FitSugar

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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NYC Ditching Trans Fat - You Should Too!

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Remember a while back I told you that New York City's restaurants had to get rid of all trans fat and post calorie counts (not that all the fast food joints are complying with this requirement) by July 1, 2007? Well, many fast food chains have already made the switch to healthier oils, which is awesome news for us health-conscious eaters. Restaurants won't be fined for violating this ban until October 1, 2007, but at least it's in the future.

Why are trans fats so bad? These are chemically altered fats and are NOT required nor beneficial to our health. Eating foods with trans fat (like partially hydrogenated soybean oil) can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase your chances of getting coronary heart disease.

Why do companies use trans fat? It's cheap and can increase the shelf-life of their products. Watch out for cookies, crackers, candies, margarine, dips, fast foods like French fries, and frozen foods - these processed foods almost always contain trans fat.

It's great that NYC is ditching trans fat from their menus. Hopefully it will jumpstart other cities and companies to do the same.

Fit's Tips: If a food contains less than .5 grams of trans fat, they don't have to tell you on the package. So be sure to read the list of ingredients - if you see hydrogenated oil in the list, put it back!!

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Food Review: Lean Cuisine Szechuan Shrimp Stir Fry

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Though I sometimes eat Lean Cuisine products in a pinch, I'm not usually a fan of processed frozen food. But when these Lean Cuisine meals arrived at the office the other day, I recognized the Spa Cuisine Classics box from the 100 healthiest supermarket foods list. (The Chicken With Peanut Sauce was named best frozen dinner.) Better yet, the box proclaimed that the meal was preservative free, so I decided to try it.

I had the Szechuan Style Stir Fry With Shrimp, featuring whole-wheat noodles, baby corn, sugar snap peas, carrots, and bell peppers. After I zapped the meal in the Sugar HQ kitchen, several passersby said it looked delicious. To find out if it actually tasted good, read more.

I'm not sure how a frozen meal can be preservative-free, but it's true: there was nothing troubling on this ingredient list, aside from "caramel color." Mostly, it was shrimp and veggies, plus soy sauce, garlic, and seasonings. Though the box promises a "spicy Asian-style sauce," this dish wasn't at all spicy but actually rather sweet and mild. I was sad to find very few snap peas in my box, but the entree redeemed itself with flavorful shrimp and tender pasta that tasted fresh.

Flavor and texture-wise, the Spa Cuisine Classic impressed. Although some co-workers said the portion looked small, it filled me up quite nicely, and with just 240 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, it was a very healthy lunch. Unfortunately, like many frozen meals, this one is very high in sodium: It contains 760 mg, or 32 percent of your daily recommended intake. But if you're looking for a healthy, fast frozen lunch or dinner, this one is better than the average microwave meal, and I appreciate the lack of strange-sounding chemicals in the ingredients.

Have you tried these? If so, what flavor do you like?

Fare to Avoid at the Fair

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I find it more than a bit ironic that the foods most of us associate with going to the State Fair are fried, processed and just plain bad for you. The fair is supposed to be a celebration of farming and farm life (I love visiting all the animals from 4H competitions). I would think the food at fairs would feature fresh produce rather than deep fried food served on sticks. Last year, the Minnesota State Fair featured 54 different food items conveniently served on sticks, and it seems our desire for deep fried food runs deep as soon as our feet hit the fairground.

Here is a list of fare to avoid when you go to the fair. Keeping these items out of your belly might just keep you from belly aching after riding the Tilt-a-Whirl or the Zipper.

Fried Snickers (5 oz.): 444 calories and 29 grams (g) fat
Fried Twinkie (2 oz.): 420 calories/34 g fat
Funnel cake (1): 760 calories/44 g fat
Twinkie Dog Sundae: 500 calories/14 g fat
Cotton candy: 171 calories/0 fat
Fried cheesecake (6 oz.): 655 calories/47 g fat
Foot-long hot dog and bun: 470 calories/26 g fat
Giant turkey leg: 1,136 calories/54 g fat

Let me just remind you that deep fried Twinkies are as bad for you as they sound.

Tell me, what is the most outrageous food you have eaten at a fair? I am curious so let me know in the comments section below.

KFC Goes Grilled

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:30:00 -0700

As posting calorie counts becomes mandatory in more and more places, many fast food restaurants are trying to lure health-conscious customers back in an effort to boost slumping sales. Following its competitors that have been offering grilled fare for years, Kentucky Fried Chicken is now serving up buckets of grilled chicken, which is much healthier than its fried counterpart. The grilled chicken will cost the same as KFC's Original Recipe, but the caloric price is considerably lower.

To see how these two types of KFC chicken compare, read more.

Depending on the piece, the grilled chicken contains 70 to 180 calories, compared to 110 to 370 calories found in pieces of Original Recipe. The difference in fat and sodium content is even more striking. The grilled chicken, once again depending on the piece, contains four to nine grams of fat while the Original Recipe pieces contain seven to 21 grams of fat. The grilled chicken sodium tops off at 440 milligrams, while the fried version can contain up to 1,050 mg per piece. While I am not a fan of fast food, I recognize the need to occasionally eat on the run, and appreciate that KFC is offering healthier options. Many of the participating franchises will be offering a free piece for customers to try on April 27. Will you be trying it?

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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7 Steps to a Healthier Sandwich

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:04 -0800

Whether it's the recession or our increasing need for simplicity, sandwiches are having a moment. They're one of my favorite easy lunches and very healthy if you make them right. But it's important not to get stuck in an unhealthy or unimaginative sandwich rut.

Some healthy-sandwich strategies are obvious: avoid fried foods and super-oily sauces, opt for whole-grain bread instead of sliced white. But that's only the beginning. For my seven tips on making sandwiches that are both delicious and nutritious, read more.

Open it up! An open-faced sandwich made with one slice of wheat bread instead of two can save around 70 calories.
Go green. In place of empty iceberg lettuce, opt for iron-rich greens like spinach or romaine. Try pressing a cup of raw spinach into a hot panini.
Load up on veggies. Sneaking veggies into sandwiches is a great way to get your five a day. Think beyond tomatoes and add everything from roasted beets to cucumbers to carrots.
And don't forget fruit! Similarly, you can increase your fruit intake through your sandwiches. I suggest sliced apples and cheese or figs and nut butter.
Hold the mayo. I'm sure you know this, but here's a reminder: mustard is a much better choice. One ounce of yellow mustard has just 19 calories and one gram of fat, while the same amount of mayo packs 210 calories and 21 grams of fat.
Speaking of mayo, try swapping it out for nonfat yogurt to make a healthier tuna or chicken salad.
Don't say cheese. Rather than eliminating the creamy texture of cheese, replace it with sliced avocado. One ounce has just 45 calories and loads of healthy fat.

Reality Check: Ashlee Isn't a No Carbs Kind of Girl

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:02 -0800

Even though she lives the So Cal lifestyle, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz told Women's Health that she doesn't starve herself for a Hollywood figure; she simply loves food, and one of her favorite feasts features Mexican fare. Once a week Ashlee and her hubby, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, invite family and friends over for taco night. Ashlee told the mag that she's not afraid of cheese, eats cheeseburgers with ranch dressing, and indulges in French fries. But don't spread the rumor that she's eating for two, because she's not, and Ashlee shares that she's even slimmer than ever.

She boasts about devouring whatever she wants, doesn't deprive herself of the foods she craves, and still has such a great figure. To find out what she asys is her secret, read more.

Ashlee's secret weapon is Bronx Pilates! Her 1-year-old son is in her arms all day, and carrying around that extra weight has helped to really tone her arms.

Before she gave birth, Ashlee had gained 50 pounds, and her breasts were up to a size E when she was nursing. So once baby Bronx was two weeks old, she was ready to start losing the extra pounds. A home-delivery meal plan didn't work since she's a big eater. She says, "If I want a grilled cheese sandwich, I'll eat a grilled cheese sandwich." So she turned to exercise, and with the help of a personal trainer, the new mama set up a home gym and started circuit training. Four weeks later, Ashlee had lost half her baby weight. Her diligent workouts have definitely paid off. Of course, this young actress also has her youth and genes to thank. Though she looks amazing now, Ashlee dispels the notion that her bod was a result of Hollywood stress. She says, "I wasn't in a rush to get back to this body for anyone else. It was more like, 'I wanna look good [for me]? I wanna feel good.'"

Ashlee is feeling great and very appreciative of her family and all life has blessed her with. On top of a great career and a healthy son, her hubby is a great source of comfort and support. "Pete isn't worried about stretch marks, " she says, "He always makes me feel sexy."

The way she explains it, she doesn't really do anything currently to maintain her figure. Do you believe it?

Fast Food Nation: The Movie

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 12:30:00 -0800

OK, so you've probably heard of the book, Fast Food Nation, where the author, Eric Schlosser reveals the unpleasant truths about fast food.

Did you know that Americans spend more money on fast food than on higher education or new cars? Every month more than 90% of American children eat at McDonald's. The average American eats 3 hamburgers and 4 orders of fries a week.

But what exactly is in those hamburgers? If you knew, you'd never eat at another burger chain again. And if you thought the fries were "animal-free," think again. McDonald's still acknowledges that some of the flavor in their fries comes from "animal products" - whatever that means.

This best-selling book was made into a movie, starring Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. But The New Yorker and New York Post both gave it horrible reviews.

I don't know about the movie, but I found the book to be extremely powerful and life-changing. After reading it, I'm sure you'll think twice before ordering your next Happy Meal.