How often do you eat at McDonalds?

[TumblingTower]

Just interested. I think DH visits too often with the kids, he would take them even more if it wasn’t for me asking him not to.

For context he takes them once a fortnight, he would take them once or twice in a week if it wasn’t for me putting my foot down.

It annoys me as I do 90% of the parenting (he works away often) and I feel I can’t give them a lazy tea as they’re already having enough crap.

I know I’ll be criticised for that and not too interested - just wonder what other people do?

I’m with you OP. It’s not so much that your DH takes them once a fortnight (which I think is fine from a health point of view) but that it turns you into the parent that has to nag the children about eating vegetables while he gets to be the fun one who takes them out for treats.

tbh, whatever about people's concerns about flavour and nutritional value, hygiene is the one thing where I'd have more confidence in McDonald's than many other restaurants.

My 3 year old has a happy meal every Saturday 🤷🏼‍♀️ but eats very healthy all week.

To be fair, a standard McDonald's hamburger on its own is about 250 calories...less than most shop bought sandwiches.

Yes and if you order using the touch screen you can select under 600 or 400 calories for the whole meal including drinks - which makes keeping the diet somewhere near on track easy!

Mine don’t have it often - it’s a treat usually once a month or so. I wouldn’t have an issue with once a fortnight 🤣 there’s so many things which are way worse they could be occasionally eating!

I had one a couple of weeks ago to break up a journey, and before that was about a year ago. So probably once a year!

To be honest I think as long as kids are active and eat a variety of healthy foods it really doesn’t matter too much. So only you can really know if they are getting the nutrition they need elsewhere. We only go sporadically, mostly when we are travelling somewhere in the car and just need to stop and eat but I would say once a fortnight is fine.

Never. My children prefer Indian or Chinese (fortnightly-ish); we are by no means perfect in our food choices, but just don’t like McDonalds. I’ve never really got the appeal. We do have occasional McFlurries in the summer.

This is a bit off topic but just wanted to see I agree completely - we never call any food a “treat”. We like the level the playing field. There is no such thing as a “bad” food - just things you can have too much of / might give you a stomach ache etc. But I think the less you connect food with emotion, the better. We are happy for our kid to have some chocolate or sweets next to his main meal if he fancies it (rarely does). I let him eat a big bowl of pasta and ice cream at the same time in a restaurant once (gross combo, I know). But he has the healthiest relationship with food - so much better than mine. He stops eating when he’s full. He says “nah” to sweeties if he doesn’t want one and he has been know to choose broccoli over donuts 🤷🏻‍♀️ Because in our house they are all treated equally.

Anyway that had nothing to do with the McDonald’s question really but was agreeing with the comment above. Although I suppose it does in the sense that if we do go to McDonalds, we don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just another meal.

This has just reminded me of the time my MIL went off on one of her rants about the evils of McDonald's. DD came up partway through the conversation, and excitedly told MIL all about her weekly Maccies trip with her friend 😂

I maybe take my son once a month if he asks but tbh he doesn't ask often so it could be months before he has one. I take my son out to eat to at chinese restaurants, Toby carvery, pub lunch etc. Your husband works away and wants to treat the the kids when he is home by going to McDonald's. Why don't you go out with him and the kids as a family and suggest somewhere different to eat and make it a regular thing. Also unless your cooking meals from absolute scratch with every ingredient accounted for and using only organic ingredients then your probably putting processed crap into your kids without even realising it. I'd say try not to worry if your kids are healthy and active.

I don't know about 'posher circles', but on separate occasions different grandkids (cousins) have reported to me (grandparent) along the lines of, "Party was OK, but - Urgh! - they tried to get us to eat MacDonalds - really DISGUSTING! - How can ANYONE eat such awful stuff?! Urgh, it was HORRIBLE! I felt sick just SMELLING it!" etc., etc.

They don't seem posh. But their mothers (my children) did avoid MacDs and other rubbish fast food when they were teenagers. So they told me, anyway, and, you know, I believed them. (Their alcohol consumption, a different matter; likewise other recreational drugs. But they survived.)

(My favourite definition of ('really') 'posh', btw: not "Doesn't go to Macdonalds", but rather "Gets out of the bath to have a pee". Hmm? Other suggestions?)

Probably once a month or less and other times it can be twice in 2 weeks.

I'd say on average though once a month. There is plans in place with council for one that wld be less than 5min walk from the house 🙈 I do know it will be more if there's one so nearby! There is another 2 in my town both about 2miles away in opposite directions.

I think once a fortnight is fine not a big deal to me. Even once a week I would maybe be ok with.

Once a week. Saturday treat then husband and I get a take away. I love the cheap iced lattes so I like a sneaky visit myself! Each to their own 😁

And I mean 'treat' as in money wise as we splurge on a take away ourselves that day.

When mine was really small he fell for the Happy Meal hype and we'd use it as an occasional treat, maybe 5 times a year? As he's gotten older, he's not a fan of their food, with the exception of breakfasts, so we do indulge in the odd egg Mcmuffin and hash brown combo but again, maybe 3 times a year?

That said, last time we had breakfast it was during that super hot week or so and I discovered the joys of the mango & pineapple frozen smoothie! I am incredibly disappointed in myself that I have driven through for one at least once a fortnight since!

They're so good

Kids have one once a week.
I did as well growing up. Did me no harm

Almost never, once or twice a year.

We prefer five guys if we have to grab something while we are out

my stepchildren have it a couple of times a week, which I am a bit judgy of I admit but they are incredibly averse to trying new foods and McDonalds is a favourite of picky eaters because it is always the same. I don’t mind McDonald’s food particularly but I just don’t find it filling enough so tend not to eat it. Occasionally I have a breakfast, I love the hash browns.

Very rarely. It's ultra processed food and quite habit-forming. A pub lunch is healthier (they often do roasts) and quite a treat. I think Macdonalds and similar places are pay a considerable role in the obesity epidemic in USA and increasingly the UK.

Only have a Mcflurry from there

I was in Vegas in 1988 and went to one. Not been to any other since.

..

Never been to a McDonalds in all my life