Bet 'cha can't guess....

Bear with me here...as I guarantee the question I'm about to ask you is health related.

Can you guess who the largest toy distributor in the world is? Did you guess Toys R Us? Walmart? Target? FAO Schwartz? If you did...you would be wrong.

The # 1 Toy distributor IN THE WORLD is....(drum roll please)....McDonald's. Yes, as in fast food, red-haired clown with big feet McDonald's. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

How is it that a FOOD chain can beat every other toy company in the world? Because they give toys away with their kids meals, and more people buy their kids fast food every day than toys.

Are you shocked? You shouldn't be.

For the 2008 tax year, McDonald's reported a net income of 28.5 BILLION dollars. That's a lot of cheeseburgers! McDonald's estimates that 20% of their profits are generated from Happy Meals, and I know first hand that parents don't only buy them for those 12 & under. In 2004, McDonald's partnered with Disney Company to spin their happy meal marketing to include promotion of upcoming Disney flicks...and you know what? It worked.

Kids want to play with characters they have seen in motion; to mimic scenes, create their own storylines, and occasionaly be the bad guy. Parents want to please their kids, and hey, it's only a couple of bucks, and so they entice their little cherubs with Happy Meals until they have "collected all 8". However, I can't say that I know many parents, myself included, who take a trip to McDonalds and only buy their child a meal. McDonald's tactic to bring kids in through bribery works double time...on our waists & wallets.

McDonalds has other ingenious ways to fatten their pockets and your waistline...the Monolopy game. Everyone wants to win a million bucks, and you can't win if you don't play. For an added $1.00, you can upgrade your drink or fries and get additional Monopoly game pieces! What a steal!

They (and many other fast food chains) ask sly questions to increase your total and caloric intake, such as:

"Would you like that Large or King (fries or drink)" when it comes standard as a medium. You automatically will reply with one of the two choices they list.
or
"Would you like cheese or bacon on that?"

The next time you find yourself tempted to please those doe-eyes little gems we call our children with the latest happy meal collectable, offer them an alternative for one that doesn't come with fries. Your wallet and waist will thank you.

Until Tomorrow!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥