Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Fast Food Trivia - Which is the lowest in calories: Answers

Last week's blog featured a quiz created by Kelly White MS, RD, CSSD, LD. This week, check the answers below to see how well you did!

Kelly is a clinical, sports and wellness dietitian. Feel free to contact her directly at kwhitenutrition@gmail.com

Be Extraordinary,


RDKate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How did you do?!
Which of the two choices has the most calories? Higher-calorie option is underlined; calorie totals follow.
Fast Food

1. Big Mac from McDonalds vs. Subway 12-inch Italian BMT sandwich: 600 vs. 900

2. Burger King Chicken Club Salad with Tendercrisp Chicken vs. Burger King Bacon Cheeseburger: 480 vs. 360

3. 2 McDonalds Quarter Pounders vs. Large McDonalds Chocolate Shake: 820 vs. 1160

4. Quiznos Chicken Bourbon Sandwich vs. Quiznos Classic Italian Sandwich: 320 vs. 950

5. Taco Bell Taco Salad vs. Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Steak Gordita: 840 vs. 270

Ice Cream/Beverages

1. Small Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty vs.Small Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard: 310 vs. 570

2. Starbucks Small Coffee Frappuccino vs. McDonald’s Medium Coke: 180 vs. 210

3. Sonic Tropical Fruit Smoothie vs. Smoothie King Strawberry Smoothie: 500 vs. 380

4. Coldstone Medium Chocolate Ice Cream vs. McDonalds Vanilla Ice Cream Cone: 520 vs. 150 

5. Starbucks Café Americano vs.Starbucks Medium Hot Chocolate with whipped cream: 450 vs. 30


Restaurants

1.Ruby Tuesday’s Kids Meal Macaroni and Cheese vs. Pizza Hut one slice of Thin n’ Crispy Pizza: 900 vs. 230

2. Chili’s Cheese Fries vs. Outback’s Bloomin Onion: 2070 vs. 1700

3.Chili’s NY Strip Steak vs. Chili’s Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken: 790 vs. 1010

4. Red Lobster's Cajun Chicken Linguini vs. Applebee's Chicken Wings (12 ct): 1828 vs. 1545

5. Applebee's Honey Grilled Salmon dinner vs. Chili's Chicken Caesar Pita: 555 vs. 650


Of course many of these foods are okay in moderation, but you can see how eating out day after day can add to your waistline.There are many meals and beverages restaurants offers that are lower in calories and more nutritious.  Remember to plan ahead and look up foods before you go out to eat!

 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

As the holidays approach, be aware of your fast food splurges

The holidays are quickly approaching. As many of us expect to take in quite a few calories from holiday parties and gatherings, it becomes especially important to be cognizant of what we eat before we get to those parties. Lack of time and high stress often leads to an increase in fast food intake during the season. This week, enjoy a guest blog by Kelly White MS, RD, CSSD, LD, who will test your fast food nutrition knowledge to help you prepare and stay on track during the next couple of months! Kelly is a clinical, sports and wellness dietitian. Feel free to contact her directly at kwhitenutrition@gmail.com
 
Be Extraordinary,
 
 
RDKate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eating out can be healthy, but one meal can also provide one half to all of your total calorie needs for the day.  Even if you are athletic and burn a lot of calories, some of these foods can STILL take up to ½ of your total calorie needs for the day.  Many foods listed below may seem like a decent choice (well, not that many of them), but you will be amazed at the total calorie amounts they provide!   If you are a very busy person, and eat out a lot, take advantage of the Apps on your phone, or use www.calorieking.com to look up food items in your favourite restaurants.   

Take this quiz to see how much you know about fast food meals and beverages!    Below you will see three categories:  Fast food, Ice Cream/Beverages, and Restaurants.  Which of the two choices has the most calories?
 
Fast Food
1.  Big Mac from McDonalds   vs.       Subway 12-inch Italian BMT sandwich
2. Burger King Chicken Club Salad with Tendercrisp Chicken   vs.      Burger King Bacon Cheeseburger
3. 2 McDonalds Quarter Pounders    vs.   Large McDonalds Chocolate Shake
4. Quiznos Chicken Bourbon Sandwich    vs.     Quiznos Classic Italian Sandwich
5. Taco Bell Taco Salad    vs.     Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Steak Gordita
 
Ice Cream/Beverages
 
1. Small Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty   vs. Small Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard
2. Starbucks Small Coffee Frappuccino vs. McDonald’s Medium Coke
3. Sonic Tropical Fruit Smoothie vs. Smoothie King Strawberry Smoothie
4. Coldstone Medium Chocolate Ice Cream vs. McDonalds Vanilla Ice Cream Cone
5. Starbucks Café Americano vs. Starbucks Medium Hot Chocolate with whipped cream
 
Restaurants
 
1. Ruby Tuesday’s Kids Meal Macaroni and Cheese  vs. Pizza Hut one slice of Thin n’ Crispy Pizza
2. Chili’s Cheese Fries  vs. Outback’s Bloomin Onion
3. Chili’s NY Strip Steak vs. Chili’s Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
4. Red Lobster's Cajun Chicken Linguini vs. Applebee's Chicken Wings (12 ct)
 
5. Applebee's Honey Grilled Salmon dinner vs. Chili's Chicken Caesar Pita
 
 
Come back next week to see the answers!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

How to Reduce Added Sugars Today!

Last week I discussed ways to find those sneaky added sugars that creep into your favorite foods when you least realize. So once you have identified them, what are some easy swaps and substitutes to help you cut them out and not feel deprived? Here are few ideas to reduce the added sugar in your diet!

1. Cut out regular sodas. Diet soda is still the best option between the two.

2. Choose canned fruit in it's own juice or light syrup (not heavy!). And don't drink the syrup...

3. Instead of desserts like cookies, ice cream or cake, try fresh fruit with a small amount of whip cream on top.

4. Be careful choosing breakfast cereals. Use the tools you learned last week to find the cereals that are the lowest in added sugars. Sugary, frosted cereals are just as bad as cookies and cakes.

5. Opt in to drinking more water or milk and less fruit juice/drinks. Even though 100% fruit juice has lots of great nutrients, like pop or fruit drinks calories add up quickly. So, limit yourself to 1/2 cup fruit juice daily.

6. Monitor your intake candy, sugary gum or other sweets. These are not only bad for your waistline, but bad for your heart, pancreas and teeth - to name a few!

7. Beware of added sugars in condiments such as ketchup or salad dressings. Sauces such as spaghetti or pizza sauce often contain sugars as well. Try making your own!

8. Limit sugar-sweetened teas and coffee drinks with flavored syrups. Many syrups are now available in sugar-free varieties. If you must have regular, try asking for half the number of pumps of syrup; I bet you will be just as satisfied with the resulting flavor!

9. Instead of donuts and rolls, snacks on fruits, veggies, low-fat cheese, whole-grain crackers (such as Triscuits) and low-fat/low-calorie yogurt (many have LOTS of added sugar).

10. Watch for sugar in other drinks such as sports drinks and energy drinks. Sports drinks are only meant to be used during an intense level of activity. I don't ever recommend my athletes drink them outside of this (even top-level athletes). Sports drinks are not a good fluid option at meals or to sip on during the day.

My advice: Pick 2 of the above ideas and implement them for 1-2 weeks. Once you have got them down, add a couple more each week or so. Implementing all 10 ideas can be overwhelming and unsatisfying. So take it slow and steady so that the changes you make are changes that stay.

Be Extraordinary,


RDKate