in Musings, Travels

Stomachaches and fast food

Kelly and I have noticed that our stomachs usually suffer when we travel. I hypothesized that its due to the fast food that we eat on the road. As a test, Kelly went to her great aunt’s funeral last week and skipped the McDonald’s. She returned in perfect health.

Last night we had to drop the minivan off at the dealer to replace the lifters on the rear door. Kelly promised the kids McDonald’s for dinner as an incentive for the trip, and I also got dinner there. I picked the healthiest-looking thing on the menu: a Southwest grilled chicken salad. Sure enough I had a stomachache this morning, in spite of my supposedly-healthy pick.

Moral to the story: avoid fast food like the plague it is.

  1. There are probably at least two explanations. 1) McD’s is infamous for high salt content in their food–this may be way more salt than your body is used to; 2) a classic cause of upset stomach is starch surrounded by fat– your body has trouble processing the starch because it is surrounded and protected by fat that doesn’t get broken up until the small intestine, having nothing better to do, your stomach acid works on the stomach.

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