FitSugar

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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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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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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Salty Series: Entrées

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:30:00 -0700

When it comes to restaurant fare and processed food it seems sodium lurks in unexpected places and unexpected quantities. The theory is that salt makes everything taste better, so more salt means tastier food, right? Not really, but you wouldn’t know that after seeing the amounts of sodium used in some of the entrées at some popular food chains. Take a look and see what meals you should avoid, especially if high blood pressure is a health concern of yours. Just to remind you that the upper limit of daily sodium is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon. Here's a list of the top saltiest dinners you can order.

Saltiest Burger: Hardee's 2/3 pound Monster Thickburger - 2,770 mg. Most of the sodium comes from the bun and the three slices of processed cheese which make up for 780 mg.
Saltiest Pasta: Fazoli's Rigatoni Romano - 3,180 mg. This dish is made with Italian sausage, meat sauce, and cheese, all of which have high amounts of sodium. Put them together and bada-boom, baba-bing, you've got one salty dish.
Saltiest Beef Entrée: Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles - 4,131 mg. Think beef stroganoff soaked in gravy. The steak on its own has 638 mg of sodium. That's some salty gravy.
Saltiest Frozen Dinner: Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey - 4,480 mg. The label on the box says that the meal is actually two servings, but what kind of hungry man is going to share?

To see the rest of this atrocious list read more.

Saltiest Comfort Food: Denny's Meat Loaf Dinner (with Mashed Potatoes and Corn) - 5,080 mg. It's best to make your own.
Saltiest Mexican Entrée: Chili's Buffalo Chicken Fajitas - 5,690 mg. Where does it all come from? Fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, ranch dressing, and sour cream.
Saltiest Dish in America: Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello - 7,300 mg. This is well beyond your three day limit of salt. That's so bad.

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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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A Week in Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 04:00:00 -0700

In case you missed it, here's what we've been talking about this week.

I'm giving away five Lace Up for a Cure Vigor Jackets by New Balance. Take the Quiz to be eligible to win!

Lead in lipstick? Oh my.

If you like bagels then check out the Einstein Bros. Bagel Breakdown.

Speaking of breakfast, bagels are better than the new monster breakfast burrito at Hardees, which has a whooping 920 calories.

I have a few ideas for you to stop hating exercise and start loving it.

Here's an idea, pick a time to workout and stick to it!

Avoid serious injury and go for an anti-burst exercise ball.

How well do you know your favorite celeb and her workout? Take the quiz.

Speaking of celebs, here are some new tips from Jessica Biel's personal trainer!

Since we're talking "Jessica" here, Jessica Simpson has been talking about her fitness too.

I'm curious, which is your favorite health magazine?

Another reason to love yoga, it helps breast cancer patients feel better.

Be sure to check out all my Breast Cancer Awareness posts from this week.

Once again, don't forget I'm giving away five Pink Ribbon Vigor Jackets from New Balance. Take the Quiz to be eligible to win a Lace Up for a Cure Vigor Jacket by New Balance.