McDonald's Top Chef Doesn't See Anything 'unhealthy' on the Menu

Despite recent efforts to reinvent itself with a greater number of healthy items, McDonald's remains a high-profile target in the anti-obesity movement. Daniel Coudreaut, who serves as the senior director of culinary innovation at the Golden Arches, recently made a comment that's likely to fan the flames a little higher.
A meal consisting of a Quarter Pounder hamburger, french fries and soft-drink is pictured at a McDonald's restaurant …[Related: McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell -- where were they born?]
In an article for the Akron Beacon Journal, Lisa Abraham quotes Coudreaut as saying, "I don't see anything on the menu that's unhealthy." We suppose that "unhealthy" is a relative term, but even the bravest spin doctor would have a hard time defending the statement against health advocates.
[Related: Are McDonald's new Happy Meal ads misleading?]
Indeed, a quick look at the McDonald's menu reveals many items that, if not "unhealthy," are certainly not on many nutritionists' top 10 lists. For example, the Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese contains 42 grams of total fat and 1,360 milligrams of sodium. That said, McDonald's has introduced healthier options in recent years, including oatmeal for kids.
[Related: McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe]
Coudreaut was in Ohio and ate at a McDonald's, where he answered a few questions from the locals. When asked if he felt responsible for the obesity epidemic in America, he responded that he worries about his own two children and "what goes into their mouths." He and his kids eat at Mickey D's about once a week.
[Related: America's healthiest fast food sandwiches]
The average McDonald's customer, according to Coudreaut, eats three meals a month at the restaurant. "I feel that if we were to close our doors of all of the McDonald's tomorrow, the obesity problem would not go away," he said.