FitSugar

Craving Fries? Try These Alternatives

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Looks like I am not alone when it comes to my love of french fries since they topped many users' lists for favorite cheat foods. A lot of you offered some great suggestions for healthy alternatives. Check these out:

shopgrrl suggested boiled, salted, edamame because they're both starchy and salty.
I can't wait to try these mustard-roasted potatoes that syako likes. They sound tasty.
SublimeChica bakes her own spicy fries by adding Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning which is "spicy and oh-so salty." Adding flavor with spices and herbs is a great way to make food flavorful without adding extra calories.

If these suggestions don't work for you or fries are not your weakness, you can always follow Nitrobezene's advice – eat the food you love, just eat less of it. I like onesong's philosophy too – eat what you are craving, but eat healthy foods and healthy portions for the rest of the day.

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Low Fat French Fry Alert

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:15:00 -0800

I know many of you have a weakness for french fries, and they are often your favorite cheat food. Well, folks in the food industry are looking out for you and have developed My Fries, which I will gladly share of course.

These revamped french fries contain 25 percent less fat than regular fries, which is good if you are trying to watch your waist line. They are coated with something called i3 advantage – a french-fry coating technology. Who knew that there were french-fry coating technologies? The coating impedes the fry from absorbing cooking fat, so the potato doesn't act like a sponge for oil and sop up all that fat. These fries are targeted for the fit-conscious consumer - do you feel targeted. Here's the nutritional info if you are interested. Looks like Pete Wentz and Kendra Wilkinson are enjoying ~~their~~ My Fries. Hopefully we will all be able try them soon at health-conscious, fast-food restaurants everywhere!

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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.

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In Case You Were STILL Eating at McDonald's...

FitSugar — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:30:00 -0700

This video is a MUST see! I knew McDonald's was bad for me because of the cholesterol, saturated fat, and sugar content, but I had no idea that there were so many preservatives pumped into this crap too!

The man who made the documentary Super Size Me (which is also a MUST see, by the way), conducted this interesting science experiment with McDonald's food. Check out the French fries...

Want to hear more about McDonald's? Then read more

Here's the opening to the documentary Super Size Me. I definitely recommend checking out this entire movie (you can rent it through Netflix. It'll change your perspective on fast food forever.

Speak Up: Which Treat is Worth it?

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Well, I know that all of you try to be healthy eaters for the most part (you wouldn't be reading FitSugar if you weren't).

That doesn't mean you don't have cravings for decadent desserts and fried foods.

Rich peanut butter brownie sundaes, creamy triple chocolate mousse, French fries covered in melted cheddar cheese, butter cream filled cake, crispy onions rings, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone... Who doesn't want to indulge in these delicious treats?

So I want to know - What do you think is worth breaking your healthy eating plan? Tell me in the comments section below.

Trans Fat Keeps Getting Worse and Worse...

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:00:00 -0700

As if trans fat are not bad enough for you, new research out of the Harvard School of Public Health has upped the stakes at how bad it really is.

Women who eat diets rich in trans fats (3.6 grams or more per day) have three times the risk of heart disease as those who don't (2.5 grams or less per day). While research had already proven trans fat is a major contributor to heart disease, the Harvard study includes an objective measure of trans fat intake (trans fat levels in red blood cells) rather than just relying on dietary information reported from participants.

As a reference point, a small order of McDonald's fries has 3.5 grams of trans fat, as does a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell.

To ensure you're not getting a load of trans fat in your diet, check labels and look for 0 grams of trans fat AND make sure there is no hydrogenated oils listed in the ingredients.

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.

Universal Studios Bans Trans Fats

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:37:21 -0800

If you're planning on visiting Universal Studios anytime in the future, you'll still get a taste of the thrilling rides that attracts so many people each year. What you won't get a taste of? Trans Fats.

Like so many others, Universal Studios has jumped on the healthy band wagon and stopped serving trans fats in 90% of the food served at its parks in efforts to combat heart disease in America. Walt Disney Co., announced in October that it will serve more nutritious kids' meals and phase out the artificial fats at its resorts as well.

Universal Studios has even gone a step further and added healthy side options too, including salads and fruit bowls. If you still can't fathom going to a theme park and not having fries, then you still can, they just won't be nearly as bad for your heart. NYC has already made the decision to ban trans fats and Massachusetts is on its way to banning them as well.

Fit's Tip: For now, skip the churro, a Spanish fried-dough pastry, because they will not be trans fat-free until the end of 2007.

In-N-Out Burger Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:30:00 -0800

In-N-Out Burger is a cult like favorite out here in the West. People literally flock to In-N-Out to get their grub on. I won't lie, I recently dined at In-N-Out and with a nutritional information card no where in sight, I had to fend for myself.

So you don't have to play the guessing game next time you go, here is the Breakdown:

The Double-Double with Onion has 670 calories, 41 grams of fat, 1440 mg of sodium and 39 carbs.

The Cheeseburger with Onion has 480 calories, 27 grams of fat, 1000 mg of sodium and 39 grams of carbs.

The Hamburger with Onion has 390 calories, 19 grams of fat, 650 mg of sodium and 39 grams of carbs.

The French Fries have 400 calories, 18 grams of fat, 245 mg of sodium and 54 grams of carbs. BUT they are not cooked in trans fats, so they get a major plus for that one.

The Chocolate Shake has 690 calories, 36 grams of fat, 350 mg of sodium and 83 grams of carbs.

Fit's Tip: Get it with out the "spread" and you can knock off 80 calories, 9 grams of fat but you need to add 80 mg of sodium and 2 grams of carbs.