EOS even out-lards Burger King's Whopper hamburger, a 700 calorie, 42 grams-of-fat treat.

Now, the sad part is that this sandwich will probably succeed. Operations like Burger King don't often launch products that research suggests will fail. And in a weird sense, the problem with this sandwich is the fat content, not really the calories. In a 2,000 calorie daily diet, just a little over a third on breakfast is not really that bad. But the American need to wash that down with a 42 ounce soda-pop is not good. Nor is the mid-morning snack or the pre-dinner bag of deep fried potatoes.

In recent years, the fitness crowd has complained about the lousy nutritional content at fast-food restaurants. And the burger-purveyors have produced alternatives -- Wendy's meal for kids gives parents the option of giving their child milk and apple slices rather than fizzy sugar water and fries. But really, in a market economy, demand usually drives supply in the long-run. If people didn't want 700 calorie breakfasts, long-term, nobody would sell them.

The film "Supersize Me" showed just what a month of eating McDonald's can do to the human body. Yet, it is possible to go through life in America without eating at McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's for months, even years. The trick is self-control -- a trait sadly lacking in the culture. But the complaining from health and consumer advocates has blamed the restaurants for not offering healthy alternatives rather than blaming the obese consumer for making bad choices. Taking responsibility for one's actions doesn't sit well when one has chosen badly, but it is a necessary function of being a free citizen. Eating this stuff once a month won't kill a person, either. Perhaps walking to Burger King is an acceptable compromise.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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