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From Bad to Worse: The Unhealthiest Fast Food Items

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:00:04 -0700

In case you're wondering what not to eat at the major fast food chains, Next Generation Food has made it easy for you with this handy new chart. It's a colorful reminder of what we already know: fast food is not very good for you. However, the figures are still unsettling.

The chart illustrates the bad (Dunkin' Donuts) to the worse (Pizza Hut) and stacks them up against each other in fat, sodium, cholesterol, and calorie content. Here's a small sampling of what you'll see.

An Angry Triple Whopper from Burger King has a whopping 90 grams of fat.
A Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks contains 500 calories.
A Super Sonic Cheeseburger has 175 mg of cholesterol
A 14-inch Supreme Stuffed Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut has 4,500 mg of sodium

If you can't avoid eating fast food, try these healthier options instead.

6 Burger King Menu Items Under 300 Calories

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:52:32 -0700

When traveling on the road this Summer, grabbing a quick meal is sometimes unavoidable. So if you find yourself having to stop into a fast food chain, you'll need to know about some low-calorie options. I already told you about McDonalds menu items under 300 calories, but if you find yourself at a Burger King, here are five menu options that are also under 300 calories. I'm not saying they're super healthy or anything (many are high in sodium and fat), I'm just saying they won't break the calorie bank.

View Slideshow ›

Burger King Ditches Trans Fat

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you're a big fan of an occasional Whopper, you'll be happy to know that Burger King will be cooking with trans fat free cooking oil. By Nov. 1, in all of its restaurants nationwide, every item on the menu including baked goods will contain zero grams of artificial trans fat. This is big news for the nation's number two hamburger chain, and it's sure to make customers feel better about eating there.

Hydrogenated oils contain trans fat. The reason this fat is so bad for us is that it's proven to raise bad cholesterol levels in the body, lower good cholesterol, and can increase a person's risk for heart disease. Companies use this type of oil to increase the shelf life of products, to preserve flavor, and in the long run to save money.

Many customers enjoying foods made with the trans fat free oil are noticing no difference in taste, or they say the foods taste even better. Although it's been a slow process for Burger King to get on the trans fat free bandwagon (Taco Bell, KFC, and Wendy's have already made the switch), I say it's better late than never.

Fast Food Breakdown: French Fries

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:45:00 -0800

What is it about french fries that makes us crave them so? Is it the saltiness? The crispy outside and soft, warm inside? Is it that they make ketchup taste so good?

Well whatever the reason, people love them and fast-food joints know that. Unfortunately deep-fried foods aren't exactly healthy for us, which we know, but maybe seeing some actual numbers will help prevent us from ordering the super-size fries at Mickey D's next time.

Want to see the nutritional info? Then read more

Check out how a large-size order of fries compares at these popular fast-food chains.

Place	Calories	Trans Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)
McDonald's	570	8	330
Burger King	500	6	820
Wendy's	540	1	550
Arby's Homestyle	566	1	1,029
Arby's Curly	631	1	1,476
Hardee's Regular	610	unknown	370
Hardee's Crispy Curls	480	unknown	1,190
A&W Regular	430	5.5	640
A&W Chili Cheese	400	4	990
In-N-Out Burger	400	0	245
Jack in the Box Natural Cut	640	10	1180
Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly	550	10	1,200
White Castle	700	11	560
Sonic Regular	280	0	135
Sonic Chili Cheese	450	.5	610
Dairy Queen	730	5	1,530
Carl's Jr.	620	unknown	380
Popeyes	310	1	660
KFC Potato Wedges	260	0	740

Whoa, hang on a sec. Did I read those numbers from Dairy Queen correctly? 730 calories and 1,530mg of sodium? Yikes. I've never tried their french fries but they better be the best-tasting potatoes in the world. White Castle's fries aren't too far behind with 700 calories and a whopping 11g of trans fat. The worst thing is that people eat these on the side. If french fries contain this many calories, I don't even want to think about what the total number of calories would be if you ate them along with a burger.

If these numbers don't make you steer clear of fast-food french fries, maybe this video about McDonald's preservatives will seal the deal. It's disgustingly shocking. It makes you realize that it's not only the trans fat, calories, and sodium that are unhealthy, but you have no idea what kind of crap and chemicals these fast-food chains are putting into their food, and how it'll negatively affect your body.

Source

Burger King Makes a Pledge

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:45:00 -0700

With childhood obesity on the rise it is refreshing to see Buger King, the second largest hamburger chain in the world, make some changes in how they create and market food for their under twelve demographic. They have pledged to limit ads for the Kids Meals to those that contain no more than 560 calories with less than 30 percent of the calories coming from fat and with only 10 percent coming from added sugars.

In order to follow these new guidelines they are creating flame broiled chicken tenders and BK Fresh Apple Fries. These are made from red apples, skinned and cut to look like french fries and will be served in the same containers as fries. Although the Apple Fries will not be fried and will be served cold, parents around the world are hoping that the packaging and cut sways their child to make and enjoy a healthy choice. BK will start offering other healthier fare like organic applesauce and low fat milk.

It might seem a dubious proposition to make and package apples to look like french fries, but a recent study showed that food branded as fast food even if it is carrots, still appeals to children, no matter what. So maybe you can put a sheep in wolf's clothing after all!

Trans Fat Round-Up

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:00:00 -0800

Here are the most recent leaders in the war against trans fats:

Los Angeles is strongly encouraging its eateries to cut out trans fat in the next 19 months.
Burger King announced that it has selected a new trans-fat free oil.
Marriott, the worlds largest hotel company, is banning trans fats from 2,300 of its hotels.

Burger King Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 08:29:12 -0800

It turns out that the Home of the Whopper should probably be called Home of a Whole Lotta Calories. However for some people Burger King just can't be avoided, so while you're there take a good look at what you're about to eat.

You should probably get the:
Tendergrill Salad with no dressing at 300 calories, 11 grams of fat, 0.5 grams trans fat, 840 mg of sodium and 17 grams of carbs.

You could also get the:
Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich with no mayo at 400 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0 grams trans fat, 1090 mg of sodium and 49 grams of carbs.

There's more so read more
Whatever you do, do NOT get the:
Double Whopper with cheese at 990 calories, 64 grams of fat, 2..5 grams of trans fat, 1520 mg of sodium and 52 grams of carbs. (Did you know there is a TRIPLE whopper with cheese? Yup and it measures in with a whopping 1230 calories.)

Need a side? Well a Large French Fry has 500 calories, 28 grams of fat, 6 grams of trans fat, 820 mg of sodium and 57 grams of carbs. Whereas the Side Garden Salad has 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 mg of sodium and 3 grams of carbs.

In Case You Missed It: Best Breakdowns

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:15:00 -0800

Trying to watch what we eat can be tough when eating out. In 2007 I took the liberty of breaking down several menus so you could eat out while making smart food decisions. While the Breakdown feature is always a popular one on FitSugar, especially the pie breakdown during the holidays, here are the most popular breakdowns of 2007:

Source

Fast Food Salad Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:37:50 -0700

Chances are, you're doing some traveling this Summer and toting along healthy on-the-go snacks. But there's always a chance you'll find yourself hungry on the road with no choice but fast food.

Thankfully, many fast food chains are selling surprisingly healthy salads, but beware: fat and calorie bombs also abound. Of course, you're best off avoiding creamy salad dressing and opting for vinaigrettes: one pack of McDonald's Newman's Own Low-Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette has 40 calories and 3 grams of fat, while the brand's creamy Southwest dressing has 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per packet. If you opt for the creamy kind, try cutting the portion in half. Find out which salads have the most health appeal and which ones to avoid when you read more.

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Sugar (g)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
Arby's Market Fresh Santa Fe Salad With Popcorn Chicken, No Dressing or Tortilla Strip	12.1 oz	415	17	5	806	6	37	25
*Arby's Market Fresh Martha's Vineyard Salad, No Dressing or Almonds	11.6 oz	273	9	4	609	17	25	22
*Burger King TenderGrill Chicken Garden Salad, No Dressing or Croutons	10.3 oz	240	9	3.5	720	3	8	33
McDonald's Bacon Ranch With Grilled Chicken, No Dressing	11.3 oz.	260	9	4	1,010	5	12	33
*McDonald's Caesar Salad With Grilled Chicken, No Dressing	11 oz.	220	6	3	890	5	12	30
Quiznos Flatbread Chopped Salad With Roasted Chicken Honey Mustard and Dressing	1 salad	1,070	71	13.5	1,770	15	69	37
Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad, No Shell	1 lb 0.8 oz	460	23	9	1,520	9	41	23
*Wendy's Garden Sensations Mandarin Chicken, No Almonds, Noodles, or Dressing	11 oz.	180	2	0.5	630	12	16	24
Wendy's Garden Sensations Homestyle Chicken BLT With Croutons and Dressing	14.7 oz.	780	53	14	1,740	14	42	37

* FitSugar pick

Fast Food Breakdown: Hamburgers

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

If you're on the road or in a rush, sometimes you can't avoid finding yourself in a fast food restaurant. Hamburgers are a pretty popular menu item, and since every fast food joint prepares them differently, it's hard to make the healthiest choice.

Want to see how these popular burgers compare? Then read more

Burger	Calories	Trans Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)
McDonald's Hamburger	250	.5	25	520
McDonald's Cheeseburger	300	.5	45	750
McDonald's Quarter Pounder	410	1	65	730
McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese	740	2.5	155	1380
McDonald's Big Mac	540	1.5	75	1040
McDonald's Big N' Tasty with Cheese	510	1.5	85	960
Burger King (BK) Whopper with mayo (without mayo)	670 (510)	1.5 (1)	95 (80)	1020 (880)
BK Double Whopper with cheese and mayo (without mayo)	990 (830)	2.5 (2)	195 (180)	1520 (1380)
BK Triple Whopper with cheese & mayo (without mayo)	1230 (1070)	3.5 (3)	275 (260)	1590 (1450)
Wendy's 1/4 lb Single	430	1	75	870
Wendy's 1/2 lb Double with Cheese	710	2.0	160	1440
Wendy's 3/4 lb Triple with Cheese	980	3.5	245	2010
Wendy's Baconator	840	2.5	195	1880
In-N-Out Hamburger with Onion	243	0	40	650
In-N-Out Cheeseburger with Onion	268	.5	60	1000
In-N-Out Double-Double with Onion	330	.1	120	1440
Arby's Beef and Cheddar	445	1.5	51	1275
Jack in the Box Hamburger Deluxe with Cheese	460	1	70	930
Jack in the Box Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger	1090	3	140	2040

Well I just about had a heart attack looking at those numbers. As you can see, they're loaded with tons of sodium and calories. If you can, I'd stick with burgers from In-N-Out or McDonald's since they aren't as bad for you as those from Wendy's and Burger King. Go for smaller sandwiches too, ones that are made with only one patty. Order extra veggies on top, and then order a healthy salad or baked potato on the side. Forget a side of French fries, since they're loaded with sodium and crazy amounts of calories. Picking up fast food is fine every once in a while, but with numbers like these, I wouldn't make a habit of "lovin' it."