FitSugar

Pie Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:15:00 -0800

To many of us, Thanksgiving means pies - lots and lots of pies. From apple pie to pumpkin pie, you're most likely going to encounter at least a slice or two this holiday season. When you do, use this breakdown to make the best decisions about which pies you could (and shouldn't) indulge in.

To see the pie breakdown, just read more

Pie (1 slice 1/8 of pie)	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Apple Pie	410	23	30	48	23
Banana Cream Pie	460	29	95	43	26
Blueberry Pie	390	23	30	43	14
Cherry Pie	440	23	30	55	20
Chocolate Mousse Pie	247	15	437	28	0
Coconut Cream Pie	403	27	135	35	24
Key Lime Pie	430	21	140	54	43
Lemon Meringue Pie	330	11	45	56	41
Pecan Pie	503	25	95	63	31
Pumpkin Pie	316	15	50	46	27
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie	400	23	45	45	19

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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

Romano's Macaroni Grill Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:30:00 -0800

Romano's Macaroni Grill can be found at or around almost every mall and strip mall in the USA. Many years ago I ate there once, and after taking a look at their nutritional menu today, I am shocked I didn't have a heart attack on the spot (exaggeration, I know). I know it's convenient and there are those of you that love this place, so before you go, be sure to check out this breakdown of many of the popular Italian items served.

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sodium (mg)
Calamari Fritti	1210	78	13	66	4170
Tomato Bruschetta	1000	70	11	75	1810
House Salad (w/o dressing)	130	5	2	15	460
Insalata Blue (w/ chicken)	570	38	12	9	1020
Mozzarella alla Caprese (half order)	260	21	7	5	410
Grilled Asparagus (side order)	30	1	0	4	590
Lobster Ravioli	1090	78	54	55	1910
Pollo Magro "Skinny Chicken"	330	5	1	29	770
Simple Salmon	590	40	6	5	1390
Chicken Parmesan	1490	68	35	129	3510
Veal Marsala	1270	64	44	116	2660
Fettuccine Alfrredo (w/ chicken)	1370	97	56	68	1300
Spaghetti & Meatballs (w/ meat sauce)	2430	128	57	207	5290
Traditional Lasagna	1040	54	30	65	2800

Before you go saying I've only pointed out the things that are bad for you, the only dinner items (aside from salads) that had less than 830 calories are listed ("Skinny Chicken," Chicken Cannelloni, and Simple Salmon)-almost every item had 1,000 plus calories.

For deserts and kids items, just read more

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sodium (mg)
Lemon Passion	1150	56	29	149	910
Tiramisu	1000	64	36	89	160 (typo?)
Kids Double Mac 'n' Cheese	1210	62	40	107	3450
Kids Grilled Chicken & Broccoli	390	5	2	51	560
Kids Spaghetti & Meatballs (w/ tomato sauce)	500	20	8	58	1520

Are you as shocked as I am at the numbers above? Don't even get me started on the kids mac 'n' cheese.

If I were headed to this restaurant, I would be kicking and screaming, but I would have to order the "Skinny Chicken" with a house salad (w/o dressing) and a side of asparagus. I'd skip the dessert altogether unless I were sharing it with ten (or more) people. If you're getting anything other than the "Skinny Chicken," Chicken Cannelloni, Simple Salmon, or a salad with no dressing, split your meal with someone else to cut it back.

Domino's Breakdown (It's Pretty Scary)

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0700

A few weeks ago, I got all riled up while watching The Biggest Loser. All the food commercials were for seriously crappy food. It seems more than a little mean to advertise calorie laden food during an inspirational weight loss show. Especially if you consider that the majority of viewers are watching to get a little inspiration on their own path to get in shape.

The one that bothered me the most was by Domino's Pizza; they were advertising their amazing Oreo Pizza. What's the deal with that? It's not enough to make decadent, calorie-laden cheese pizzas, so they have to make dessert pizza too? I'm not even going to question how much crap is in it (although this commercial is pretty funny, I can admit that).

We can all agree that it serves no nutritional purpose, but if you're curious to how many calories are in a slice of this Oreo Pizza pie, read more

Here's the nutritional info on a typical meal from Domino's, including two slices of cheese pizza and one slice of Oreo Pizza. Their website is really sneaky because they give the info for each little part of the pizza. That means you have to do all the work and add up the calories in the crust, the sauce and the cheese in order to figure out how many calories are in one slice.

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat. Fat (g)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)
2 of 8 equal slices of cheese pizza (14-inch Large)	480	18	7	940	84	8	24
1 of 8 equal slices of Oreo Dessert Pizza	120	4	1	110	20	8	2
TOTAL (2 slices cheese pizza, 1 slice Oreo Pizza)	600	22	8	1,050	104	16	26

Now I know pre-made foods are typically high in salt, but yikes! 1,050 mg of sodium is way too much for one meal. Since the RDI of sodium is 2,300 mg a day, that doesn't leave much else for the rest of your day's food. Of course, you've got to splurge on pizza every once in a while, so it's good to know that 480 calories isn't bad for one meal, but I'd probably skip out on the Oreo Dessert Pizza (even if it is free).

If you're tempted to try Domino's Oreo Pizza, check out this video to see what it really looks like.

Einstein Bros. Bagels Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Nutritionally speaking, the beloved bagel is unfortunately one of the worst breakfast foods around. However, sometimes you just need a bagel. For those in their time of need I have created this breakdown of Einstein Bros. Bagels, so you can at least make wise choices when you are there.

Item	Calories	Fat (g.)	Sat. Fat (g.)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g.)	Sugar (g.)
Plain Bagel	290	1	0	530	62	6
Egg Bagel	340	3	1	510	69	5
Onion Bagel	290	1.5	0	510	62	6
Poppy Seed Bagel	350	2	0	680	75	5
Everything Bagel	340	2	0	820	74	3
Honey Wheat Bagel	300	1	0	510	64	10
Sesame Seed Bagel	310	3	0	530	62	6
Asiago Cheese Bagel	360	3	1.5	570	71	4
Sun-Dried Tomato Bagel	290	2	0	620	60	4
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel	320	1.5	0	510	70	14
Chopped Garlic Bagel	380	3	1	680	79	3
Spinach Florentine Bagel	410	7	4	620	72	5

That's just the bagels, so for the breakdown of the spreads, schmears, and extras read more

Item	Calories	Fat (g.)	Sat. Fat (g.)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g.)	Sugar (g.)
Whipped Plain Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	70	7	4.5	65	1	1
Whipped Plain Cream Cheese, Reduced Fat (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	85	2	1
Whipped Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	100	3	1
Whipped Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	100	2	1
Creamy Peanut Butter (2 tbsp.)	190	15	2	140	8	3
Strawberry Fruit Spread (2 tbsp.)	75	0	0	17	19	0
Egg	270	19	10	380	3	1
Bacon	100	7	3	300	1	1
Turkey Sausage	70	4	1	190	0	0
Cheddar Cheese	80	7	4.5	130	0	0

So on the off day that I'd actually eat a bagel, I'd most likely get a plain bagel with the whipped vegetable cream cheese for 350, which is pretty boring for 350 calories if you ask me. This is why I typically avoid bagels.

El Pollo Loco Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Who doesn't love El Pollo Loco? Something about flame-grilled Mexican chicken is just super yummy. The good news is that you can still do El Pollo Loco on a diet, you just have to make some healthy choices while you're there.

In this breakdown I've taken the guess work out of the menu to show you items you should probably eat/avoid.

Source

Here's what you may want to AVOID...
Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Original Pollo Bowl	540	4	1	1590	85	1
Chicken Wing (1)	90	5	2	2090	0	0
Chicken Thigh (1)	220	15	5	310	0	0
Chicken Tostada Salad	840	40	11	1390	76	4
Caesar Pollo Salad	520	38	7	980	17	6
Classic Chicken Burrito	500	14	6	1230	63	1
Grilled Chicken Nachos	1090	55	21	3040	99	7
French Fries	440	21	4	910	57	0
Ranch Dressing (1pkt)	230	24	4	390	2	2

Too see what you should eat (and see my ideal meal) just read more

Here's what you may want to EAT...
Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Chicken Breast, Skinless	180	4	1	560	0	0
Caesar Pollo Salad w/o Dressing	220	7	2	580	15	4
Fresh Veggies w/o Margarine)	35	0	0	35	8	3
Chicken Tortilla Soup w/o Tortilla Strips	140	6	2	1040	8	2
Taco al Carbon	150	5	2	290	17	<1
BRC Burrito	390	10	5	880	61	0
Garden Salad w/o Tortilla Strips	80	5	3	290	5	3
Light Italian Dressing (1pkt)	20	1	0	770	2	2

My ideal meal would be: Skinless chicken breast on top of the garden salad (no tortilla strips), with a side of fresh vegetables (no margarine) for only 295 calories. This leaves me room for a Churro (150 calories for one) to top it off with something sweet.

LARABAR Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:00:00 -0700

I am a huge fan of LARABARs, as you all must know by now. I've raved about their Cashew Cookie, their Banana Cookie, and the Jocalat bars too, but I really do love all their flavors (except for the Pistachio, but that's just me).

I always keep half a dozen different kinds lying around, just in case I need a pre or post workout snack. They taste great and the nuts give me lots of "get up and go" energy.

So I was wondering how they compared nutritionally. Are you wondering too? To find out, read more

1 bar	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)
Cashew Cookie	210	12	2	23	3	14	6
Cherry Pie	190	8	.5	28	4	21	4
Ginger Snap	220	13	1	22	5	18	5
Key Lime Pie	200	10	3.5	28	4	20	4
Cinnamon Roll	210	12	1	27	4	20	4
Apple Pie	180	10	1	23	4	17	4
Pecan Pie	200	14	1	22	4	16	3
Lemon Bar	210	11	1.5	26	3	18	6
Banana Cookie	210	10	0	24	5	17	6
Chocolate Coconut	220	13	2.5	25	5	18	5
Jocalat Mint	190	9	2	25	5	19	5
Jocalat Chocolate	190	10	2	24	5	18	5
Jocalat Coffee	190	11	2	24	5	19	4

Fit's Tips: So they're all fairly the same. Remember that LARABARS have a high amount of total fat because they are mostly made of nuts. These are healthy fats though, and these bars are great energy-packed snacks to include in your diet. Foods that are high in saturated fat are ones that you need to watch out for.

Dairy Queen Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:30:00 -0700

I think Dairy Queen's tag line is Do Something Different because they want us to go against the healthy eating and just blow it all at their fine establishment. Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of Blizzards in college however after learning the nutritional information, I am not sure a Blizzard will ever cross these lips again. So next time you're doing something different, make sure you go informed with this nutritional breakdown.

(Oh, and for your convenience I've highlighted the choices that are your best bet in green.)

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Trans Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Homestyle Burger	350	14	0.5	400	33	8
FlameThrower GrillBurger (1/2 lb)	1030	73	4	2020	41	9
Grilled Chicken Salad (no dressing)	270	11	0	1160	92	9
Grilled Chicken Sandwich	350	16	0	780	49	6
Chicken Strip Basket (6 pc)	1270	67	12	2910	121	8
French Fries (med)	510	23	3.5	1070	70	1
Onion Rings (reg)	470	30	7	740	45	7

Enough with the salty (and by salty, I mean salty), but what about the real reason you go to Dairy Queen... The sweets! To see how they compare, just read more

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Trans Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Chocolate Soft Serve (1/2 cup)	150	5	0	75	22	17
Chocolate Cone (sm)	240	7	0	115	32	25
Dipped Cone (sm)	340	16	1	120	36	31
Strawberry Sundae (sm)	280	7	0	130	50	45
Chocolate Sundae (sm)	280	7	0	130	49	42
DQ Sandwich	190	5	0	95	32	18
DQ Fudge Bar	50	0	0	70	13	3
Oreo Cookie Blizzard (sm)*	560	21	0	430	83	64
Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard (sm)*	720	28	3	370	105	78
Banana Split Blizzard (sm)*	460	14	0	210	73	62
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard (sm)*	600	21	0	220	87	76
Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard (sm)*	530	21	1	320	76	62

*For all of the Blizzards, if you want to see how many calories they would be if you got a large then just double the amounts listed for the small.

Source

More Fun With Fast Food: Double Roll Pizza Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:30:00 -0700

After seeing the Double Roll Pizza from Pizza Hut, I have been dying to know how many calories and milligrams of sodium are in that thing.

This pizza is currently available at Pizza Huts all over Japan. I really hope this is not what other countries think American food is. Being that I don't read Japanese and also that I don't think Japan requires nutritional content to be posted, I decided to make an educated guess based on the image (with some translating help from user thisisalladream). Want to know the number I came up with? It's shocking, so read more

	Calories	Sodium (mg)
12" Cheese Pizza from Pizza Hut	2,160	4,560
Pigs n Blanket (12)	1,128	2,088
Cheese Pizza Rolls (12)	380	960
Bacon (2 Slices)	86	370
Italian Sausage (1 Link)	230	809
Hamburger Patties (4 small)	480	130
Ham (3 oz)	151	1,275
Tomatoes (4 Slices)	18	8
Mushroom (1)	2	1
Onion (1 tablespoon)	4	0
Peppers (10 Strips)	5	1
Peas and Carrots (1 oz)	20	50
Room for Error	500	500
TOTAL	5,164	10,752

This means that one slice is about 646 calories and 1,344 mg of sodium. Yowzers! Now I am not saying this to be the actual number (because I actually think it seems low), but I just calculated to the best of my abilities. Besides, I couldn't even try and figure out how many more calories are in the optional maple syrup and ketchup dipping sauces.

I'm gonna go blow chunks now...

Leafy Green Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:15:00 -0700

When it is hot outside, I crave crisp, cooling salads. All those veggies and greens are refreshing and delicious, and since since they're in season you can find an amazing variety this time of year.

This got me thinking about leafy greens and whether there is a huge difference nutritionally between them. I know dark green spinach is much healthier than light-colored iceberg lettuce, but how much better?

Well I have broken it all down for you. Want to see the comparison? Then read more

1 cup	Calories	Fiber (g)	Vitamin A (IU)	Vitamin C (mg)	Potassium (mg)	Folate (mcg)
Your RDI (just to compare)	around 2,000	25-30	2,333	75	4200	400
Romaine	8	1	2729	11	116	64
Spinach	7	.7	2813	8	167	58
Iceberg	8	.7	276	2	78	16
Arugula	5	.3	475	3	3	74
Red leaf lettuce	4	.3	2098	1	52	10
Green leaf lettuce	5	.5	2666	7	70	14
Bibb (Boston)	7	.6	1822	2	131	40

Well it seems that Romaine and Spinach are on top and Bibb lettuce is the next runner-up.

I included your RDI in the table so you can see how much fiber and vitamins we need each day. I was surprised to see that Romaine and Spinach contain so much Vitamin A - over 3 times your daily requirements! I guess it does make a difference which leafy greens you choose. I'll keep this in mind the next time I choose salad greens.

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