Wednesday, April 13, 2011

More Bad Food

David Zinczenko is the Men's Health editor who is the author of several great visual aid books on food and nutrition for people who don't eat Clean - but also don't realize what they are eating is rapidly killing them. He has written multiple Eat This, Not That books.




He's compiled a great list of some more really bad foods. I find these lists both informative and eye opening, and I like to pass them along to my readers. It is absolutely amazing to me that I was SO clueless what I was eating previously. How on Earth did I make it into my 40's and NOT have a heart attack or get diabetes?

1. Worst Yogurt



Stonyfield Whole Milk Chocolate Underground (1 container)
220 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
36 g sugars
Stonyfield is notorious for being generous with the sugar, but the 9 spoonfuls in its Chocolate Underground is bad even by the most indulgent dessert standards. Not even Ben & Jerry's most decadent scoop has this much sugar.

2. Worst Condiment 



Eggo Original Syrup (1/4 cup)
240 calories
0 g fat
40 g sugars
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but not when it comes topped with this much sugar. Thanks to the combined impact of three liquid sweeteners, one serving of Eggo's pancake syrup has as much sugar as two packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, according to Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide. That's no way to start the day


3. Worst Pick Me Up 



Vault Red Blitz (20-oz bottle)
290 calories
78 g sugars   Here's a staggering stat: If you're used to drinking black coffee every morning, and you switch to this bottle of Vault, you'll pack on more than 5 pounds of body fat in the first two months on your normal diet. What's more, it's unlikely that you'll earn any extra buzz. This bottle has 115 milligrams of caffeine. An 8-ounce cup of coffee has as much as 200 milligrams. Stick with coffee or pick a leaner energy drink.


4. Worst Ice Cream






Haagen-Daz Chocolate Peanut Butter (1/2 cup)
360 calories
24 g fat (11 g saturated)
24 g sugars
Premium ice creams are notorious for heavy loads of fat and sugar, but Haagen-Dazs' Chocolate Peanut Butter is just egregious. Eat two scoops and you've just consumed more calories than a McDonald's McDouble with small fries and more saturated fat than you should consume in an entire day. Drop the peanut butter and opt for Dark Chocolate instead. You'll take in fewer than half the calories and a third less sugar

5. Worst Frozen "Healthy" Entree 



Healthy Choice Complete Meals Sweet & Sour Chicken (1 serving)
420 calories
9 g fat (2 g saturated)
480 mg sodium
25 g sugars

Since when has fried chicken been healthy? Certainly not when it's cloaked in syrup. This meal has as more sugar than a Reese's-flavored Klondike bar, which makes it more like dessert than dinner. If you’re too busy to cook your own chicken, at least make it nutritious; the Roasted Chicken below has less than half the sugar and 40 percent fewer calories.


6. Worst Packaged Side 




Pasta Roni Fettuccine Alfredo (1 cup prepared)
450 calories
24 g fat (7 g fat, 3.5 g trans)
1,050 mg sodium
44 g carbohydrates
Once again, Alfredo proves itself to be the biggest belt-busting option on the shelf. And, in this case, it comes with a ruinous load of trans fat and as much sodium as three orders of McDonald's french fries. This side dish has a meal's worth of calories, and if you try to turn it into a meal in itself, expect to top 1,000 calories.


7. Worst Kid's Frozen Meal






Kid Cuisine All American Fried Chicken (1 package)
540 calories
24 g fat (6 g saturated)
750 mg sodium

For kids approaching the pre-teen growth spurt, this might not be such a bad meal. But for smaller children, 540 calories quite the heavy load. Healthy lifestyles begin young, so use this as an opportunity to explain the importance of smart choices, like choosing the Dip & Dunk Ravioli instead. It has 220 fewer calories and half the saturated fat; plus, your little ones will have more fun with dippable pasta.


8. Worst Stir Fry 



Bertolli Chicken Alfredo & Penne (1/2 bag)
630 calories
32 g fat (17 g saturated)
1,200 mg sodium

Dinner should get your blood flowing, but this chicken has as much saturated fat as 17 strips of bacon! Switching to Chicken Marsala will save you 240 calories per serving. Make a swap like that every day and you'll drop 25 pounds this year.

 9. Worst Frozen Pizza 



DiGiorno Traditional Crust Supreme Pizza (1 pizza)
790 calories
36 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,460 mg sodium

This is DiGiorno's lunch-sized pizza, and it has more calories than Taco Bell's Half Pound Cheesy Potato Burrito with Cinnamon Twists on the side. A calorie load like this will probably make you feel drowsy the second half of the day. Better to downsize your meal and preserve your energy—not to mention your waistline.

10. Worst Packaged Food 



Marie Callender's Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie (1 package)
1,020 calories
58 g fat (24 g saturated)
1,660 mg sodium Marie Callender's commits the ultimate sleight of hand here: The nutrition information says this medium-size entrĂ©e has two servings, but let's get real—nobody wants to split a potpie. The problem here is twofold: a pie crust that's shot through with lard, and a filling that's swimming in cream. That makes for one fatty dish. Go with the Herb Roasted chicken and cut your your sodium by 44 percent, calories by 55 percent, and your saturated fat by 75 percent!


Thank you, health.yahoo.net