McDonald's v. School Lunches: Which is Healthier?

Proposed elementary school lunch, courtesy of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010:


Chef Salad
(1 cup romaine, .5 oz low-fat mozzarella,
1.5 oz grilled chicken) with Whole Wheat
Soft Pretzel (2.5 oz)
Corn, cooked (1/2 cup)
Baby Carrots, raw (1/4 cup)
Banana
Skim Chocolate Milk (8 oz)
Low Fat Ranch Dressing (1.5 oz)
Low Fat Italian Dressing (1.5 oz)

The nutrient composition of this lunch (info from nutritiondata.com):


Carbohydrate: 138g
Fat: 16g
Protein: 37g
Fiber: 10g
Net carbohydrate (ie., digestible): 128g
Calories: 886
CPF composition by calories: approximately 62:17:16

Assumptions: 1 slice commercially prepared whole wheat bread, 1 oz carrots, low fat ranch dressing

Let's look at the nutrient composition of a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese, small fries and a diet drink or water:
Carbohydrate: 69g
Fat: 37g
Protein: 32 g
Fiber: 6g
Net carbohydrate: 63g
Calories: 740
CPF composition by calories: 37:17:45

To be sure, neither of these meals is health food. Nevertheless, if I had a child, I'd rather he eat the McDonald's meal. Why?

• There's a boatload of carbohydrate in the school lunch. Much of it is sugar; the soft pretzel will dissolve into glucose (sugar) in short order once it's down the hatch. In one study, "...a concentrated dose of sugar resulted in a dramatic increase in blood levels of adrenaline in children..." and "...nearly all the children complained of feeling weak and shaky." Another study showed pretty much the same thing. The need for carbohydrate in the human diet: none. Carbohydrate also leads to insulin release, which can lead to fat storage. It's probably no coincidence that kids who eat school lunches are more likely to be overweight.
• The grains in the whole wheat bread and pretzel contain nutrient blockers in the form of phytic acid. (In fairness, so does the bun on the burger.) The nutrient blockers glom onto certain minerals and keep them from being absorbed.
• Pretzels are made with high-gluten flour to make them chewy. Even if you aren't celiac, gluten isn't good for your guts.
• There's less fat in the school lunch. Dietary fat is important for satiation and good health.
• There may be more vegetables in the school lunch, but a real chef's salad (romaine lettuce, other greens in season, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, celery, cabbage, and seaweed) is a standard part of dinner at my house.
• With 146 fewer calories, there would be more room my nutritious meals.
• Remember school lunches? I would not ask a child to eat anything I wouldn't eat.

Sources:

"Health: New Data on Sugar and Child Behavior," by Jane E. Brody, New York Times, May 10, 1990.
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/10/us/health-new-data-on-sugar-and-child-behavior.html

"Study Sees a Sugar-Adrenaline Link in Children," by Jane E. Brody, New York Times, March 15, 1995.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/15/us/study-sees-a-sugar-adrenaline-link-in-children.html?src=pm

The Thirty-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution by Michael Eades, MD and Mary Dan Eades, MD. 2003.

Fat: It's Not What you Think by Connie Leas. 2008.

"Gliadin, zonulin and gut permeability: Effects on celiac and non-celiac intestinal mucosa and intestinal cell lines" by Sandro Drago et al, Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, March 2006.

"Children, Parents and Obesity" by Julie Gunlock, National Affairs, Winter 2011.