The McDouble: Most Nutritious Bargain Ever

According to a New York Post columnist, the McDonald’s Mcdouble may be the healthiest food you can get for cheap.

Post columnist Kyle Smith argued that the McDouble has 390 calories but is loaded with 23 grams of protein, 7 percent of the daily fiber requirement, 20 percent of daily calcium and only 19 grams of fat, thus making it, at roughly $1, the best deal on nutrition ever conceived.

Smith argues that cost is just as important a factor as calories when it comes to nutrition:  

For the average poor person, it isn’t a great option to take a trip to the farmers market to puzzle over esoteric lefty-foodie codes. (Is sustainable better than organic? What if I have to choose between fair trade and cruelty-free?) Produce may seem cheap to environmentally aware blond moms who spend $300 on their highlights every month, but if your object is to fill your belly, it is hugely expensive per calorie. Junk food costs as little as $1.76 per 1,000 calories, whereas fresh veggies and the like cost more than 10 times as much, found a 2007 University of Washington survey for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. A 2,000-calorie day of meals would, if you stuck strictly to the good-for-you stuff, cost $36.32, said the study’s lead author, Adam Drewnowski.

Smith added that his argument will not work with the “coalition of class snobs, locavore foodies and militant anti-corporate types.”