By Ashleigh Honig, West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, New Jersey

With critics’ questioning whether or not McDonald’s should continue sponsoring the Olympic Games, the fast food giant has introduced a new 400 calorie and under menu.

McDonald’s USA chief marketing officer, Neil Golden, told The Huffington Post that he and the company “want customers to understand that they have food that they love, but food that they can feel good about enjoying regularly.”

So, are these 400 Calorie options healthy? And should they be consumed regularly?

The new menu includes:
McDouble – 390 cal., 890 mg sodium
Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwhich – 380 cal., 1000 mg sodium
Egg McMuffin – 300 cal., 820 mg sodium

The answer is no. Even though these foods promise to be less than 400 calories, they remain highly unhealthy. It is advised to consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day and some of these options rack up more than 40% of what is recommended.

Before you end up eating at those golden arches, please remember there are no new items on the 400 calorie menu. McDonald’s simply used existing items that met the 400 calorie limit. These foods still have no nutritional value and continue to be contributors to the growing number of obesity in our country.