KFC buffet

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
61

It is a serious question, as you openly attack KFC’s competition, yet I don’t see you picking on Taco Bell or Pizza Hut.

62

I can honestly see Tom’s point if people ONLY ate the broiled chicken, veggies, and beans, but honestly, buffets usually promote over eating, and even IF the food is healthy/healthier, that is not good. I would also suspect that people who might frequent this sort of thing would not limit themselves to the healthier options. “Only one piece of fried wouldn’t kill me. Just a dab of dessert. Just a small mound of mashed potatoes”, etc. Not a good habit.

63

Finally, someone responded to my original post with some actual insight. Thank you. I do not have a definitve response, but I suspect you have found a better nutritional fast food value, albeit probably not the best QPR value. Probably one reason why fast food alternatives such as these are doing so well. I would like to see a scientific comparison. But, and here is the big but, Subway, et. al. do not provide an all you can eat buffet. Again, for the working poor and even the fabulously wealthy, what is the better value?

I do not know, but at least you have raised a valid issue.

64

Just one more wafer-thin mint.

65

Tom,

If all you can eat is a main part of your value identification then why does the health aspect of it enter this at all!? If you are eating all you can eat then it really doesn’t matter much WHAT you eat.

66

My friend’s mom (vietnamese) always insisted to us that good pho always has MSG.

Dude, as an Asian guy you don’t know this! I add it to everything I cook! [snort.gif]

67

Your typical unsubstantive response.

68

Screw KFC and eating healthy. I’m going to Whetstone’s hood next Tuesday and get a thigh and drumstick for 99 cents from Popeye’s. I’m gonna bring my own diet coke and the whole meal will be $1.08. Ok, on second thought, I’ll also have red beans and rice, can’t say no to that. Maybe mash and gravy. Also, I might get a second order of thigh and drumstick. All for under $7…or maybe more.

69

My original question stands.

70

You toss around adjectives like they were facts. How about you doing some homework and backing up your claims with some nutritional analysis? Glenn Levine is a well respected member of this board who does back up his claims. You would do well to follow his example.

71

Actually, it does. One can only eat so much. Eating nutrient dense as opposed to nutrient poor foods is extremely important. On this board, one is constantly regaled with the superiority of burgers, fries,etc with no comments as to their nutritional aspects - just their taste.

If I am correct, my post is the onlly one in the fast food posts that has actually dealt with the nutritional value of the food. I am probably mistaken, but I have never noticed nutritional aspects brought into play in previous fast food posts. I maintain that KFC is one of the best fast food restaurants that actually takes into account some very nutritious side dishes. Once more, who can name a fast food chain with better nutritional side dishes?

I have no interest in KFC other than I consider the $5 buffet the best deal in fast food ever.

72

Chipotle. And one can easily overdo it there, too. But, I think they have the best value, taste, and nutrition of the fast foods.

73

I see you continue to take lessons from Francis S’s posts.

74

And you’re doing it all without factual substantiation…How 'bout that?!!

75

Actually, it doesn’t. If you are getting all of your maximum allowable calories for a whole day in one sitting simply because you can, then you are doing great damage to your system. The nutrients you need can be had from a very small amount of food. There is zero reason to seek out all you can eat specials to feed yourself nutritiously.

Besides that, I would call whatever KFC might put on a buffet marginally healthful at best. If you were stuffing yourself with fresh, organic, raw fruits and veggies then you might have a point. The very prepared, preserved and processed options they might have even if you only ate the vegetables would fall far short of that in nutrition and would have the double whammy of some ugly additives. If you eat the chicken, potatoes and whatever else then that is all out the window. I don’t care if they give it away for free. In fact I’d bet the local soup kitchen has an at least as nutritious meal everyday.

76

No, Tom, it’s quite substantive. It pretty much sums up my feelings. I actually looked for a KFC in my area so I could go partake in this repast and I had no intention of debating the healthiness of the menu. I didn’t really care if it was healthy (I still don’t) and figured you were entitled to your opinion. Then you decided to act like an asshole and insult Dr. Levine so, while I was initially shocked by your first response, I’m now appalled and you’re only digging your hole deeper - not to mention falling back on your standard schtick of insulting my intelligence.

77

My fiancee’s mom uses msg for everything. I need a gallon of water

78

Incorrect - I did as well, and more accurately, frankly. The over-cooking of the vegetables at KFC, where they often are steamed more than once, microwaved, or boiled for quite some time, dilutes or eliminates most of their healthful benefits - they become not much more than complex starches and fiber - no nutritional value, only gastrointestinal value.

Fresh vegetables, even just one on a sandwich (other than iceberg lettuce) has more nutritional value than any of the vegetable dishes at KFC - to load a sandwich with them would provide a monumental improvement in nutritional value over a KFC buffet meal. Add the fact that there are no trans-fats, no oils, and you’ve got quite a significant improvement. I challenge any of us to be hungry after a fully loaded foot long submarine sandwich. I know I can’t even finish one.

79

LOL.

80

KFC’s nutritional guide (these things always fascinate me) (available here: http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_nutrition.pdf) says that:

  1. A meal consisting of a “grilled” chicken breast, one serving of mashed potatoes and gravy, and one serving of green beans would have a modest calorie count of 350, a very reasonable saturate fat count of 3 g, a respectable 37 g of protein, and a ludicrous 1280 mgs of sodium. Except for the sodium, a decent meal.

  2. A meal consisting of one original recipe chicken breast, one serving of mashed potatoes and gravy, one serving of mac and cheese, and one biscuit would have 820 calories, 14.5 g of saturated fat (!), 45 g of protein, and 2860 mgs of sodium.

Those meals are with only 1 piece of chicken each and whatever they are considering one serving each of the sides. Double the size of the sides, or add another piece of chicken, and the numbers get scary. Those sodium numbers are already scary.

Moreover, as to the other “nutrients” being speculated about (e.g., phytochemicals), I suspect that KFC’s beans, greens etc have been boiled to death, shot up with way too many preservatives, and are extremely high in sodium, but none of that info is available on the nutritional facts page.