Whether after waking up in the morning or returning home from work or school, people are looking forward for a nice meal in their tables. If we say “nice”, it means to say the meal must be something we can enjoy, conveniently prepared and of course it suits our taste buds. The problem is, how can we enjoy a meal when it’s always the same? Americans wake up and find cereals, eggs, pork, and beef cuisine in their tables and are fed up about it.
Sometimes, we just want something new from the meal we are looking forward to, like sea foods for instance. And that’s the reason why Long John Silver’s fast-food restaurant comes to the picture. You can always go the restaurant near you or phone their delivery service for some of their appetizing menu. Long John Silver’s Inc. is a 40 year-old fast-food chain restaurant that franchises mainly of seafood products. Its popularity in the United States for its convenience and quality made products made it global. However, most fast-food products are said to be junk foods.
In order to know how nutritious Long John Silver’s products are, we will use the internationally accepted measurement for the level of nutrient intake needed for most healthy people in a day, the percent of Daily Values (DV). The percent of Daily Values information is based on a 2000-kcalorie diet. Also in order to measure the caloric levels of the products, we will use the international measurement of caloric intake, The Median Heights and Weights and Recommended Energy Intake. Heights and weights are included in REI because our size specially maintaining a healthy weight should be equal to the amount of energy expenditure. Let us put one of LJS’s products for comparison. One Alaskan Pollock Sandwich contains:
470 calories, 23 grams of total fat, 40mgs of cholesterol ,1180mgs of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams dietary fiber, 4 grams of all types of sugar content, 18 grams of protein, 2% Daily Value of Vitamin A, 2% Daily Value of Vitamin C, 6% Daily Value of calcium and lastly 10% in Daily Value of iron.
An adult male aging 25-50 years old has a REI of 2900 kcal per day, while a female with the same age has a REI of 2200 kcal per day. Pregnant and athletes may need more of these REIs. There is no recommended dietary intake of cholesterol but the Daily Value must not exceed 300mgs. Sodium has a Daily Value of 2400 mgs. Carbohydrates have a Daily Value of 300 grams. Dietary fiber must come with a Daily Value of 25 grams. There is no recommended daily intake of sugar. Protein has a 50 gram recommended Daily Value. Vitamin A has a DV of 5000 IU. Vitamin C has a DV of 60mgs. Calcium has a DV of 1000mgs and lastly iron has a DV of 18mgs.
As you can see, one sandwich can give you one sixth of the energy needed for a day. Therefore, six sandwiches can keep you going for the rest of the day with rest periods of course. There’s a drawback of course, 6 sandwiches can get you near the limit for cholesterol and your sodium levels can spike up way over your Daily Value. As expected, fast-food restaurants products are high in sodium. The sandwich anyway has a lot of protein but it is a poor source of vitamins, calcium and iron. Females who needs more iron cannot benefit much from this product. However, let us not conclude that all of Long John Silver’s products are not nutritious. Other products can yield a more promising result. Also for the consumer’s convenience, Long John Silver’s posted food allergies and sensitivities information and diabetic exchange list on their web page. Diabetics can have a lot of choices for low-sugar and carbohydrates in their menu. For an adult American’s appetite for fish, bon appétit!
