Healthy Fast Food.......I dont think so.....

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
#1

Taken from
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100236311&page=1&GT1=31036" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WORST CHEESEBURGER

Hardee’s Monster Thickburger

  • 1,420 calories
  • 108 g fat (43 g saturated fat)
  • 2,770 mg sodium
  • 230 mg cholesterol

This burger is called “Monster” for a reason. It’s got the caloric equivalent of almost 6 McDonald’s hamburgers, the saturated fat equivalent of 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon, and the sodium equivalent of 84 saltine crackers. You’ll satisfy nearly an entire day’s worth of calories in one sitting, so opt for the significantly less monstrous Low-Carb Thickburger, instead, and save 1,000 calories that you can allocate to more deserving and nutritious fare.




THE WORST DRIVE-THROUGH MEAL IN AMERICA

Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

  • 2,618 calories
  • 144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat)
  • 2,892 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

#2

Just add green chile and it becomes healthy

or wash down with some nice red wine which cancels out the effect

right?
[foilhat.gif]

#3

Of course…kinda like fried green beans…the fried and the green bean cancel out each other.

#4

Spoken like someone who lives in GA!

Love those fried dill pickles too!! [1974_eating_popcorn.gif]

#5

Did we really need a nutrition article to tell us that? Or maybe simply common sense?

#6

Well, it is common sense…but just seeing how some things vary drastically in nutritional value is quite interesting.

#7

I think we all know instinctively that these things are bad, but we don’t always realize just how bad they are. I mentioned in another thread that on our yearly drive from Portland to So Cal, we always stop at In N Out at least a couple of times. Each of us would order one of the basic combos that includes a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. When I looked at In N Out’s nutritional info, I said “never agin” to the shake. In N Out may be a rare indulgence for us, but it suddenly hit me that our meal had twice as many calories because of the beverage!

#8

Not only that, but some people are just clueless. I saw a piece recently where the sort of group that compiles these statistics went to a mall food court and asked people eating there how many calories they thought they were consuming. The average answer was about 600 calories. It was amazing how much they were underestimating their comsumption! These numbers may be virtually useless to many of us since we don’t regularly consume these things, but it is funny how our perceptions are skewed.

#9

Do they have one in Portland?

#10

Great book on this topic… oh, what was it called? A researcher at a major university (Cornell?) does his work on this very topic… how does plate size affect consumption, for example? That one’s obvious. He also found that if a waitress regularly cleared away the bones, subjects would eat tons more hot wings than if they could actually see the bones in front of them. We NEED all of the clues, no matter how obvious they should be, that tell us when we’ve eaten too much.

#11

Nope. [cray.gif]

#12

asked people eating there how many calories they thought they were consuming. The average answer was about 600 calories. It was amazing how much they were underestimating their comsumption!

Can anyone here besides me and probably a few of the MDs define a food calorie in “real terms”? How many steps in a day? How many miles of biking? How many…

600 calories is a good scientific term, works for me just fine, but 600 calories has as much meaning as 600 bluberts to most people. It must be tied to something real. (you know you’ll need to walk from Calif to Colorado to burn that off)

Great book on this topic… oh, what was it called? A researcher at a major university (Cornell?) does his work on this very topic… how does plate size affect consumption, for example? That one’s obvious. He

Unfortunately some of this is cultural. In Mexico for instance it is RUDE to serve a plate that isn’t completely covered in food. Yes they put on a lot of rice and beans, but note that at ANY authentic Mexican restaurant the plate is completely covered by food.

Here in the USA we’ve picked up on that some, but not so much “it is rude” but I postulate because we want “Value”. I’m paying $18.95 for that, I don’t want to see 6 bites of food, I want to see an entire porterhouse. Then add in our moms wouldn’t let us leave the dinner table until we’ve cleaned our plates.

Breaking these habits isn’t as simple as asking people to estimate calories, you need to unravel culturally ingrained thinking. It must start to be ok to see smaller portions, it must start to be ok to leave 1/3 your food on your plate if you are full. But no one wants to be wasteful so we have a problem…

[emot-pwn.gif]

I really wish I could order 1/2 portions at most restaurants. If I’m really hungry, I get to try more things as I’ll order another course. But if I’m not hungry the 5oz portion is just fine, I don’t need a 10 oz portion.

#13

Totally agree on the Value thing, people have come to expect a specific quantity of food for the $ amount that they spend. They quality and what they actually need is quite different.

As for the 1/2 portion, I wouldnt mind seeing that either, but this could put more stress on the kitchen, especially in busy times as some people would order multiple dishes as you say.

#14

Are you serious, Jeff?

To your point about full plates, though, that’s simple: buy smaller plates. The researchers’ point was that it takes less food to fill a 9" or 10" plate than it does to fill a 12" plate. Our plates have grown dramatically over the years. Oversized plates may look really pretty, but they screw with a person’s perception of how much food constitutes a healthy portion.

#15

I have no idea what a calorie is, what it measures or how many calories there are in my meals. And frankly, I don’t care. I don’t think I have ever looked at a package to know how many calories there was in it (actually it was not a published information on packages when I grew up). I don’t think counting calories is the way to a healthy diet.

What I do know is that the apple I will have for dinner tonight is not in the same league as the hot dog with bacon and cheese and the side order of fries that I had for lunch. I know that a plate of green beans isn’t quite the same as eggs and bacon, or a pound of rare beef. I know when I’m doing something right for my mind, but bad for my body, and vice versa.

I will always remember the day when I was preparing a vinaigrette and adding salt to it and the girl next to me said “wow, easy on the salt, it’s bad for your health” while drenching her salad with ranch dressing (not homemade obviously). [rolleyes.gif]

#16

pi*r^2 is a bitch

#17

Calorie - Wikipedia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Food energy - Wikipedia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NutriStrategy: List of Calories Burned During Exercise" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I’m sure you guys understand the general concepts.
Eat tons of crappy food + sit on your ass = get fat
Moderate healthy diet + exercise = maintain a certain level of health.

It ain’t rocket science. [wow.gif]

#18

Indeed. That’s why I can live a relatively healthy life without even knowing what a calorie is :wink:

#19

I’m 68 years old. about 30 lbs overweight (compared to 40 years ago], with good blood pressure (120/70) and low cholesterol (130). I eat what tastes good, drink what I enjoy. I haven’t eaten ‘fast food’ for over thirty-five years; and even back then, I didn’t have it voluntarily or very often. I’m not very tolerant of salt, which likely explains my disdain for ‘fast food’ and ‘snack food’.

We spent the first 30+ years of of our married life - eating fish or meat and a veggie for dinner at home, eating out two or three times a week, after the mid-70s having sashimi & sushi once or twice a week; drinking one or two bottles of wine or sake with dinner.

In the mid90s, when Carollee’s blood pressure and cholesterol went out of sight, she went on medication and we switched to having pasta a couple times a week. Her BP and cholesterol are now under control.

We both are unlikely to change our current lifestyle any time soon.

#20