The Meal Nutritionists Fear

[FUZO]

TweetThe Meal Nutritionists Fear
Eating healthy can be a real struggle, especially in our modern society. Aside from the fact that there are 160,000 fast food restaurants in the US alone, our televisions, radios and computers are bombarded by ads for such franchises on a daily basis. What is the cumulative effect of this? The result is a nation plagued by obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and countless other nutrition-related illnesses. Bringing it down to a personal level, what are we to do when presented with an opportunity to try the latest fast food concoction? Well, before you take a bite of the quadruple bacon cheddar chili weiner-burger, let’s examine a hypothetical evaluation of a fast food meal.

I call it the “Meal from Hell”. Straight from the bowels of the underworld, the meal from hell (MFH) is guaranteed to induce nausea, and clog your arteries faster than an overturned Peterbuilt strewn across a 4 lane expressway. The centerpiece of the MFH is a greasy bacon cheeseburger with a large helping of fries. Just like a fine cut of sirloin needs a wine to compliment and accentuate its flavors, the MFH requires none other than a 20 oz. Mountain Dew to really kick it up a notch. To finish it off, and securely flat-line the diner’s vital signs, a hot fudge sundae awaits. Sure, many people consume similar meals on weekly or daily basis, but here is what they are really doing to themselves.

First of all, while I chose Don't Dew( the real name is disguised to avoid law suits) as a poster-child for all that is unhealthy about soda, they are all pretty much equally bad for you. Besides the fact that they are loaded with sugar and caffeine, they are also a ****tail of phosphoric acids, guaranteed to rot your teeth. Phosphoric acid has also been shown to literally suck the calcium out of human bones, and is believed to be contributing to the high rate of osteoporosis in Americans. The acid also drives to pH of the beverage to about that of vinegar. Vinegar cola anyone?

20 Oz. Don't Dew

282 calories
77 g sugars (26% DV)


Now on to the burger. Apparently fast food joints didn’t think a greasy, fatty cut of meat (I use “meat” loosely here) topped with processed cheese and stuffed into a bun wasn’t enough. Now, nearly every burger joint has their own version of the bacon cheeseburger. The bacon, while adding a small amount of protein, mainly boosts the sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of the burger. More often than not, the cheese on these burgers is processed and chemically supplemented to have a longer shelf life. Also leaving a large void in the nutrition is the bun. Most buns used in fast food are made from bleached, non-enriched flour, and are completely devoid of whole grains and complex carbohydrates

Bacon Cheeseburger (211 grams)
595 calories (299 from fat)
33g fat (51% DV), 13g Sat fat (65% DV), 2g Trans Fat
105 mg Cholesterol (35% DV)
1422 mg Sodium (59% DV)
40 g Total Carbs


Now on to the ultimate fast-food side dish: the large order of French fries. At least this item starts out healthy. First, a large potato is sliced into strips. That’s the healthy part. Everything that follows… not so much. After being battered, fried in oil, and covered in salt, pretty much anything healthy about the French fry has been utterly destroyed.

Large French Fry, Fried in Vegetable Oil
539 Calories (259 from fat)
29g Fat (44% DV)
7g Sat Fat (34% DV)
7g Trans Fat
328 mg Sodium (14% DV)
63 Total Carbohydrate (6g Fiber)


To top it off, the quintessential hot fudge sundae. Offered in many forms by many restaurants, this one is actually pretty small and tame at 158g. Potent in sugars and saturated fats, ice cream is generally a food best enjoyed in moderation, especially when that ice cream is covered in toppings even richer in fats and sugars, like hot fudge, caramel, or marshmallow.

Hot Fudge Sundae
284 Calories (76 from fat)
9g Fat (13% DV)
5g Sat Fat (25% DV)
21 mg Cholesterol (7% DV)
182mg Sodium (8%)
48g Total Carbs
If you are successful in finishing the meal from hell, you have achieved quite a feat. In total, the MFH packs a 1,700 Calorie punch. Of the 71 grams of fat ingested (108% the suggested daily), a hearty 25g of them were saturated, putting the consumer at 124% their daily suggested intake for saturated fats. This meal also contains 42% of daily limit for cholesterol as well. Additionally, the 1932 mg of sodium consumed just blew 81% of that daily allotment as well. With a little help from Mountain Dew, the final carbohydrate count rests firmly at 228g, most of which came from simple sugars. This is by no means the worst of the worst. I have seen burgers with 6 strips of bacon, 3 beef patties, and 3 slices of cheese. They even have burgers covered in onion rings and melted cheese sauce. This is actually a fairly average fast food meal. Hopefully this was an eye-opener to those who eat fast food frequently. Regardless of what physical condition the consumer is in, it is never a good idea to eat food like this frequently, if ever. Next time you are on the road and looking for a quick meal, try a supermarket salad or a leaner offering on a fast food menu. Many franchises are now offering nutritional information on their menu items. Don’t order it unless you know the facts! Otherwise you could end up eating your own Meal from Hell!!!

[deepsouth]

Tweeteven as bad as it is- gotta admit- makes my mouth water-LOL

[Dzone]

TweetYummy...LOL

[Doink the clown]

Tweetdelectable