junk-food-related stories
Good Foods Gone Bad - This Week on AOL Health
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
 |
| Photo: Nathan Ellis Perkel for AOL |
Can you think of any good foods gone bad we didn't include? Share your suggestions in a comment below.
Men (Getting Fit) in the Spolight - This Week on AOL Health
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Want to drop a few pounds or tone up? Consider these 15 fat-burning foods. New to the whole eating healthy thing? Check out our salad-bar survival guide, plus our crib sheets of junk food and fatty foods you can still eat. Last, but not least, what you and the woman in your life really care about -- exercises for better sex.
Men: What do you care more about, working out or eating right? Women: Could the man in your life stand to lose a little padding?
Junk Food - Break Up With Bad Habits
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
Charlotte Church's Boyfriend Bans Her Junk Food - Cool or Not?
She gave birth less than a month ago, but Charlotte Church is already feeling the pressure to slim down, thanks to boyfriend Gavin Henson. The 22-year-old songstress has supposedly been 'banned' from eating junk food by her man, according to recent reports by sources close to the couple. Um, really? Call me old-fashioned but if my fellow tried to 'ban' me from eating things because he thought I needed to lose a few after birthing his child, he might find himself with a black eye or two. Am I alone in this? Is it OK for one's partner or spouse to set the rules when he or she wants you to shed a few pounds? And is it in poor taste to ask someone to slim down when she has just given birth? What do you think?
100-Calorie Packs Strike Again
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think 100-calorie packs are a completely ridiculous concept. Why? Well, I'm not against the easy calorie control. However, I think that some people get lured by the siren's song of "100 calories" and start to think they're eating healthfully. Sorry, but junk food is junk food. It reminds me of the low-fat craze in the early 90s; my college friends and I used to by Entenmann's fat-free pastries and we seriously thought -- because they were fat free -- they wouldn't contribute to weight gain. Yeah. I left college about 35 pounds heavier than when I started.
Oreo Cakesters has a commercial which is just so wrong. I thought I was being overly critical about it, until I found another health blogger who feels the same way. Watch the video and you'll see women chasing down a Cakesters delivery van. Notice there's not a heavy woman among them. Notice there's not a man among them. Notice how they're all completely maniacal and crazed over these 100-calorie packs. Okay, okay ... I get that it's supposed to be a joke. But there's a kernel of truth to most jokes, and people have gone a little nutty over 100-calorie packs.
What do you think about the commercial? Do you find it borderline offensive like I do? Or do you think it's funny?
Obesity - Is the Culture of Fat Contagious?
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Have you seen Burger King's Whopper Virgins commercials? They aren't without their share of controversy. Most people are up in arms because the commercials are exploitative (and I agree), but I'm also bothered because I think Whopper "virgins" should be allowed to keep their virginity. Don't go ripping off those promise rings, Burger King.
There are precious few parts of the world that haven't been graced with the golden arches or the King. In fact, I hosted a young boy for the summer of 2005. He lived in an orphanage in a very remote part of Siberia and, while he had never eaten it before, he was fully aware of McDonald's and shouted out with glee the first time we passed by one.
When it comes to obesity, the U.S. is certainly a front-runner. But we aren't the only ones who consider getting fat a national pastime. According to some, the constant availability of quick and easy (and fatty, high-calorie) foods are largely to blame. Like a cold virus through a kindergarten classroom, our obesity-producing lifestyle is spreading to other cultures. And it's a sad state of affairs.
Avoid These Healthy Foods Gone Bad
A Ban on Fast Food Ads? That's Fit Readers Think It's a Good Idea
A recent study theorized that banning fast food commercials would have a positive impact on childhood obesity. After all, most kids watch an awful lot of television -- being tempted by burgers and fries (not to mention the toys they're packaged with) can be a big draw. Pair that with the potential sleep problems and loss of physical activity due to TV watching and you've got a recipe for childhood obesity. Or do you? I asked That's Fit readers what they thought about banning fast food commercials. Here are the results:
- 56.6 percent think banning fast food commercials is a good idea. Remove the temptation and maybe kids would beg and plead for fast food less often.
- 34.5 percent of you think kids will still want fast food, whether they see it on commercials or not.
- 8.7 percent of you voted for other. Many comments focused on the fact that it shouldn't matter whether kids see commercials or not -- parents should determine the types of food that their family is eating. Kids shouldn't be the ones who dictate what they eat.
Do you think you're up on knowledge about childhood obesity? Take this AOL Health childhood obesity quiz and find out.
Twinkies join the 100-calorie bandwagon
Twinkies are the latest junk food to come out with a 100-calorie snack pack. So if you crave that spongy cake with the creme filling, you can now enjoy three miniature cakes in a controlled 100-calorie pack. But are all these calorie-controlled packages really a good thing? I often wonder if people who would normally pass by chocolate chip cookies and other processed treats buy these items just because of the implied weight control benefit. But really, 100 calories of junk is still junk.
Rather than choosing small amounts of nutritionally-void food, why not make your own 100-calorie packs? You'll still have all of the convenience, but you'll have a lot more nutritional quality. That's a much better way to get some bang for your buck.
9 ways to help your overweight child
Martha recently posted about whether or not parents should be notified if their children are overweight. A recent user question on Momtourage shows that some doctors are doing just that. ... and I think it's a good thing. The parent asking the question is wondering if they should even be concerned that their child is overweight because they feel that their child is active and happy. Some children are clearly, unmistakably overweight. But for other kids, it isn't always easy to tell. After all, kids go through growth spurts and they grow at different rates. But if a medical professional expresses that your child is indeed overweight, it's time to take action.
As parents, there are many things you can do to help your child live a healthy lifestyle and maintain an appropriate weight.
Half and half
Do you have a junk food lover in your house? Sometimes it's hard to deny those cravings... especially when they're foods we've eaten for years and years. Women's Health has a great idea for making some junk foods a little bit healthier. You can mix healthier options in with your not-so-healthy favorites to create a treat that's not so damaging to you waistline. Better yet, when you start adding healthier options in -- like mixing a bowl of half whole grain cereal and half sugary cereal -- you're starting to retrain your taste buds. In time, you'll find you enjoy the healthier foods as much as the junky ones.
