Stocking up McDonald’s

The current recession has plummeted stock prices, pushed Congress to pass a multi-billion-dollar bailout package, threatened the existence of certain Detroit auto manufacturers and left investors reeling. And while all this is happening McDonald’s stocks have continued to rise.

In the last two years McDonald’s stocks have risen approximately $11, roughly 20 to 25 percent while the S&P 500 (the most widely followed index of large-cap American stocks, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average) has dropped slightly less then 50 percent.

This is good for McDonald’s stockholders and doctors who are worried about running out of patients. Yes, I understand that McDonald’s is cheap, which lately has been a very good reason to eat there. But I’m sure I can think of many other options that are equally thrifty and don’t help keep filling the coffers of a mega corporation.

The jump in McDonald’s stock is caused by people striving to find ways to live cheaper. And unfortunately, eating healthy is not cheap. However, dollar menus are cheap. Or at least they give the impression of being cheap. If you go there with only a dollar they are cheap.

But if you order a 42 oz. Diet Coke to go with it, which counteracts all the calories, then you are getting it wrong. Diet Coke contains aspartame, a sweetener that has practically no calories. It tends to stimulate one’s hunger. That is probably not the best way to go if you are trying to save money.

But it’s not just the Diet Coke. It’s everything a quarter pounder with cheese has. It’s half of a 2000-calorie dieter’s daily value of salt. Want fries? You’d better not eat any more salt for the rest of the day. An excess of salt in one’s diet can lead to high blood pressure.

However, the other side to the argument is it won’t, provided we consume enough potassium to counteract it. Yet potassium is found mainly in fruits. Which counteracts the attempt to spend less. So if one decides fruits and vegetables are kind of close to each other and gets a Caesar salad instead, it’s also a bad idea. Parmesan cheese is one of the densest cheeses on the market. In other words: lots of flavor, lots of calories and lots of fat.

So now you are probably looking a little uneasy at the lunch you have in your hand, but at the same time not sure how to cut down on spending. Let me make some suggestions. They are not sexy, but in all honesty, neither is McDonald’s.

1) Black beans and rice: A 100-pound bag of rice costs $21, and bulk beans at Winco are generally cheap. This simple combination is bland and has little vitamin content, but does have a good blend of protein and carbohydrates. Adding onions and olive oil or some salsa make it taste much better. And it’s easy to make a lot of so you can have lunch made for several days.

2) PB and J, a pretty simple combo. Don’t need to explain much here. You could get a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly for less than some value meals at McDonald’s. You could also go with tuna to mix it up when you get tired of peanut butter or are scared of salmonella.

3) Pancakes: Safeway has pancake mix selling for as little as 6 cents an ounce.

4) Whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. When produce is in season, farmers don’t have to work as hard to get it to the market, so there are less labor costs. Unfortunately, less fruit grows in the winter, but there are always options.

None of these options are optimal nutritional choices, but they are heads and shoulders above McDonald’s. At the end of the day, fast food is appealing because it’s cheap and fast. Which roughly translates to mean, “I am lazy.” There is cheaper food that can be more convenient with the right planning and consideration for one’s own body.