Junk Food - Break Up With Bad Habits

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
Feb 20th 2009 2:00PM

Drink Shockers

By Mary Kearl

Your favorite beverage may be just as diet-wrecking as fatty fast food, adding calories, sugar and fat and offering little or no nutritional value. Watch out for these drink shockers that will tip you closer to the F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. recommended daily limits for calories (2,000), fat (65 grams) and added sugar (40 grams) a day. Added sugars means any sugar not found naturally within the food, so look out for ingredients like sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup and molasses, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Red Bull

Size: 8.3 oz can
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 27 g

This drink contains more than half the sugar you should have in one day. Plus, do you really want to use 110 of your 2,000 calories on something you can drink in about 10 seconds?

*Calories per Ounce: About 13

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Sunsweet Prune Juice

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 18 g

While Sunsweet's juice is 100 percent juice and does not contain any added sugars, it still is a high concentration of natural sucrose, which means the calories can add up. In comparison, one serving of Sunsweet's regular prunes contains 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar. Plus, it contains 11 percent fiber which you miss out on when you drink the juice.

*Calories per Ounce: 22.5

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 29 g

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red contains five percent juice, which means 95 percent of it comes from water, plus dubious ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial flavoring, juice concentrates and sugar. Since many "juice" drinks like Hawaiian punch do not contain 100 percent juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4-6 ounces for kids under 7 years, and no more than 8-12 ounces for older children and teens.

*Calories per Ounce: 15

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hershey's Chocolate Milk

Size: 1 cup, or 8 fl oz
Calories: 200
Fat: 5 g
Sugars: 29 g

Just one serving of this milk contains 17 more grams of sugar than regular low-fat milk, or nearly half the added sugar you should have in one day. Make this an occasional treat, not a once or twice-a-day habit.

*Calories per Ounce: 25

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

McDonald's McFlurry with M&M's candies

Size: 12 oz
Calories: 620
Fat: 20 g
Sugars: 85 g

When it comes to calories, this drink is about the equivalent of one meal. Plus, you better watch your sugar intake for the rest of the day.

*Calories per Ounce: About 52

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Wendy's Chocolate Twisted Frosty with M&M's

Size: 16 oz
Calories: 560
Fat: 19 g
Sugars: 72 g

Yes, this drink is a little lighter on all counts than a McFlurry, but you'd still be better off ordering a chocolate or vanilla Frosty in the junior or small sizes. You'd save 250 to 410 calories and 11 to 15 grams of fat.

*Calories per Ounce: 35

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Glaceau Vitamin Water

Size: 20 oz
Calories: 125
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: about 33 g

There is one easy way to avoid this diet trap. If you're feeling dehydrated or low on energy, drink a glass of calorie-free, sugar-free, fat-free water and eat one of your five to nine servings of fruits or veggies recommended by the U.S.D.A.

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Crème, Double Chocolate Chip Crème (without whipped cream)

Size: Venti, 24 fl oz
Calories: 550
Fat: 11 g
Sugars: 79 g

By adding whipped cream this drink becomes even more shocking with an extra 120 calories and 11 fat grams.

*Calories per Ounce: About 23

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Baskin Robbins Cappuccino Blast Caramel

Size: 24 fl oz
Calories: 720
Fat: 24 g
Sugars: 102 g

Steer clear of this cappuccino the next time you're at Baskin Robbins -- it contains about a third of your daily fat allowance -- and head for the low fat variety of the Cappuccino Blast. At 220 calories and 2 grams of fat it's a much lighter option. But watch your sugar content for the rest of the day because even this option contains 44 grams.

*Calories per Ounce: 30

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

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Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

u262f 2-20-2009 @ 4:57PM

LOL! Great link! To extend the metaphor a little further, if you believe the Evolutionists, the purpose of love is to make babies, and that's what I do with the junk food I crave. For example, I love potato chips. However, instead of going for the bag, I buy whole potatoes, slice them up, brush them with a little olive oil, and bake them in the oven. I make my oatmeal cookies without refined flour and substituting chunks of dried fruit for sugar. I blend up my own juices so they include pulp and have no added artificial sweeteners. Every time I see junk food in the store, I think of how my own taste so much better, so it's very easy for me to leave the junk food on the shelves. I'm a busy person, though, and even though I promise to make myself better cookies every week when I see them in the store, I actually only find time to make them once or twice a year. Still, it's worth the wait, and I never have to say no to any cravings. I just crave something far better than what's available in stores. When I make it, it's no longer junk food.