I was quite surprised to read the Malaysiakini article, At Kenny Rogers, no worry about gaining weight .

In particular, the sentences which read, "With this in mind, we should be smart when we choose our meals. And last week, I found a perfect place where I get to eat without worrying about gaining weight. Yes. Kenny Rogers Roasters it is. ... And I must also not forget to reinforce my statement that anyone can eat without worrying about gaining weight at Kenny Rogers because it uses only the freshest chickens, which are first marinated in exotic spices."

I would question the basis of making those statements and claims. The fact that Kenny Rogers uses the freshest chickens marinated in exotic spices has no connection with whether or not the food is fattening. In fact, I wonder if the journalist had looked up the nutritional information for the meal she had just consumed to support her reinforced statement?

I took the liberty of looking it up on Calorie King.com , and I would like to share with you the results. While I am aware that there may be differences in portions between United States and Malaysian restaurants of the franchise, I believe that the nutritional information is at least a guide, in the absence of any provided locally. (I looked up the local Kenny Rogers Roasters website, but there was no nutritional info on it).

Now, what is so healthy about the above meal? In fact it shows that it is very high in fat! Unless of course one omitted the skin from the chicken, but I don't see anything in the article to suggest that was the case. We haven't yet gone into the percentage of saturated fat content.

Also, if you think that most people who are on a diet consume about 1,500 calories, that meal alone would have busted more than half the daily allowance. And we haven't yet counted the calories from the drink, unless we assume that he drank only plain water or diet soda. Over and above that, I would be very wary of health claims by fast food companies (The movie Supersize Me was a real eye opener, as are the books Don't Eat This Book and Fast Food Nation).

Of course, I don't know exactly what the journalist ate because she does not say what the side dish was, but judging from the photos, it could have been the coleslaw or the fruit salad. The fruit salad would be a healthier option, but without knowing the exact contents, that would be difficult to determine.