Why The BK Bacon Sundae Isn't Really Such A Travesty

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Once again people have their panties in a bunch over the latest disgusting fast foodconcoction. Although intellectually I scoff at the ridiculousness of Burger King’shomage to grease and sugar, my emotional response to the bacon sundae is lesslogical.I want one.The operative word in that short sentence is“one.”So many people are are getting all bentout of shape about this unholy alliance of breakfast and dessert foods, whileothers state that it’s not so bad compared to [Company X’s]ice-cream-sugar-frosted-cheese-impregnated festival of grease, trans fats, sodium andcholesterol.I think both parties are missing the point.Seriously,it’s one stupid sundae, and it looks like it probably tastes pretty good (for thefirst half, anyway), yet people all o’er the land are losing their collective pooover it like it was global warming, Charles Manson and the high school bully all wrappedinto one deep-fried package.There are plenty of other MSG-ified,trans-fattied, high-fructose corn syrup monstrosities on the market, but Ithink what people are going apoplectic over is the fact that this “dessert”mixes two things together that -- from a palatability standpoint -- probablyshouldn’t be mixed.I find steering clear of fast food restaurants aneasy task mostly because I think the overly processed buns for the burgers are disgusting.Conversely, many other people make fast food a big part of their diets. That iswhat we should be freaking out about. Not one sundae, but the prevalence of fast foodlifestyles.I want one of those bacon sundae things just so I cansee what it tastes like. I’m willing to bet that I will enjoy the hell out of it.Then I will probably feel a little sick and never eat one ever again.It’s one dessert. It won’t kill me.But for many it has becomethe epitome of corrupt governments, corrupt companies and corrupted taste buds andlifestyles. Yet by criticizing it, we give it power. By telling people it’sforbidden, we create a longing for it. I once read that if your daughter brings home aneck-tattooed, face-pierced and motorcycling new boyfriend, the surest way to get her toelope is demand that she never see him again.The same logic can apply to thissundae.I live in Canada, and we’re notprivileged enough to receive the BK bacon sundae. But if it does come toCanada, I’m totally going to have one. It’s not meth. I don’t thinkI’ll become addicted and start mainlining bacon grease in short order. A little cheating onyour diet is good for the psyche.If you want one, you can evendecide to “earn it.” Eat really clean for a few days beforehand, get lots ofexercise and consider this unhealthy, unholy unpleasantness from the underworld to be yourreward.I think a lot of the problem that I have with the backlash againstBurger King is that it is all wrapped around negative messaging: Don’t eat it.It’s bad for you. Burger King should be ashamed. The problem is that human beings don’t respondvery well to those types of messages. What we do respond toare more positive ones. What’s more, when you preach health in terms ofabsolutes -- that you should “never” eat something -- then people are far morelikely to just say, “Screw it” and not try at all. If I were to give people along and brutal list of what they must do to be fit, then they would stop listening prettyquickly.So rather than rag on this sundae any further, I’ll give somebasic examples of what I think are positive messages about food:-Healthy,unprocessed foods have a lot more nutrients in them, which serves to quell yourbody’s hunger response better so they are more satisfying, which can help withweight loss.-Healthier foods are generally lower in caloric density, meaningthey give you a larger volume of food for fewer calories, which can also help with weightloss.-Healthier foods are terrific performance enhancers both for everydaylife and for exercise. And, you guessed it, being more active will help with weightloss.-Healthier foods help fight a host of diseases and keep your body runninglike a finely tuned machine.The term junk food is an oxymoron, but perhapsinstead of the media railing about how bad the latest chemical-coated grease blob is, itshould be helping get the message out about the positive benefits of a healthy diet.After all, it’s easier to adopt good habits than it is to quit bad ones. Andwhen it comes to food, those good habits can play an important role if shuttling thescarfing of junk food off to the side as a “once in a while” behavior.Speaking of which, every “once in a while,” I travel to the U.S., sothe next time I’m there, I think I'll give the bacon sundae a try. I thinkI’ve earned it. Continue Reading

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