Food Expert Calls out Crazy Price Hikes at McDonald's; Here are the Alternatives he Suggested

Fast-food giant McDonald's isn't exactly known for dishing out nutritious meals, but the global brand is now facing scrutiny for the potential health risks associated with its menu offerings. The burger chain used to be the most visited when it came to having a full meal at cheap prices, but now McDonald's has seen its customer base shrink due to rising rates. Consumer awareness and consideration for personal health has gone up with nutritionists spreading awareness on nutritional composition, food processing techniques, and other health impacts. Fast food does not just increase the risk of obesity but its regular use also leads to heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions. The San Francisco Bay Area health food expert Brendan Ruh posted a video through his TikTok handle (@santacruzmedicinals) with the caption, "This is crazy. If you still eat McDonald's, you’re dumb". 

In the video, Ruh was seen ordering a Quarter Pounder with fries and a milkshake and the total came to $16.25. He was pretty taken aback by the price hike for an unhealthy meal, tipped the cashier with $100, and moved to stores to get food. He was then seen in his video collecting ingredients separately to make a protein-rich, veggie-filled beef bowl at home. He picked up ground beef ($6.24), yellow onion ($0.87), a head of lettuce ($1.87), and a pack of grape tomatoes ($2.98). He mentioned the benefits of each ingredient and later picked up two mangoes for $3.26 to replace the McDonald's artificially sweetened milkshake. His whole meal prep totaled $15.19 and he urged his viewers to not just think about the price hikes but also their health.

Some viewers supported him with @BlackOut commenting, "You make really good points, but you're not including costs for cooking utilities, gas prices, electricity...the ingredients themselves." @Alexander McKenzie noted, "No one‘s talking about the fact he just tipped 100." On the other hand, the likes of @winniethepooh2025 commented, "It’s 'fast food' for a reason. I personally don’t fw McDonald’s but some people want to unwind after school, work, and anything else." @Michael Ortega commented, "My fav healthy dessert is wild blueberries, kefir, honey, and dark chocolate mixed in a big mug. You can throw fresh sliced mint in there too."

@Dinkleburg.fa1 commented, "The only cheap fast food anymore is Taco Bell’s dollar menu". @Zensored commented, "Most meals are relatively cheaper but I can go on my McDonald’s app, get two qtr pounders for $5 and a 6 piece chicken nugget and fries for another $3." @Scott Richard commented. "Two quarter pounders six nuggets and a coffee in Canada Nova Scotia is $26." @Stupidfis commented, "What I get is a Big Mac meal for 7.79 in my area so it’s much cheaper a pound of ground beef here is also like 12$". 

A diverse range of factors contribute to higher fast-food prices, like labor shortages and minimum wage increases. Some states, like California, have recently announced their minimum wage increase to $20 an hour. However, economists feel that the country can beat the costs by cutting down the founder's income. 

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