Is it possible that McDonald's McDouble is the "cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history?"

A commenter on the Freakonomics blog says yes.

The burger comes in at 390 calories, half a daily serving of protein, 7 per cent of recommended daily fibre and 20 per cent of daily iron and, on top of all that, is available for $1.39 before tax in Canada.

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Bang for your buck, right?

It's by no means the healthiest food you could eat, but it does have some nutritional value and it's way cheaper than buying any sort of organic sandwich.

The argument is that this is the best, most widely available food for the cheapest price.

And New York Post blogger Kyle Smith points out it doesn't even guarantee a weight gain, referring to a study done in 2008 out of Berkeley and Northwestern that shows that people who eat fast food tend to eat less at home, meaning they eat only about 24 more calories a day than those who don't eat out.

It's a pretty solid argument, actually. Fast, simple, cheap and guaranteed to fill you up, it takes no time to prepare and won't spoil as fast as vegetables.

But it's also guaranteed to get a negative reaction from those who like fresh, organic food.

There are so many more things I can think of that taste better than anything coming out of McDonald's – like apples or celery or a real chicken breast.

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But it's disappointing in its truth; it really is cheaper to eat at McD's than it is to go out and buy fresh, good food. Not only that, but it takes time to plan meals and not everyone has that luxury. So it makes sense for people who are trying to stretch a dime to go to the golden arches. They get some nutrition for minimal cost.

What do you think? Is there a "cheaper, nutritional and bountiful food" out there? How do you feel about the McDouble holding this title?