MovieChat Forums > Food Revolution (2010) Discussion > KFC set to debut artery-clogging Double-...

KFC set to debut artery-clogging Double-Down chicken sandwich..

posted 14 years ago by br0ck
30 replies | jump to latest

Slightly off topic but not really:

Jamie Oliver's show has been on the air a month now and we can already see the amazing impact of the food revolution getting americans to eat healthier and include more vegetables in their diet.. or have we? KFC has test-marketed and is now officially about to feature what is known as it's Double Down chicken sandwich, consisting of two greasy fried chicken breasts in place of a bun, several kinds of fatty melted cheese, bacon and special sauce in between.. see it here if you haven't already:

http://www.kfc.com/doubledown/

I would've thought this was a creative photoshop or an april fools joke if that were not on KFC's official site.. Nice to see America is embracing a healthier food choices huh?

Ok to drop the sarcasm for a minute: It's obvious that American corporations REALLY want us to get fat and unhealthy and stay that way, how else can you explain an abomination like that? Getting people to eat that kind of *beep* is great for the fast food, health insurance, pharmaceutical, and ultimately for the funeral home industries when you need an oversized casket and two plots of land to bury our fat asses. KFC and the other processed food giants are churning out new generations of obese young people who will live shorter lives than their parents.. but they're making a lot of money in the process so the stockholders aren't going to lose a wink of sleep over it.

This is honestly the first case where I can say I wish the government would intervene and stop KFC from doing this on grounds that it's a health hazard.. but that would probably make it all the more appealing to the average dumbass in this country. I'm just going to call it now.. KFC's double-down sandwich: early sign of the apocalypse.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Kelt84 14 years ago

Maybe bacon is a vegetable now? A nice, crispy strip of pork-lettuce! :D

[–] mamu2 14 years ago

I tend to agree. Obesity makes a lot of people a lot of money.

I don't care that KFC makes this food item, they have the freedom to do it. No one is putting a gun to your head to eat it.

It's all about personal responsibility. Just say no.

[–] br0ck 14 years ago

Well, that's the problem.. the new generations are not conditioned to think about the consequences and just say no, they're conditioned to "Just Do It". They're conditioned to "UN-think", they're told to "run for the border" and "have it your way" and after they're done eating a big pile of grease, say "I'm Loving It". Young people aren't being properly educated about the dangers of today's processed foods, they're encouraged to consume with excess by all the corporations at every turn, so you better believe sandwiches like this one are going to be popular. Of course you and I won't eat it, but the average american that hasn't prioritized healthy eating probably will.

[–] mamu2 14 years ago

America Runs on Dunkins

That one makes me cringe everytime.

[–] emmie10 14 years ago

I e-mailed a picture of this sandwich to my son and he replied "Yeah! And for an extra buck they'll stab you in the heart!"

[–] seadevil7713 14 years ago

"It's all about personal responsibility. Just say no"

That's a nice platitude but it kind of ignores the root of the problem, doesn't it? The point is that people don't say no. They don't eat these foods in moderation. Processed crap like this is overeaten by millions of Americans all the time - and that is why we are an obese nation. The research that has been coming out (basically showing the amazing addictive qualities these foods have and how they change neural mechanisms) does a good job explaining why so many Americans struggle to "just say no". These foods are designed to be extremely hard to resist, cheap, and available everywhere. No wonder people struggle so hard.

[–] renzopiano 14 years ago

Luv it.

[–] branenj001 14 years ago

I wish he'd do a cigarette and booze revolution to. Man, can you imagine? all those college kids would be freaking OUT. Binge eating, binge drinking, chain smoking, man.

[–] hp1510 14 years ago

I've already seen this piece of lard on every site on the internet, but just seeing it again makes me want to barf. It is a monstrosity that something like this exists, but the sad thing is that most of KFC's audience (overweight or obese people) will think it looks tasty and will eat it and give them more money anyway. It truly cannot even be called food.

Save Our Earth!

[–] branenj001 14 years ago

I hope no one assumes it's lowcarb just because it has no bun. I mean with all that breading lol *barf*. You know, like the people that assume just because it's chicken, it's healthy. And you know, I totally get everything in moderation, but i've learned over the past year that if i'm going to treat myelf, let it be something REAL, at a sit down restraunt.

[–] yorach 14 years ago

Let's take a look at what's in this thing

Double Down Nutrition Info

Calories 540
Calories from fat 290
Total fat 32g
Saturated fat 10g
Trans fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 145mg
Sodium 1380mg
Carbs 11g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 1g
Protein 53g

Now let's take a look at a Big Mac

Calories 590
Calories from fat 306
Total fat 34g
Saturated fat 11g
Trans fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 85mg
Sodium 1070mg
Carbs 47g
Fiber 3g
Sugar 8g
Protein 24g

So what's the point of this? To show that this new sandwich from KFC isn't any worse than things that most of America has been eating for years. In fact it has less calories, less fat, and twice the protein of a big mac, the double down just looks worse because of all the breading. KFC is not trying to kill us any faster with this sandwich, they're just keeping pace with the rest of the fast food industry.

Having one of these sandwiches every now and then isn't a problem if just the sandwich is your meal. The problem comes when people start eating these things every other day along with super sized fries and soft drinks (super size fries and coke will add another 1000 calories to your meal).

So yeah it looks disgusting but it's not the worst thing ever and people really start getting in trouble with the sides and drinks.

[–] emmie10 14 years ago

The above is a fair enough point. KFC isn't exactly health food anyway and they are in the business to make a profit with the product they sell.

It is a little bit like comparing Camel cigarettes to Kool cigarettes and saying one is no worse than the other.

I can see a couple of people having that argument, one scarfing a Big-Mac, one scarfing the new KFC greasefest, sitting in front of a ballgame on tv and following that "meal" in a cloud of smoke.

[–] jwilcox154 14 years ago

Although KFC does not sell health food the Double-Down sandwich isn't exactly at the same level as cigarettes either. Judging by the nutritional value of both the fried and the grilled sandwiches they do give more nutrition per calorie than the Big Mac. Both Double-Down Sandwiches are low carb, moderate fat, and high protein. Most of the fat on both are healthy unsaturated fats. The better choice of the two is of course the grilled sandwich as it has little if any trans fat and over 50% of the calories are from protein. The problem is the high sodium content. Even so unless someone has hypertension this would not be a bad occasional choice if it is paired with a side salad and a healthy dressing.

[–] emmie10 14 years ago

My analogy did not compare the sandwich to cigarettes. It compared sandwich to sandwich and cigarette to cigarette. My point was that it makes the same amount of sense (i.e. little to none) to identify one unhealthy thing as more healthy than its equivalent unhealthy thing.

Obviously if the only choices are the Big-Mac or Double-down it's going to be a matter of preference, but one choice is virtually no better health wise than the other.

[–] jwilcox154 14 years ago

I didn't say you did. All I said was it is not at the same level as cigarettes. In other words the Double-Down sandwich may not be the healthiest, but it is healthier than the Big Mac for sure since roughly half of the calories is from protein. The best thing is there are two choices, fried and grilled.

The Big Mac, on the other hand, is the worst since it has higher levels of fat and carbs while having less protein. As for cigarettes there really is no comparison as all brands are equally as unhealthy.

[–] emmie10 14 years ago

Ok- I get your meaning now. One of the flaws of message boards is clarity of meaning gets confused sometimes.

I saw pictures of both of those sandwiches (the grilled and the fried) and they both looked nasty-and I'm sure they'll be a big hit. Thank God there are far more choices than KFC and Micky-D.

[–] jwilcox154 14 years ago

I agree, sometimes things do get lost in the translation. ;) Although the sandwich doesn't look that bad to me I have to agree on another thing, thank God there are far more choices than those two.

[–] jwilcox154 14 years ago

Not to mention there is the Grilled Double Down as well.
*-Approximate
Calories----------------460.0
Total Fat----------------23.0 g
Saturated Fat------------9.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat------7.0 g*
Monounsaturated Fat------7.0 g*
Trans Fat----------------0.0 g
Cholesterol--------------185.0 mg
Sodium-------------------1,380.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate-------11.0 g
Dietary Fiber------------0.0 g
Sugars-------------------1.0 g
Protein------------------61.0 g

Over half of the calories is from protein. While it has saturated fat it is still less than the total unsaturated fat. The problem is knowing what vitamins and minerals this sandwich has. What I do know is there are some who seem to have a phobia when it comes to all packaged foods. While traditional frozen foods and fast foods are unhealthy the healthy choices are getting better. Just take a look at the frozen foods section, it has a huge selection of healthier foods. That is a huge change from even 10 years ago. Heck, even McDonald's has more healthier choices than they did 10 years ago. Businesses are striving to create both healthy and unhealthy meals. Even so it doesn't stop people from parroting the myth that all frozen foods and fast foods are unhealthy.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] TheAdlerian 14 years ago

I had one the other day and is was pretty good!

I have been counting my calories to make sure that I stay within 2000k for the day.

Before I ate it though, I had a two hour heavy weight lifting session and then a ten mile bike ride. At the end of the ride I was at KFC to get the items. I have a Polar Heart monitor and noted that my entire workout had burned 1600 calories and I had only eaten 800 so far that day, so I was 800 in the negative. I biked home quickly and ate my 500+ calorie Double Down. It was a bit too salty to taste, but the extra salt was good because I had lost a lot working out, which can cause you to feel badly.

I'm 44 and in perfect health.

[–] br0ck 14 years ago

Yeah, it's a fair point that the other fast food joints have equally as bad sandwiches that we just don't think them as being that bad, because they throw a few shreds of iceberg lettuce on it.

Overall I think the problem is, this KFC sandwich is just so brazenly and wantonly advertising unhealth.. like the commercials for it might as well be saying "go on, you know you want it, just eat it, you're gonna die some day anyway", they even call it the Double Down which might be referring to the two chicken breasts, or the fact that it's a gambling term and you're gambling on your health by eating it. It's really the brazen marketing and the greasy, fried appearance of the sandiwch that are causing it to catch so much heat. it's not that it, and only it, are the sole cause of obesity in America, but it's not helping things.

Also, they didn't include a bun not because "there's no room for the bun" but because adding a buttered white-bread bun would double the calorie and carb count. It can also be argued that if one made a healthier version of a Big Mac using whole grain/wheat bread and cut the sugary sauces and used leaner meat, it wouldn't be that bad for you. Calories aren't really the problem though, you can burn them off with exercise, it's the cholesterol, saturated fat, sodium that are killers, and for its size, the Double Down has extremely high amounts of all 3 of those, in terms of mass it's probably only 1/2 the size of a big mac.

The other problem is, by adding such a flagrantly unhealthy menu item, they're in a way making some of the other fast food items appear better by comparison.. people will now be able to say "No it's okay, I didn't get the Double Down sandwich, I only got fried chicken and mash potatoes, i'm looking out for my health"

[–] gg82 14 years ago

I don't understand it. First of all, it looks weird and gross. Second of all, isn't the whole point of sandwiches to have bread so you don't have to touch the greasy contents? Who wants to hold onto greasy fried chicken (or slippery grilled chicken) while they eat this "sandwich?" I don't see this as becoming a popular menu item.

[–] Kelt84 14 years ago

Not only greasy, but hot! Bread is full of little air-bubbles, and acts as an insulator. Maybe the're ready to introduce a new slogan - Finger burnin' good!

[–] gg82 14 years ago

Good point. Maybe they serve it cold. Ewww! Cold fried chicken with soggy breading!

[–] TheAdlerian 14 years ago

It's in a paper wrapper meant to be held while eating.

Unhealthy:

My last post illustrated that these sandwiches aren't unhealthy. It's the people eating them who are.

[–] sbrobin 14 years ago

HOw is the double down worse than any other sandwich? Do you really ting the white bread in a regular bun is any better than the two chicken breasts, which are fried, but contain lots of protein, rather than empty carbs from a bun.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] gg82 14 years ago

I will take the label of being dumb about fast food. Although, you weren't referring to me, your comment applies to what I wrote.

I didn't realize that:
A.) It came in a paper wrapper and people and people didn't have to touch it,
and B.) That it was popular.

I don't eat fast food and will readily admit I'm out of touch with the reality of fast food restaurants. I couldn't name the most popular menu item for any fast food restaurant. I'm in a tiny minority of America that can't do that.