McDonald

The Cleveland Clinic battles with McDonald's over fast food in hospitals

Sunday, January 30, 2005
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)

eTrust Pro Certified

Pin It
One of the most ridiculous things about many hospitals and surgical centers is that they host fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Now making headlines is the heated debate between the Cleveland Clinic and McDonald's restaurants. Toby Cosgrove, director of the Cleveland Clinic and a cardiovascular surgeon, wants McDonald's out of the hospital. He says (paraphrased) it is ridiculous to offer foods that are inconsistent with the heart healthy advice doctors are attempting to give their patients.

I couldn't agree more. Hospitals are supposed to be places of health and healing, and to have restaurants serving saturated fats, hamburgers with white flour buns, french fries with trans-fatty acids, milkshakes containing added sugars and soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup as well as aspartame is simply inconsistent with a place of health. Thus, the doctor wants McDonald's out of the hospital.

Interestingly, McDonald's defends its position by claiming to offer -- get this -- healthy menu choices. The Vice President of this particular McDonald's restaurant said, "Our menu is something we're all proud of," which is sort of interesting all by itself since I've never hear the term "pride" used in the same sentence as "McDonald's menu."

But there's something else to consider here, too: apparently the staff member of the Cleveland Clinic are hoping to keep the McDonald's restaurant there! They want to eat Big Macs and french fries, hamburgers and milkshakes.

Shocked? Actually, it's not that surprising to hear when you realize how unhealthy most people who work in the conventional medical industry truly are. This heart surgeon, Toby Cosgrove, is certainly an exception; he's apparently a trim man, 63 years of age, and is one of the few to have the courage to stand up against the fast food industry. And he's probably very healthy. But his colleagues, nurses and support staff, on average, are likely less healthy than Dr. Cosgrove, and they actually want restaurants like McDonald's in the hospital so that they can eat those foods any time they feel hungry.

The McDonald's restaurant, for its part, is actually calling this a racism issue because it turns out this McDonald's franchise is owned by an African American. So instead of answering the true issue here, which is whether or not unhealthy, disease-promoting foods should be served to heart clinic patients, they are playing the racism card, trying to turn this into a racial issue when it clearly is not.

This McDonald's restaurant apparently thinks it has the right to finish out its lease contract with the hospital and continue serving unhealthy foods to its patients. From a legal standpoint, it may indeed have that right. It's also true that McDonald's isn't the only restaurant in the building that offers unhealthy food. There are vending machines and cafeteria offerings that are equally unhealthy, because they are very high in sodium, high in saturated fat and lack nutrient density. Thus there are all sorts of foods available in the hospital that are bad for heart patients. Of course, that doesn't mean McDonald's food is any healthier, it just means that the entire Clinic is a nutritional disaster, and that Cosgrove is on the right track by starting with McDonald's. He probably intends to work his way through the vending machines and other food offerings until every item available for sale at the hospital is consistent with heart health.

Another interesting point about all of this is that some of the workers at the clinic don't appreciate the hospital acting as their parents. They think this attitude by Toby Cosgrove is paternalistic and that they should have the right to make their own decisions about what they want to eat. On the other hand, it shows that these people need parenting because they obviously don't have the wisdom to choose healthy foods on their own -- they're eating like their children would eat if they were locked in a candy store.

What's my take on all of this? Sadly, most people will eat whatever is available. So if you make unhealthy foods available, that's what they're going to eat, and if those foods cause cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and other health disorders, then that's what you're going to see in the population. It's no coincidence that the U.S. population is currently suffering from skyrocketing rates of all these chronic diseases. The solution, therefore, is to have new options available for people.

Let's face it: We shouldn't have U.S. hospitals stocking foods that destroy cardiovascular health. The whole idea is ridiculous. But it is equally ridiculous that we have McDonald's and other fast food restaurants in our public schools. Why are we feeding our schoolchildren junk food that's promoting chronic disease and impairing their ability to learn... and then turning around and complaining about the plummeting quality of education across our country? It's the food, stupid! And if you don't understand that point, it's probably because you had lunch at a fast food restaurant today and your brain isn't functioning too well.

I say we ban fast food restaurants in hospitals and public schools across the nation. No hospital and no public school with any degree of ethics should support the financial success of food and beverage companies that serve disease-promoting products. This behavior has gone on for far too long. Hospitals have sold out to fast food restaurants in order to make a buck on a lease. They have, in a sense, exploited the health of their patients in order to earn some extra money. And then those very same hospitals and clinics turn around and charge patients a couple of hundred thousand dollars to perform cardiovascular surgery that was caused by the very same type of foods those patients ate in the lobbies of those clinics in the first place.

How insane can things get in this country? That's why it's people like Toby Cosgrove who deserve tremendous credit for having the courage to stand up and challenge this cycle of disease insanity that is unfortunately now the norm here in the United States, the most diseased country in the world. And we got diseased in this country precisely because of financial deals like this, where one institution after another is selling out to drug companies or food companies or beverage companies in order to make an extra buck at the expense of its guests or patients.

Because if people want to destroy their own health in their own homes, that's certainly their free choice -- we still live in a free society. But if they're going to go to a hospital or a place of public education, they should not be tempted with foods that we now know directly promote chronic disease. In a sane world, none of these institutions would have ever agreed to let fast food restaurants and soft drink companies onto their premises in the first place, but it seems like sanity is sometimes late to the party, especially here in the United States where free market greed tends to be the number one priority regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

It's only through these wake up calls like skyrocketing rates of obesity and chronic disease, the Vioxx scandal and the FDA credibility scandal (where we find that even two thirds of the FDA's own scientists don't have confidence in the agency's ability to protect the American public) that we are reminded to open our eyes, take a look around and ask some serious questions like "Hey, if this is a hospital treating heart patients, should we really be serving french fries and double cheeseburgers in the lobby?" Well, of course not! Only a McDonald's representative would insist that they should. Everybody else who has any remaining cognitive ability would agree with Toby Cosgrove on this. The man is right, he deserves credit for his courage in standing up against McDonald's, and I hope he is victorious in evicting the restaurant from the clinic.

Let it be the first of many such evictions. It's time to boot fast food restaurants and soft drink companies from all our institutions of learning and health.

Get breaking news alerts on GMOs, fluoride, superfoods, natural cures and more...
Join over four million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

Fast food giants prey on parents' gullibility to sell unhealthy food to children

Photo shows beer promotions at McDonald's restaurant (humor)

Weight Watchers says eat at McDonald's to lose weight (opinion)

Olympian Phelps Serves as "Ambassador" to McDonald's, Introducing Chinese Children to American Junk Food

London Assembly trying to ban McDonald's, Coca-Cola from 2012 Olympics

McDonald's forced to disclose all chemical ingredients on food sold in Russia

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)



About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

 people have commented on this article.

Related Articles:

Fast food giants prey on parents' gullibility to sell unhealthy food to children

Photo shows beer promotions at McDonald's restaurant (humor)

Weight Watchers says eat at McDonald's to lose weight (opinion)

Olympian Phelps Serves as "Ambassador" to McDonald's, Introducing Chinese Children to American Junk Food

London Assembly trying to ban McDonald's, Coca-Cola from 2012 Olympics

McDonald's forced to disclose all chemical ingredients on food sold in Russia

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...



Now Available at ShopNaturalNews.com

O3 Essentials OraJuvenate™
A powerful, cleansing dental cream for maximum oral/dental health.
New Cancer Solutions
Over 3 hours of content covering today’s best cancer tests, how to kill cancer cells and the best diets and exercise routines.
Freeze-Dried 100% Organic Whole Corn
Our freeze-drying method preserves taste, texture and nutrients better than any other food preservation method ever invented.
Fenix TK35 Flashlight
Tough, waterproof, extremely bright and it’s touted to throw an 800+ lumen beam more than 1,000 feet into the night.
Inca Treasure Smoothie Pack
This pack of our four most popular superfoods from South America is the perfect combo pack for smoothie lovers.
Pink Himalayan Salt
This salt delivers significant levels of magnesium, zinc and selenium, with trace levels of dozens of other elements.
Pinhole Glasses - Aviator Style
Pinhole glasses are becoming famous for helping people improve their vision without the risks of laser surgery.
Oxy-Rich Facial Serum
O3 Essentials Jojoba Oxy-Rich Facial Serum is cellular nourishment for your skin. Helps smooth fine lines while enhancing tissue elasticity.
Freeze-Dried 100% Blackberry Halves
Our freeze-dried blackberry halves are grown in Serbia under strict organic standards.

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts

Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:

Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

Dear Donald Trump: Blockade the lying mainstream media and recognize the independent media as America's real free press
Kellogg's found to have financial ties to the money man for cop-killing left-wing HATE groups: George Soros

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com



Recommended Resources On:

Natural News trends
Health Ranger news
Natural News GMOs
Mike Adams tracker
Natural News photos
Natural News Global
Natural News in focus
Natural News connect
Natural News shocking stories
Natural News radar
GMOs
Quackwatch
Vaccines
Health freedom
Dr. Paul Offit

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2014 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

eTrust Pro Certified Android app on Google Play