Arby's Ban! (click here to see my other Arby's rant)

So, this morning, after a week absence or so, I was able to drag my butt out of bed and get it into the gym. The rest of me went along with it, but it wasn't willingly! I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes on the stationary bike, grabbed my purse and keys from the locker room and headed for my car, which was parked about a block away.

On the way to my car, I passed an Arby's restaurant (the one that I had to mystery shop a few weeks ago) and, on the window, I see an advertisement for their new "Mac & Cheesers". My jaw nearly hit the ground. According to their own website:

"Your favorite childhood snack is back and better than ever. Creamy cheddar cheese and classic macaroni are battered and friend into golden triangles of flavor. Great for snacking when you're on the run or camped out watching cartoons on the family TV."

Also, according to their website, these "golden triangles of flavor" contain 78 calories EACH and come in a pack of 5 for a whopping 390 calories and 805 grams of sodium!!! We as Americans (myself included) are already constantly bombarded by food choices that are severely nutritionally deficient and we are encouraged to eat what we want because "you deserve a break today".

For the first time in our nation's history, our children have shorter life expectancies than we do. Why? Because they are fed on a steady diet of Mac & Cheesers and Happy Meals. In a recent study, parents are even being encouraged to give their children Vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is readily available to our bodies from sunlight and milk, but our children aren't drinking enough milk or playing outside enough to get adequate supplies.

I, for one, am going to try to make a change. I understand being on the run and living a hectic lifestyle, but if food sources like Arby's are going to constantly show that their concern is the bottom line rather than our expanding waistlines and rising heath concerns, I'm not going to be a party to it. I'm sure it won't make a difference to them if I no longer patronize their establishments, but hopefully it will make a difference to my own waistline. Maybe if enough of us take this same stance, it will force these restaurants to make a change as well.