After the gym, I would love nothing more than to go to a place that has everything I need to properly fuel up after a hard workout. Unfortunately, Muscle Maker Grill was a huge disappointment. Not only is the food dry and tasteless, but they claim that they’re “healthy”. Here is an illustration of why their food is tasteless…….
Muscle Maker Grill Falls Short of the Facts
That, in a nutshell is already reason enough to ward off any well informed diner. What is that shi’t? Low fat this, low fat that, whole grain this? Come on, how can ANYTHING taste good from this place? Salt and fat are what make the world go round. Stripping them away from food means very little taste.
To make matters worse, they don’t even offer alternatives. They had NO full fat cheese at all. All the cheese had no fat, except for the mozzarella, which was reduced fat. I went in there and ordered a simple burger. To be fair, the burger itself wasn’t that horrible, but I would rather have a Burger King Triple Stacker. I eat my burger without any bun, so my lean patty (hockey puck) and reduced fat (unstable) cheese didn’t do anything to my starvation other than piss me off.
Salt = taste. Every chef/good cook knows how important salt is to food. Salt is an extremely key ingredient to taste. Not only that, but restricting salt may have negative health consequences in the long run. Check out Chris Kresser’s brilliant article on the topic for more details.
Fat = satiety. Our bodies need saturated fat and these guys are hung up on the whole calories myth that demonizes saturated fats. We know that insulin is the primary hormone for storing energy and we know it’s primary trigger is carbs in the diet. The type of food we eat is responsible for our weight gain, not how much we actively consume. This isn’t a minor mistake, this is a big, misleading problem for a chain that’s trying to be “healthy”.
“Zero” fat sour cream? What the Hell do they put in it to replace the fat?! It’s either water or sugar. I’m willing to bet it’s a combination of both. The whole idea of calories in/calories out has been put in deep water by a number of scientific studies, including the Vermont Prison Study. There has also been increasing evidence over the years to show the effectiveness of low carbohydrate diets and saturated fat consumption.
Yes, that’s right. Saturated fat is NOT the bad guy when it comes to health in any way. Saturated fat is actually very important for a healthy diet. In fact, author Timothy Ferriss has a brilliant article on his website discussing some of the amazing benefits of saturated fat.
Whole Grain for the Win………Not…
Whole grains are being advertised here as a healthy alternative to white flour. The truth is, whole wheat/whole grain isn’t broken down much differently than processed flour by the GI track.
Here is an excerpt from Wheat Belly:
People are usually shocked when I tell them that whole wheat bread increases blood sugar to a higher level than sucrose.1 Aside from some extra fiber, eating two slices of whole wheat bread is really little different, and often worse, than drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soda or eating a sugary candy bar.
A 1981 University of Toronto study launched the concept of the glycemic index, i.e., the comparative blood sugar effects of carbohydrates: the higher the blood sugar after consuming a specific food compared to glucose, the higher the glycemic index (GI). The original study showed that the GI of white bread was 69, while the GI of whole grain bread was 72 and Shredded Wheat cereal was 67, while that of sucrose (table sugar) was 59.2 Yes, the GI of whole grain bread is higher than that of sucrose. Incidentally, the GI of a Mars Bar nougat, chocolate, sugar, caramel, and all—is 68. That’s better than whole grain bread. The GI of a Snickers bar is 41—far better than whole grain bread.
You guy’s can go check out the related study as well. So if insulin is the most important hormones responsible for storing fat and carbs are the primary trigger for insulin, what’s healthy about whole grain bread?!? It breaks down into the blood stream just as fast as other crappy shi’t we try to avoid. Not only that, but grains are known to deplete vitamin D stores and interfere with vitamin D absorption.
The Finishing Blow
Muscle Maker Grill has no grounds on being healthy and absolutely no grounds on having good food. It doesn’t even have an alternative for people who would like to eat food that doesn’t taste like cardboard. At the end of the day, you’re better off going to Wendy’s and eating a Baconator without the bun than wasting your time and money on this horseshi’t.
Rex says
Really, you believe a Wendy’s Baconator is healthier than grilled chicken and steamed broccoli from Muscle Maker Grill? Sorry but I believe this is simply wrong. There is nothing remotely healthy about the food served at Wendy’s, McDonald’s and similar restaurant chains. Muscle Maker serves freshly prepared meals made from quality ingredients. Of course this is simply my opinion based on eating Muscle Maker restaurants, you are free to have yours as well.
William says
I dont see mention of Wendys or McDonalds. Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism no? Burger King is one of the few fast food ballbags that cook their burgers over a flame rather than vegetable oil. With that said, your comment on the grilled chicken n broccoli being healthier that a baconator is most accurate, but that would only be true based on the idea that it was mentioned here. It wasnt. You wanna be honest with yourself here? These Muscle Maker assclowns are pretty genius. Look at what is the number 1 killer of people in this country is. Heart disease. All compliments of sugar. It seems that people will be content with buying a piece of shit as long as someone has shined it. Its still shit. BOOM!
William says
Embarrassing. I missed the last sentence, but the “no bun” is the crucial part. Not to mention the ketchup or any sauces that place has in their food. Even the hot sauce is tainted with “high fructose corn syrup”.
Rex says
William, you are right, McDonald’s was not mentioned in this post. It was Burger King. Just the same, I prefer to steer clear of McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and similar restaurants where there is heavy use of a deep fryer to prepare meals.
William says
Ive found along the way that theres good in almost every establishment. The only thing you have to come to terms with is the price. Unfortunately the bad outweighs the good in all of those establishments. Just about everything on the dam menus are cooked in fryers EXCEPT “burger king”‘s burgers. Now that i think about it i dont know why ive never looked into why they are the only fast food place that doesn’t. Anyway here is a perfect example of beating the monetary system through avoiding the cancer diabetes n heart disease giant, sugar. I want to tell you what to do cause i was raised by a cop and have a tendency to be really irrational sometimes, but i wont. Ill tell you what i do. The single greatest value ive ever come across in my life has been the “McDouble”. For 1 dollar you get 2 patties and cheese. 3 McDoubles and you almost have your fat and protein intake for the day (for those of you who are conscious of exact nutrition). Only thing wrong with that value is that its cooked in horseshit oil. So that leaves me with “Burger King”. Diet is a huge part of my life and i love eating so mapping out where the nearest “Burger King” is located is a must for me. When it all comes down to it its all bout keeping the population unhealthy. The more unhealthy the American people are the better the economy is so, “Horseshit Burger n Grill” or whatever its called (I actually dont feel like scrolling up to find out either) is great for the economy and a very smart establishment. Evil in my eyes, but even the goons behind the curtain there have to pay bills and they knew how to get out of the rat race.
William says
One thing i forgot. Fat. Fat is not bad. Fat is good. I love fat. Sugar and carbohydrates are what give fat a bad name. Your body needs fat and actually loves fat. Fat is one of the few things that a human can ingest in mass amounts with ZERO consequences. Now of course you can choke on it if you eat it to the point where the ratio of fat to air is outweighed heavily but the same goes for water. Fat is actually safer than water in that area. Drink too much water and I mean TOO MUCH water and your brain will die. But all of the illnesses diseases and problems that humans have where fat gets the blame, theres lil ole sugar and carbohydrates hiding in the corner. Fat may clog your arteries of course, but thats like saying shits will clog your dam toilet when you used the whole roll of paper for your excretion venture. Fat likes to flow and flow smoothly. Sugar and carbs are the roadblocks it encounters. Butter melts in your mouth, doesnt it? Butter is the epitome of fat. I often wonder why that is overlooked. If it melts in your mouth then what the fuck is it doing in your veins? Its a lil hotter in them than your mouth. Have a coffee with heavy cream (fat) and see how easy it is to clean the mug or cup. Then have a coffee with a few teaspoons of sugar (or dont, just test it) and then see how much harder it is to clean. Its as simple as this to describe what happens in your veins and heart. Ive been in ketosis (no sugar or carbs) since Feb. 2012 and i get bitter beer face when i have a taste of anything with sugar in it. Wasnt my goal at the time, but i lost 45 pounds and I havnt been sick since. In fact the only time i came across a lil discomfort is when i ate food at a neighbors house that i didnt know exactly what she had cooked the food with. Slipped my mind. Turns out there was a lot of high fructose corn syrup in the batter for the chicken. That opened the door for bacteria. So to close on my thoughts here, its not fat that is bad. Its sugar and carbohydrates that are the culprits. No doctor is going to tell you this because thats not their job. They have mercedes and lexus payments to make each month (their ex-wives probably took half anyway so maybe even KIAs) so they need you to remain sick. Im not saying this is the case for every single doctor out there, but for the majority of the medical profession unfortunately it is. Fat is good.
William says
By the way man, i almost need a fuckin magnifying glass to make out the god damn “recaptcha” sometimes. No need to worry about spam on this shit.!
Leannakin says
In a nutshell here, Amir simply reported how un-sexy his burger was due to the lack of fat and salt. But since it’s a healthy burger, no surprise that it tasted like cardboard, right? Because it’s *healthy*… Wrong. Amir provides great incite about the importance of salt and fat for BOTH taste AND health. He introduces the idea that this win/win situation is an actual reality. (With solid references: Tim ferriss, Chris Kesser links). With that being said, now look at the menu for Muscle Maker Grille, anyone can read that they purposefully use reduced fat cheese, zero-fat dairy, whole-grain wheat, and lean meats as part of their repertoire for serving ‘healthy food’. According to the salt/fat hypothesis and wheat-belly reference mentioned in this blog, there is NOTHING QUALITY about lean meat, reduced fat cheese, and whole grain bread substitutions.
So Rex, nobody can say anything bad about grilled chicken and broccoli, but focusing on the comment about the Wendy’s baconator reduces the potential to learn from some key, possibly life-changing points made by Amir.
Unless I’m mistaken, I think the context of the baconator comment was to compare the relative value-to-price ratio between restaurants. (And express his disappointment/anger at still being hungry). A baconator no bun is quicker and cheaper to purchase (and potentially more satiating), than a burger purchased at a place like MM Grille, who increases their price and services on the basis of higher ‘quality’ or self-proclaimed healthiness.
Furthermore, I like how William expands upon the issue of why restaurants like MM Grille are in existence. They blamelessly capitalize on the misconception created by public health ‘experts’ who have been convincing people for the last several decades now that a low-fat, low-salt, calorie restricted diet will make you lose weight and decrease your risk for heart-disease/cancer. So long as people are convinced of this, they will convince themselves that in order to eat out healthy, they have to spend money at places like this. Borderline brainwashing.
Sam says
I am not sure what you are talking about. I guess taste is different for each person, but I love Muscle Maker Grill, their foods tastes great and I feel more healthy and energized eating their food. Anything you feel they are lacking, you can replace with other minor foods, but this place is much better than any other meal plans, I have tried Snap, myfitfoods etc and this place is 10 times better.
Amir Aribokill says
Taste is definitely subjective, but their foundation is flawed. Their focus on health isn’t effective because they avoid fat, especially saturated fat which is extremely healthy and still use grains in a lot of their foods, like wraps etc. Grains are notoriously unhealthy and extremely low in nutrient density.
Lisa says
Wow this article is the dumbest thing I’ve read. You want fat and salt, take your ass to mcdonalds. Some of us appreciate what Muscle maker is doing. Tastes good to me.
Amir Aribokill says
I appreciate what they’re trying to do, but unfortunately it’s based on outdated nutrition science. I do prefer McDonald’s to Muscle Maker Grill, but that’s not my point. My point is that Muscle Maker Grill has the right idea, but the execution is poor.
There is no evidence suggesting fat or salt directly contribute to any unhealthy side effects. There were some widely popular observational studies and epidemiological studies in the 80’s or 90’s that had some correlations, but more recent clinical trials have debunked those myths.
Saturated fat is no unhealthy and salt does not raise blood pressure in healthy individuals. So to be frank, it’s pretty embarrassing for Muscle Maker Grill to base their menu around outdated health science.
Dave says
Your an idiot if you think saturated fats are healthy and source is even more moronic. Why dont you take the time to research from actual peer reviewed articles before you spew this nonsense.