Friday, January 2, 2009

Fun Facts.

In my attempt to procrastinate doing what needs to be done, I have compiled a list of interesting facts regarding nutritional choices... This? or That? So, I've narrowed down a rather lengthy article on best and worst decisions, which you can find in full on Men's Health Online.

Worst "Healthy" Drink
Glaceau VitaminWater (20 oz bottle)
130 calories
33 g sugar 

Vitamins and water might sound like the ultimate nutritional tag team, but what the label doesn't say is that a bottle of this stuff carries nearly as much sugar and calories as a can of Coke. Makes sense, though, since this so-called functional beverage is produced by our often-sugar-crazy friends at The Coca-Cola Company.



I frown as my refrigerator resembles this image. One of every color... with the exception of Orange, my favorite. I have 2. I justified to stock up due to the grueling cold I have been battling. Good thing Chance is waiting to kiss me on our wedding day or else he'd be laid up with this same congested-ear-plugged-pressure-head-hacky-cough-stuffiness I'm cuddling up with everyday. Hopefully I'm nearing the end.

Worst Coffee Alternative
Starbucks Venti White Hot Chocolate
640 calories
23 g fat (15 g saturated)
76 g sugar

Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions. This one packs an entire day's worth of saturated fat, with more than enough sugar to set you up for a dramatic mid-afternoon energy crash. Stick with the Steamed Apple Juice instead. 


Worst Energy Drink
Rockstar Original (16 oz can)
280 calories
62 g sugar

Energy drink makers might feign a level of health by fortifying their products with a cocktail of vitamins and minerals, but don't be fooled: Any minimal benefit they might provide is snuffed out by the blanket of sugar and calories each can contains. Want energy? Try a cup of homebrewed black tea. It nearly zero calories and contains a deluge of disease-fighting antioxidants.

The Worst Drink in America
Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake
2,310 calories 
108 g fat (64 g saturated)
266 g 

Let's look at America's Worst Drink in numbers:

73: The number of ingredients that go into this milkshake.
66: The number of teaspoons of sugar this drink contains.
11: The number of Heath Bars you would have to eat to equal the number of calories found in one Baskin Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.
12: The average number of minutes it takes to consume this drink.
240: The number of minutes you'd need to spend on a treadmill, running at a moderate pace, to burn it off. 

Worst Iced Tea
Lipton Iced Brisk Lemon Iced Tea (20 oz bottle)
325 calories 
81 g sugar 

Iced tea is loaded with metabolism-boosting, cancer-fighting compounds called polyphenols, but Lipton does its best to undo any potential healthy benefit you might derive from the tea's antioxidants by drowning them in 20 teaspoons of sugar. Your tea of choice should carry no more than 15 grams of sugar per 20-ounce serving. 


Worst Smoothie
Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 oz)
1,170 calories 
169 g sugars 

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milkshake, with more sugar than an entire bag of chocolate chips. (Note: We're pretty sure this is the drink Hollywood actors rely on when looking to put on 20 pounds for the role as a heavy!)

On the other hand, here are a few tips for healthy (and frugal) living in 2009:

Splurge on Nutrition
Consider it an investment in your future: obesity-related medical bills aside, someone 
40 pounds overweight is paid 9 percent less than his thinner colleagues. Our suggestion: 
pack as much nutrition as possible into the foods you buy

Brew Your Own Coffee
Instead of buying coffee from Starbucks, McDonald's, or the cafeteria at work, brewing 
your own cuppa joe can save you over $800 a year!

One of my New Year's resolutions (the dreaded goals seemingly ALWAYS about weightloss) 
has to do with cutting out salt as much as possible. Obviously, there are many short and long term
benefits to doing so, therefore, I will give it an honest go. Here are a few things to avoid:

Saltiest Bread
Dunkin' Donuts Salt Bagel 

Sodium 4,520 mg
Calories 320
Carbohydrates 62 g


Salt Equivalent: 13 orders of McDonald's large French fries


This bagel is more like a giant salt-encrusted pretzel, delivering 188 percent 
of your recommended daily sodium intake. 


Saltiest Sandwich
Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing 


Sodium 4,670 mg
Calories 1,120
Fat 49 g
Carbohydrates 116 g


Salt Equivalent: 7 large orders of onion rings from Burger King


First, skip the large sandwich. At Quiznos, few come in under 1,000 calories and 
3,000 mg sodium. 
Next, abandon mozzarella for Swiss, which has a tenth of the sodium. 
Finally, choose one of the low-calorie subs at Quiznos—the Tuscan Turkey, 
or better yet, the Honey Bourbon Chicken.

I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer. Hopefully it comes off more interesting than depressing:)
Happy Saturday!

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