Wedding Woes

Bacon — our national food crush

Nutritionists are dismayed, but bacon chic is sizzling
Image: KFC's new Double Down sandwich.
KFC's new Double Down sandwich contains all the fat you should have in a day, says nutritionist Susan D. Moores.
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KFC
 
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By Bill Briggs
msnbc.com contributor
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Bacon is once more our true, national food crush, spanning all ages, all cultures and all meals. It binds us in its aromatic allure — and maybe in its outlaw luster. Like a freedom fighter emerging from an underground bunker, the smoky strips of crispy bliss somehow survived the rise and reign of the cholesterol cops.

It’s primal. It’s sublime. It’s bacon. And it’s bigger than ever, baby.

How do we know? We give you the KFC www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36274564/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/#" target="_blank" class="iAs">Double Down, two slabs of fried chicken and melted cheese all squeezed around a sacred centerpiece — two pieces of bacon. The breadless sandwich that some are calling “angina on a plate” debuts at KFC restaurants on Monday. If customers order the Original Recipe variety, their Double Down will pack 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 milligrams of sodium, according to KFC.

This is will not make Michelle Obama very happy.

But it’s already got celebrity chef Paula Deen giggling with glee.

“There’s no bun? Oh, shut up! I can’t wait to try it!” Deen said Tuesday while being driven between launch events for her book, “Paula Deen’s Savannah Style.”  “We may have to go to the closest KFC now!

“We love our bacon,” added Deen, who serves up her southern-fried dishes and personality on the Food Network’s “Paula’s Home Cooking.” “Americans love their bacon.”

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Of course, the timing of KFC’s guilty pleasure is giving chest pains and meat sweats to nutritionists. As we’re simultaneously advised and chided how and what to eat to protect our arteries, the Double Down stares down anti-obesity campaigners like the First Lady — and does it with a bold, greasy smirk.

“Monstrosity is a great word for it,” said Phil Lempert, a food-marketing expert known as “The Supermarket Guru.” “There are no nutritional benefits to this ... When you do something outrageous — whether it’s a $100 hamburger or $1,000 drink that has bits of gold in it — you get PR. You get people to write about it, to talk about it.”

According to a KFC spokesman, the sandwich was very popular in tests. "Obviously it’s a unique sandwich,” KFC spokesman Rick Maynard told msnbc.com last week.

Meanwhile, some nutritionists suspect the Double Down is more fat-laden than KFC claims. Lempert plugged the sandwich’s listed weight (241 grams) and ingredients into a calorie-calculation program. While he acknowledged an accurate assessment is “tough without seeing one live,” his program estimated the bunless wonder is laced with 836 calories.

the timing of KFC’s guilty pleasure is giving chest pains and meat sweats to nutritionists. As we’re simultaneously advised and chided how and what to eat to protect our arteries, the Double Down stares down anti-obesity campaigners like the First Lady — and does it with a bold, greasy smirk.

“Monstrosity is a great word for it,” said Phil Lempert, a food-marketing expert known as “The Supermarket Guru.” “There are no nutritional benefits to this ... When you do something outrageous — whether it’s a $100 hamburger or $1,000 drink that has bits of gold in it — you get PR. You get people to write about it, to talk about it.”

According to a KFC spokesman, the sandwich was very popular in tests. "Obviously it’s a unique sandwich,” KFC spokesman Rick Maynard told msnbc.com last week.

Meanwhile, some nutritionists suspect the Double Down is more fat-laden than KFC claims. Lempert plugged the sandwich’s listed weight (241 grams) and ingredients into a calorie-calculation program. While he acknowledged an accurate assessment is “tough without seeing one live,” his program estimated the bunless wonder is laced with 836 calories.

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Re: Bacon — our national food crush

  • GBCKGBCK member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    It's actually not *that* much worse than most crap served at fat food places...that's why I raise an eyebrow at the hubub.
    I mean, the calorie content is lower than a 'triple thick choc. shake' at the golden arches.
  • 6fsn6fsn member
    Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    I think it would be gross to handle.  Plop it on a plate and give me utensils and I'd eat it. 
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