FitSugar

Scale Back Your Food Choices

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

With restaurants expanding portion sizes with menu items like the Country Burrito from Hardees or the 42 oz. Xtreme Gulp at 7-Eleven (pictured), it's easy to eat way more than you actually need or even want. I am not saying you have to give up going out for a meal, but just be smart when you do. Bigger size may mean a better value, but is it realistic to need 42 oz. of soda in one sitting? Probably not.

One way to be smart is by scaling back how much you actually eat and drink in the first place.

Here are a few tips for getting you on track:

Steer clear of large, jumbo and king size orders. Even a medium portion can be big, so share it with a friend. Better yet, opt for the small.
Eat half of what you order. Ask for a doggie bag and enjoy the rest on another day.
Have a bottle of water or diet soda instead of a regular sugar-laden soda.
Order a side salad with your meal.
Savor your food and eat more slowly. Put your fork down between bites. This will help you eat less.

Also, be sure to check out some of my breakdowns of popular restaurants before heading out so you can make wise choices along with portion size.

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WARNING: Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Hardee's, the chain that also brought us an 1100 calorie Southwest Chicken Salad, is assaulting health junkies once again with a new menu item to hit restaurants: the Country Breakfast Burrito.

This massive burrito is made from two omelets, five hashrounds (WTF are hashrounds?), cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy all wrapped in a tortilla. Don't go licking your lips just yet: This burrito packs in a whopping 920 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, and about nearly 2000 milligrams of sodium. I am a big fan of everything in moderation, but I can honestly say that there is not any real reason for anyone to eat this for breakfast, or anytime really. I know a lot of us have it in our heads that breakfast burritos can be a healthy breakfast alternative, but this burrito could not be further from that - steer clear.

I tried to find a better alternative for breakfast when eating at Hardee's, and the best choice I could find is the Sunrise Croissant with Ham, which weighs in at 430 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Needless to say, I won't be eating breakfast there anytime soon.

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Top 5 Unhealthiest Fast Food Value Meals

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:08:15 -0800

There are a few reasons why you might find yourself in a fast food restaurant, two of them being cost and convenience. Whether you're in a rush, looking to save money, or simply have a hankering for fast food, know that some of the big menu options are better than others.

The Cancer Project surveyed the largest fast food chains in the US to come up with a list of what the initiative has deemed the five unhealthiest items. The survey coincides with new research that says cancer is projected to be the world's leading killer, with particular concern about high-fat diets in Western countries, and comes at a time when people might be sacrificing their health to save money. To see the five unhealthiest fast food items on value menus, read more.

Wendy’s junior bacon cheeseburger ($1.53): 310 calories, 16 grams of fat
McDonald’s McDouble ($1): 19 grams of fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol
Burger King breakfast sausage biscuit ($1): 27 grams of fat (15 grams of saturated fat), more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium.
Taco Bell cheesy double beef burrito ($0.89): 460 calories, 20 grams of fat, 1,620 milligrams of sodium.
Jack in the Box junior bacon cheeseburger ($1): 23 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat), 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 860 milligrams of sodium.

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The Top 20 Fast Food Items Highest In Calories

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

My friends over at ACalorieCounter.com went through the nutrition facts of every single item from the menus of 25 popular fast food restaurants to put together a list of 272 fast food items highest in calories.

Here are the top 20 highest calories items from the list:

White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (Louisville region): 1680
Nathan's Fish N Chips: 1537
Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger: 1520
Hardee's Monster Thickburger: 1420
Dairy Queen Large Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard: 1320
Hardee's Double Bacon Cheese Thickburger: 1300
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Malt: 1300
Nathan's Chicken Tender Platter: 1300
Jack In The Box OREO Cookie Ice Cream Shake (24oz): 1290
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (6 piece): 1270

To see the rest of the list read more

Hardee's Double Thickburger: 1250
Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich With Cheese: 1230
Jack In The Box Chocolate Ice Cream Shake (24oz): 1230
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (New Jersey region): 1230
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Breaded Pork Chop: 1220
Jack In The Box Strawberry Ice Cream Shake (24oz): 1220
Jack In The Box Egg Nog Shake (24oz): 1210
Nathan's French Fries (Super Size): 1188
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (New Jersey region): 1180
Del Taco Macho Beef Burrito: 1170

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