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Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

> Eatsa’s team, led by Scott Drummond and Tim Young, are hoping to attract health-conscious types with its hearty salads and quinoa bowls stuffed with green beans, avocado, and root vegetables. The average meal will set you back about 500 calories, which is far lower than most fast food alternatives.

That's just about the number of calories in a big mac. Or a bojangles canjun biscuit. Or a chik-fil-a fried chicken sandwich.

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I don't think the general populace realizes that fast food burgers, in general, are not really all that bad. I mean, maybe the fat vs other stuff is not quite as balanced as some would like, though I'd like to point out the French paradox here. [0]

The fries and carbonated sugar water and other accoutrement are where things really go bad.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_paradox

Not really a paradox, eating all day with no moderation is bad, quite simple.

Don't forget the very large portions offered at many of these fast food outlets.

A Big Mac isn't a meal, though. The "meal" includes fries and a drink.

Few people would say that they are full after just eating a sandwich from a fast food restaurant - while I can't attest to the Eatsa bowls, I assume it is intended to be a whole meal.

Fries are a side, and you can also get sides at Eatsa (300 calories for chips and guac). And if you don't find a big mac filling, you're probably not going to find 500 calories of quinoa and veggies filling either.

Can't quite believe we're debating McDonalds terminology, but fries is both a side and part of a meal. That's why they have "Extra Value meals", which include fries and a drink. A sandwich is never advertised as a "meal".

Having never had an Eatsa bowl I can't be sure, but they certainly appear that they would be more filling than a burger - it isn't just calories that makes you feel full.

You're the one talking about labeling. I think that's irrelevant. McDonalds will happily sell you a Big Mac by itself, and the question is whether at 560 calories that is more or less filling than a quinoa bowl. What's a "meal" and what's a side is a red herring. Someone who's going to order the side of fries isn't going to hold off on the chips and guacamole just because it's no sold as a "meal."

Because calories are the only thing people consider when thinking about healthy food.

Those fast food items you listed are usually a part of a meal that includes fries, which add another 400-500 calories.

I must be getting ripped off--they always charge me extra for fries.

Apples to apples. Compare a meal to a meal, or a main item to a main item.

You were comparing their purported meal of 500 calories to a single item within a typical fast food meal.

Nobody was claiming that fries + burger don't cost more than a burger.

This is a weird debate. I went to the Eatsa site. It's organized "Bowls", "Sides", "Beverages". Like every fast food restaurant in the world, the affordance is for people to select one from each category. There are 3 sides, and 2/3rds of them are unhealthy.

Apparently, the standard (non-embiggened) Big Mac meal at McDonalds is their most popular option. If you get a Diet Coke with that meal, it appears roughly comparable with a meal at Eatsa.

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