junk-foods-related stories
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
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.
