Diabetic teen slams McDonald’s over soft drink fail: ‘Do better’
A young Australian diabetic has challenged fast food giant McDonald’s to “do better” after she claimed she was given a sugar-rich Coke when she ordered a sugar-free Coke Zero.
Mia McIntosh, who regularly posts content about living with type one diabetes, shared a video to her TikTok account of her testing the fizzy drink in question, showing the real-time results of how much sugar was in the drink.
According to her comments on TikTok, the young diabetic got a regular Coke even though he asked for one with no sugar. Source: TikTok/Getty
In the video, the teenager removes the lid and straw before saying what she ordered.
“It’s supposed to be a zero sugar Coke from McDonald’s. I’m a type one diabetic so I have zero sugar so my blood sugars don’t go crazy,” she explained.
She is then seen dipping a measuring device into her drink and within seconds it flashes the result 33.3, indicating that her drink has a high sugar level.
However, it is worth noting that the device used to measure the soda’s sugar content is not conventionally used for this method and does not give an accurate reading of sugar in soda. Instead, it is used by the diabetic community to measure blood glucose levels to determine the correct amount of insulin to inject.
After seeing a fellow TikToker use the device to test sugar levels of drinks, Mia thought it was “genius” and followed suit.
The TikToker held the reading to the camera to show her audience that her “zero sugar coke” has a 33.3 sugar reading. Source: TikTok
Divided discussion on complex state
The video attracted a surge of comments with others sharing their own experience of trying to navigate the fast food chain while diabetic.
“As a type one diabetic I get so frustrated with it. Especially with the frozen cokes because I literally can’t taste the difference,” said one.
“My mum is type one and it happens so much with Maccas mixing her sugar free drinks and she doesn’t account for it and it puts her sugars up,” said another.
Diabetic individuals are generally encouraged to eat and drink what they like, but planning ahead is necessary to ensure that the correct amount of insulin is released into their bloodstream to safely break down the glucose they consume.
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Unknowingly consuming a drink with a high sugar content can result in a spike in blood sugar for a diabetic and has both short-term and long-term health implications, Diabetes Australia told Yahoo.
The video also received a wave of backlash with users putting the blame back on the TikToker, saying that she herself should know better about what she can consume. The onslaught of misinformation led to Mia shutting down the comments section on the video.
McDonald’s responds to diabetic’s video
It is believed Mia received a regular Coke rather than the zero sugar drink she claims she ordered. McDonald’s assured Yahoo News Australia that they do have in-store measures to prevent this situation from happening.
“Our employees follow strict processes and procedures to ensure the quality and accuracy of customer orders,” the spokesperson said.
“We are disappointed to hear about the customer’s experience and encourage them to contact our customer service team so we can investigate it in more detail,” they continued.
The video highlights the never-ending tightrope the diabetic community walks every day to ensure they consistently manage their blood sugar levels, while also fighting misconceptions about the condition.
“The stigma surrounding all types (of diabetes) is ridiculous, and more education definitely needs to be done,” Mia said.
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