Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
20 Worst Drinks in America 2010
20. Worst Water
Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
150 calories
0 g fat
33 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars
While “Worst Water” may sound like an oxymoron, the devious
minds in the bottled beverage industry have even found a way to
besmirch the sterling reputation of the world’s most essential
compound. Sure, you may get a few extra vitamins, but ultimately,
you’re paying a premium price for gussied-up sugar water. Next
time you buy a bottle of water, check the recipe: You want two parts
hydrogen, one part oxygen, and very little else.
19. Worst Bottled Tea
SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
240 calories
0 g fat
61 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 4 slices Sara Lee Cherry Pie
Leave it to SoBe to take an otherwise healthy bottle of tea and
inject it with enough sugar to turn it into dessert. The Pepsiowned
company’s flagship line, composed of 11 flavors with
names like “Nirvana” and “Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir,” is
marketed to give consumers the impression that it can cleanse
the body, mind, and spirit. Don’t be fooled. Just like this bottle of
green tea, all of these beverages are made with two primary
ingredients: water and sugar.
18. Worst Energy Drink
Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz)
280 calories
0 g fat
62 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts
None of the energy provided by these full-sugar drinks could ever
justify the caloric load, but Rockstar’s take is especially frightening.
One can provides nearly as much sugar as half a box of Nilla
Wafers. In fact, it has 60 more calories than the same amount of
Red Bull and 80 more than a can of Monster. If you’re going to
guzzle, better choose one of the low-cal options. We like Monster;
it offers all the caffeine and B vitamins with just enough sugar to
cut through the funky extracts.
17. Worst Bottled Coffee
Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz)
290 calories
4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
45 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 32 Nilla Wafers
With an unreasonable number of calorie landmines
peppered across Starbucks’ in-store menu, you’d think the
company would want to use its grocery line to restore faith in
its ability to provide caffeine without testing the limits of your
belt buckle. Guess not. This drink has been on our radar for
years, and we still haven’t managed to find a bottled coffee
with more sugar. Consider this—along with Starbucks’
miniature Espresso and Cream Doubleshot—your worst
option for a morning pickup.
16. Worst Soda
Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
320 calories
0 g fat
84 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches
Wait . . . but aren’t all sodas equally terrible? It’s true they all
earn 100 percent of their calories from sugar, but that doesn’t
mean there aren’t still varying levels of atrocity. Despite the
perception of healthfulness, fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar
than their cola counterparts, and none make that more apparent
than the tooth-achingly sweet Sunkist. But what seals the orange
soda’s fate on our list of worsts is its reliance on the artificial
colors yellow 6 and red 40—two chemicals that may be linked to
behavioral and concentration problems in children.
15. Worst Beer
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz)
330 calories
0 g fat
32.1 g carbohydrates
9.6% alcohol
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 12-pack of Michelob Ultra
Most beers carry fewer than 175 calories, but even your average
extra-heady brew rarely eclipses 250. That makes Sierra’s Bigfoot
the undisputed beast of the beer jungle. Granted, the alcohol itself
provides most of the calories, but it’s the extra heft of carbohydrates
that helps stuff nearly 2,000 calories into each six-pack. For
comparison, Budweiser has 10.6 grams of carbs, Blue Moon has 13,
and Guinness Draught has 10. Let’s hope the appearance of this gutinducing
guzzler in your fridge is as rare as encounters with the
fabled beast himself.
14. Worst Kids' Drink
Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
340 calories
0 g fat
60 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: Two 7-ounce canisters Reddi-wip
Don’t let Tropicana’s reputation for unadulterated OJ lead you to
believe that the company is capable of doing no wrong. As a
Pepsi subsidiary, it’s inevitable that they’ll occasionally delve
into soda-like territory. The Twister line is just that: a drink with
10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar laced with a glut of
artificial flavors and coloring. You could actually save 200
calories by choosing a can of Pepsi instead.
13. Worst Functional Beverage
Arizona Rx Energy (1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories
0 g fat
83 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts
Obviously Arizona took great pains in making sure this can came
out looking like something you’d find in a pharmacy. But if your
pharmacist ever tries to sell you this much sugar, he should have
his license revoked. And if it’s energy you’re after, this isn’t your
best vehicle. Caffeine is the only compound in the bottle that’s
been proven to provide energy, and the amount found within is
about what you'd get from a weak cup of coffee.
12. Worst Juice Imposter
Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories
0 g fat
81 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 7 bowls of Froot Loops
The twisted minds at the Arizona factory outdid themselves with
this nefarious concoction, a can the size of a bazooka loaded
with enough of the sweet stuff to blast your belly with 42 sugar
cubes. The most disturbing part isn’t that it masks itself as some
sort of healthy juice product (after all, hundreds of products are
guilty of the same crime), but that this behemoth serving size
costs just $.99, making its contents some of the cheapest
calories we’ve ever stumbled across.
11. Worst Espresso Drink
Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)
660 calories
22 g fat (15 g saturated)
95 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich
and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream
Hopefully this will dispel any lingering fragments of the
“health halo” that still exists in coffee shops—that misguided
belief that espresso-based beverages can’t do much
damage. In this 20-ounce cup, Starbucks manages to pack
in more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deepdish
sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. That
makes it the equivalent of dinner and dessert disguised as a
cup of coffee. If you want a treat, look to Starbucks’ supply
of sugar-free syrups; if you want a caffeine buzz, stick to the
regular joe, an Americano, or a cappuccino.
10. Worst Lemonade
Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz)
470 calories
0 g fat
110 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 11 bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal
There is no such thing as healthy lemonade, but Auntie’s line of
Lemonade Mixers takes the concept of hyper-sweetened juice and
stretches it to dangerous new levels. See, sugar digests faster
than good-for-you nutrients like protein and fiber, which means it’s
in your blood almost immediately after you swallow it. Drinking the
3 or 4 days’ worth of added sugar found here jacks your blood
sugar and results in strain to your kidneys, the creation of new fat
molecules, and the desire to eat more. Ouch.
9. Worst Hot Chocolate
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
(venti, 20 fl oz)
520 calories
16 g fat (11 g saturated)
75 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
See that stack of Rice Krispie Treats? It’s just three treats shy of
two full boxes. Unless you were a contestant on Fear Factor—
and there was a sizeable monetary prize on the line—you’d
never even consider noshing down that much sugar at once. But
here’s what’s interesting: While that stack is the sugar
counterpart to this atrocity from Starbucks, it still has 40 percent
less saturated fat. Makes us wonder what’s going on in the hot
chocolate. Stick to beverages with single-flavor profiles instead of
pile-on recipes like this and you’ll fare better every time.
8. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink
Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz)
870 calories
24 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)
112 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts
Coffee-dessert hybrids are among the worst breed of beverages.
This one delivers 1 gram of fat and 4.6 grams of sugar in every
ounce, making even Starbucks’ over-the-top line of Frappuccinos
look like decent options. Maybe that’s why DQ decided to give it a
name that alludes to the animal it promises to turn you into. If you
can bring yourself to skip DQ and head to a coffee shop instead,
order a large iced latte with a couple shots of flavored syrup and
save some 600 calories. But if you’re stuck where you are, you’re
better off pairing a small treat with a regular cup of joe.
7. Worst Margarita
Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita (24 fl oz)
890 calories
0 g fat
183 g carbohydrates
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 7 Almond Joy candy bars
Of all the egregious beverages we’ve analyzed, the Lobsterita
surprised us the most. The nation’s biggest fish purveyor is one
of the few big players in the restaurant biz to provide its
customers with a wide selection of truly healthy food options. We
would hope they’d do the same with the beverages, but obviously
not. Drink one of these every Friday night and you’ll put on more
than a pound of flab each month. Downgrade to a regular
margarita on the rocks and pocket the remaining 640 calories.
6. Worst Float
Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda (vanilla ice cream and cola)
(large, 28.6 fl oz)
960 calories
40 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
136 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9.7 Fudgsicle fudge bars
Done right, an ice cream float can be a decent route to indulgence.
Go to A&W and you’ll land a medium for fewer than 400 calories.
Order it with diet soda and you’ve dropped below 200 calories. So
why can’t Baskin-Robbins make even a small float with fewer than
470 calories? Because apparently the chain approaches the art of
beverage-crafting as a challenge to squeeze in as much fat and sugar
as possible. Whatever you order, plan on splitting it with a friend.
5. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink
Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)
980 calories
40 g fat (36 g saturated)
115 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 16 medium-size chocolate eclairs
Imagine taking a regular can of soda, pouring in 18 extra
teaspoons of sugar, and then swirling in half a cup of heavy
cream. Nutritionally speaking, that’s exactly what this is, which is
how it manages to marry nearly 2 days’ worth of saturated fat
with enough sugar to leave you with a serious sucrose hangover.
Do your heart a favor and avoid any of Krispy Kreme’s “Kremey”
beverages. The basic Chillers aren’t the safest of sippables
either, but they’ll save you up to 880 calories.
4. Worst Frozen Mocha
Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)
1,210 calories
19 g fat (10 g saturated)
240 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 41 Oreo Cookies
A frozen mocha will never be a stellar option, but we’ve still never
come across anything that competes with this cookie-coffeemilkshake
hybrid from Così. Essentially it’s a mocha Blizzard
made with Oreo cookies and topped with whipped cream and an
oversize Oreo. The result is a beverage with more calories than
two Big Macs and more sugar than any other drink in America.
3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake
McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)
1,160 calories
27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans)
168 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot Apple Pies
There are very few milk shakes in America worthy of your
hard-earned calories, but few will punish you as thoroughly as
this Mickey D’s drive-thru disaster. Not only does it have more
than half your day’s caloric and saturated fat allotment and
more sugar than you’d find in Willy Wonka’s candy lab, but
Ronald even finds a way to sneak in a full day of cholesterolspiking
trans fat. The scariest part about this drink is that it’s
most likely America’s most popular milk shake.
2. Worst Smoothie
Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)
1,498 calories
44 g fat (8 g saturated)
214 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
If Smoothie King wants someone to blame for landing this high on our
worst beverages roundup (and truth be told, its entire menu is riddled
with contenders), the chain should point the smoothie straw at
whichever executive came up with the cup-sizing structure. Sending
someone out the door with a 40-ounce cup should be a criminal offense.
Who really needs a third of a gallon of sweetened peanut butter blended
with grape juice, milk, and bananas? Sugar-and-fat-loaded smoothies
like this should be served from 12-ounce cups, not mini kegs.
1. Worst Beverage in America
Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz)
2,010 calories
131 g fat (68 g saturated)
153 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies
In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like
slurping up 68 strips of bacon. Health experts recommend capping
your saturated fat intake at about 20 grams per day, yet this
beverage packs more than three times that into a cup the size of a
Chipotle burrito. But here’s what’s worse: No regular shake at Cold
Stone, no matter what the size, has fewer than 1,000 calories. If
you must drink your ice cream, make it one of the creamery’s
“Sinless” options. Otherwise you’d better plan on buying some
bigger pants on the way home.
Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
150 calories
0 g fat
33 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars
While “Worst Water” may sound like an oxymoron, the devious
minds in the bottled beverage industry have even found a way to
besmirch the sterling reputation of the world’s most essential
compound. Sure, you may get a few extra vitamins, but ultimately,
you’re paying a premium price for gussied-up sugar water. Next
time you buy a bottle of water, check the recipe: You want two parts
hydrogen, one part oxygen, and very little else.
19. Worst Bottled Tea
SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
240 calories
0 g fat
61 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 4 slices Sara Lee Cherry Pie
Leave it to SoBe to take an otherwise healthy bottle of tea and
inject it with enough sugar to turn it into dessert. The Pepsiowned
company’s flagship line, composed of 11 flavors with
names like “Nirvana” and “Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir,” is
marketed to give consumers the impression that it can cleanse
the body, mind, and spirit. Don’t be fooled. Just like this bottle of
green tea, all of these beverages are made with two primary
ingredients: water and sugar.
18. Worst Energy Drink
Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz)
280 calories
0 g fat
62 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts
None of the energy provided by these full-sugar drinks could ever
justify the caloric load, but Rockstar’s take is especially frightening.
One can provides nearly as much sugar as half a box of Nilla
Wafers. In fact, it has 60 more calories than the same amount of
Red Bull and 80 more than a can of Monster. If you’re going to
guzzle, better choose one of the low-cal options. We like Monster;
it offers all the caffeine and B vitamins with just enough sugar to
cut through the funky extracts.
17. Worst Bottled Coffee
Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz)
290 calories
4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
45 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 32 Nilla Wafers
With an unreasonable number of calorie landmines
peppered across Starbucks’ in-store menu, you’d think the
company would want to use its grocery line to restore faith in
its ability to provide caffeine without testing the limits of your
belt buckle. Guess not. This drink has been on our radar for
years, and we still haven’t managed to find a bottled coffee
with more sugar. Consider this—along with Starbucks’
miniature Espresso and Cream Doubleshot—your worst
option for a morning pickup.
16. Worst Soda
Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
320 calories
0 g fat
84 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches
Wait . . . but aren’t all sodas equally terrible? It’s true they all
earn 100 percent of their calories from sugar, but that doesn’t
mean there aren’t still varying levels of atrocity. Despite the
perception of healthfulness, fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar
than their cola counterparts, and none make that more apparent
than the tooth-achingly sweet Sunkist. But what seals the orange
soda’s fate on our list of worsts is its reliance on the artificial
colors yellow 6 and red 40—two chemicals that may be linked to
behavioral and concentration problems in children.
15. Worst Beer
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz)
330 calories
0 g fat
32.1 g carbohydrates
9.6% alcohol
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 12-pack of Michelob Ultra
Most beers carry fewer than 175 calories, but even your average
extra-heady brew rarely eclipses 250. That makes Sierra’s Bigfoot
the undisputed beast of the beer jungle. Granted, the alcohol itself
provides most of the calories, but it’s the extra heft of carbohydrates
that helps stuff nearly 2,000 calories into each six-pack. For
comparison, Budweiser has 10.6 grams of carbs, Blue Moon has 13,
and Guinness Draught has 10. Let’s hope the appearance of this gutinducing
guzzler in your fridge is as rare as encounters with the
fabled beast himself.
14. Worst Kids' Drink
Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
340 calories
0 g fat
60 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: Two 7-ounce canisters Reddi-wip
Don’t let Tropicana’s reputation for unadulterated OJ lead you to
believe that the company is capable of doing no wrong. As a
Pepsi subsidiary, it’s inevitable that they’ll occasionally delve
into soda-like territory. The Twister line is just that: a drink with
10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar laced with a glut of
artificial flavors and coloring. You could actually save 200
calories by choosing a can of Pepsi instead.
13. Worst Functional Beverage
Arizona Rx Energy (1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories
0 g fat
83 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts
Obviously Arizona took great pains in making sure this can came
out looking like something you’d find in a pharmacy. But if your
pharmacist ever tries to sell you this much sugar, he should have
his license revoked. And if it’s energy you’re after, this isn’t your
best vehicle. Caffeine is the only compound in the bottle that’s
been proven to provide energy, and the amount found within is
about what you'd get from a weak cup of coffee.
12. Worst Juice Imposter
Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories
0 g fat
81 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 7 bowls of Froot Loops
The twisted minds at the Arizona factory outdid themselves with
this nefarious concoction, a can the size of a bazooka loaded
with enough of the sweet stuff to blast your belly with 42 sugar
cubes. The most disturbing part isn’t that it masks itself as some
sort of healthy juice product (after all, hundreds of products are
guilty of the same crime), but that this behemoth serving size
costs just $.99, making its contents some of the cheapest
calories we’ve ever stumbled across.
11. Worst Espresso Drink
Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)
660 calories
22 g fat (15 g saturated)
95 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich
and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream
Hopefully this will dispel any lingering fragments of the
“health halo” that still exists in coffee shops—that misguided
belief that espresso-based beverages can’t do much
damage. In this 20-ounce cup, Starbucks manages to pack
in more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deepdish
sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. That
makes it the equivalent of dinner and dessert disguised as a
cup of coffee. If you want a treat, look to Starbucks’ supply
of sugar-free syrups; if you want a caffeine buzz, stick to the
regular joe, an Americano, or a cappuccino.
10. Worst Lemonade
Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz)
470 calories
0 g fat
110 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 11 bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal
There is no such thing as healthy lemonade, but Auntie’s line of
Lemonade Mixers takes the concept of hyper-sweetened juice and
stretches it to dangerous new levels. See, sugar digests faster
than good-for-you nutrients like protein and fiber, which means it’s
in your blood almost immediately after you swallow it. Drinking the
3 or 4 days’ worth of added sugar found here jacks your blood
sugar and results in strain to your kidneys, the creation of new fat
molecules, and the desire to eat more. Ouch.
9. Worst Hot Chocolate
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
(venti, 20 fl oz)
520 calories
16 g fat (11 g saturated)
75 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
See that stack of Rice Krispie Treats? It’s just three treats shy of
two full boxes. Unless you were a contestant on Fear Factor—
and there was a sizeable monetary prize on the line—you’d
never even consider noshing down that much sugar at once. But
here’s what’s interesting: While that stack is the sugar
counterpart to this atrocity from Starbucks, it still has 40 percent
less saturated fat. Makes us wonder what’s going on in the hot
chocolate. Stick to beverages with single-flavor profiles instead of
pile-on recipes like this and you’ll fare better every time.
8. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink
Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz)
870 calories
24 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)
112 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts
Coffee-dessert hybrids are among the worst breed of beverages.
This one delivers 1 gram of fat and 4.6 grams of sugar in every
ounce, making even Starbucks’ over-the-top line of Frappuccinos
look like decent options. Maybe that’s why DQ decided to give it a
name that alludes to the animal it promises to turn you into. If you
can bring yourself to skip DQ and head to a coffee shop instead,
order a large iced latte with a couple shots of flavored syrup and
save some 600 calories. But if you’re stuck where you are, you’re
better off pairing a small treat with a regular cup of joe.
7. Worst Margarita
Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita (24 fl oz)
890 calories
0 g fat
183 g carbohydrates
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 7 Almond Joy candy bars
Of all the egregious beverages we’ve analyzed, the Lobsterita
surprised us the most. The nation’s biggest fish purveyor is one
of the few big players in the restaurant biz to provide its
customers with a wide selection of truly healthy food options. We
would hope they’d do the same with the beverages, but obviously
not. Drink one of these every Friday night and you’ll put on more
than a pound of flab each month. Downgrade to a regular
margarita on the rocks and pocket the remaining 640 calories.
6. Worst Float
Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda (vanilla ice cream and cola)
(large, 28.6 fl oz)
960 calories
40 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
136 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9.7 Fudgsicle fudge bars
Done right, an ice cream float can be a decent route to indulgence.
Go to A&W and you’ll land a medium for fewer than 400 calories.
Order it with diet soda and you’ve dropped below 200 calories. So
why can’t Baskin-Robbins make even a small float with fewer than
470 calories? Because apparently the chain approaches the art of
beverage-crafting as a challenge to squeeze in as much fat and sugar
as possible. Whatever you order, plan on splitting it with a friend.
5. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink
Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)
980 calories
40 g fat (36 g saturated)
115 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 16 medium-size chocolate eclairs
Imagine taking a regular can of soda, pouring in 18 extra
teaspoons of sugar, and then swirling in half a cup of heavy
cream. Nutritionally speaking, that’s exactly what this is, which is
how it manages to marry nearly 2 days’ worth of saturated fat
with enough sugar to leave you with a serious sucrose hangover.
Do your heart a favor and avoid any of Krispy Kreme’s “Kremey”
beverages. The basic Chillers aren’t the safest of sippables
either, but they’ll save you up to 880 calories.
4. Worst Frozen Mocha
Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)
1,210 calories
19 g fat (10 g saturated)
240 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 41 Oreo Cookies
A frozen mocha will never be a stellar option, but we’ve still never
come across anything that competes with this cookie-coffeemilkshake
hybrid from Così. Essentially it’s a mocha Blizzard
made with Oreo cookies and topped with whipped cream and an
oversize Oreo. The result is a beverage with more calories than
two Big Macs and more sugar than any other drink in America.
3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake
McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)
1,160 calories
27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans)
168 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot Apple Pies
There are very few milk shakes in America worthy of your
hard-earned calories, but few will punish you as thoroughly as
this Mickey D’s drive-thru disaster. Not only does it have more
than half your day’s caloric and saturated fat allotment and
more sugar than you’d find in Willy Wonka’s candy lab, but
Ronald even finds a way to sneak in a full day of cholesterolspiking
trans fat. The scariest part about this drink is that it’s
most likely America’s most popular milk shake.
2. Worst Smoothie
Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)
1,498 calories
44 g fat (8 g saturated)
214 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
If Smoothie King wants someone to blame for landing this high on our
worst beverages roundup (and truth be told, its entire menu is riddled
with contenders), the chain should point the smoothie straw at
whichever executive came up with the cup-sizing structure. Sending
someone out the door with a 40-ounce cup should be a criminal offense.
Who really needs a third of a gallon of sweetened peanut butter blended
with grape juice, milk, and bananas? Sugar-and-fat-loaded smoothies
like this should be served from 12-ounce cups, not mini kegs.
1. Worst Beverage in America
Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz)
2,010 calories
131 g fat (68 g saturated)
153 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies
In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like
slurping up 68 strips of bacon. Health experts recommend capping
your saturated fat intake at about 20 grams per day, yet this
beverage packs more than three times that into a cup the size of a
Chipotle burrito. But here’s what’s worse: No regular shake at Cold
Stone, no matter what the size, has fewer than 1,000 calories. If
you must drink your ice cream, make it one of the creamery’s
“Sinless” options. Otherwise you’d better plan on buying some
bigger pants on the way home.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Why you should exercise
Any listing of the medical problems and health-related conditions that can be at least partially treated and controlled by exercise would be extensive. Among the most significant of these health concerns and the manner in which exercise is thought to help alleviate each condition are the following:
• Allergies. Exercise is one of the body's most efficient ways to control nasal congestion (and the accompanying discomfort of restricted nasal blood flow).
• Angina. Regular aerobic exercise dilates vessels, increasing blood flow— thereby improving your body's ability to extract oxygen from the bloodstream.
• Anxiety. Exercise triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals in the brain.
• Arthritis. By forcing a skeletal joint to move, exercise induces the manufacture of synovial fluid and helps to distribute it over the cartilage and to force it to circulate throughout the joint space.
• Back Pain. Exercise helps to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and the lower back extensor muscles and stretch the hamstring muscles.
• Bursitis and Tendonitis. Exercise can strengthen the tendons— enabling them to handle greater loads without being injured.
• Cancer. Exercise helps you maintain your ideal body weight and helps keep your level of body fat to a minimum.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Exercise helps build up the muscles in your wrists and forearms— thereby reducing the stress on your arms, elbows, and hands.
• Cholesterol. Exercise will raise your level of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) in the blood and help lower your level of LDL— the undesirable lipoprotein.
• Constipation. Exercise helps strengthen the abdominal muscles, thereby making it easier to pass a stool.
• Depression. Exercise helps speed metabolism and deliver more oxygen to the brain; the improved level of circulation in the brain tends to enhance your mood.
• Diabetes. Exercise helps lower excess blood sugar levels, strengthen your muscles and heart, improve your circulation, and reduce stress.
• Fatigue. Exercise can help alleviate the fatigue-causing effects of stress, poor circulation and blood oxygenation, bad posture, and poor breathing habits.
• Glaucoma. Exercise helps relieve intraocular hypertension— the pressure buildup on the eyeball that heralds the onset of glaucoma.
• Headaches. Exercise helps force the brain to secrete more of the body's opiate-like, pain-dampening chemicals (e.g., endorphins and enkephalins).
• Heart Disease. Exercise helps promote many changes that collectively lower your risk of heart disease— a decrease in body fat, a decrease in LDL, an increase in the efficiency of the heart and lungs, a decrease in blood pressure, and a lowered heart rate.
• High Blood Pressure. Exercise reduces the level of stress-related chemicals in the bloodstream that constrict arteries and veins, increases the release of endorphins, raises the level of HDL in the bloodstream, lowers your resting heart rate (over time), improves the responsiveness of your blood vessels (over time), and helps reduce your blood pressure by keeping you leaner.
• Insomnia. Exercise helps reduce muscular tension and stress.
• Intermittent Claudication. Exercise helps improve peripheral circulation and increase your ability to tolerate pain.
• Knee Problems. Exercise helps strengthen the structures attendant to the knee— muscles, tendons, and ligaments— thereby facilitating the ability of the knee to withstand stress.
• Lung Disease. Exercise helps strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and helps boost the oxygen level in your blood.
• Memory Problems. Exercise helps to improve your cognitive ability by increasing the blood and oxygen flow to your brain.
• Menstrual Problems and PMS. Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances often associated with PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.
• Osteoporosis. Exercise promotes bone density— thereby lowering an individual's risk of suffering a bone fracture.
• Overweight Problems. Exercise suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolic rate, burns fat, increases lean muscle mass, and improves your level of self-esteem.
• Varicose Veins. Exercise can help control the level of discomfort caused by existing varicose veins and help you prevent getting any additional varicose veins
Are the positive effects that result from exercising regularly worth the required effort? Absolutely. Should you make exercise an integral part of your daily regimen? Of course, you should.
• Allergies. Exercise is one of the body's most efficient ways to control nasal congestion (and the accompanying discomfort of restricted nasal blood flow).
• Angina. Regular aerobic exercise dilates vessels, increasing blood flow— thereby improving your body's ability to extract oxygen from the bloodstream.
• Anxiety. Exercise triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals in the brain.
• Arthritis. By forcing a skeletal joint to move, exercise induces the manufacture of synovial fluid and helps to distribute it over the cartilage and to force it to circulate throughout the joint space.
• Back Pain. Exercise helps to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and the lower back extensor muscles and stretch the hamstring muscles.
• Bursitis and Tendonitis. Exercise can strengthen the tendons— enabling them to handle greater loads without being injured.
• Cancer. Exercise helps you maintain your ideal body weight and helps keep your level of body fat to a minimum.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Exercise helps build up the muscles in your wrists and forearms— thereby reducing the stress on your arms, elbows, and hands.
• Cholesterol. Exercise will raise your level of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) in the blood and help lower your level of LDL— the undesirable lipoprotein.
• Constipation. Exercise helps strengthen the abdominal muscles, thereby making it easier to pass a stool.
• Depression. Exercise helps speed metabolism and deliver more oxygen to the brain; the improved level of circulation in the brain tends to enhance your mood.
• Diabetes. Exercise helps lower excess blood sugar levels, strengthen your muscles and heart, improve your circulation, and reduce stress.
• Fatigue. Exercise can help alleviate the fatigue-causing effects of stress, poor circulation and blood oxygenation, bad posture, and poor breathing habits.
• Glaucoma. Exercise helps relieve intraocular hypertension— the pressure buildup on the eyeball that heralds the onset of glaucoma.
• Headaches. Exercise helps force the brain to secrete more of the body's opiate-like, pain-dampening chemicals (e.g., endorphins and enkephalins).
• Heart Disease. Exercise helps promote many changes that collectively lower your risk of heart disease— a decrease in body fat, a decrease in LDL, an increase in the efficiency of the heart and lungs, a decrease in blood pressure, and a lowered heart rate.
• High Blood Pressure. Exercise reduces the level of stress-related chemicals in the bloodstream that constrict arteries and veins, increases the release of endorphins, raises the level of HDL in the bloodstream, lowers your resting heart rate (over time), improves the responsiveness of your blood vessels (over time), and helps reduce your blood pressure by keeping you leaner.
• Insomnia. Exercise helps reduce muscular tension and stress.
• Intermittent Claudication. Exercise helps improve peripheral circulation and increase your ability to tolerate pain.
• Knee Problems. Exercise helps strengthen the structures attendant to the knee— muscles, tendons, and ligaments— thereby facilitating the ability of the knee to withstand stress.
• Lung Disease. Exercise helps strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and helps boost the oxygen level in your blood.
• Memory Problems. Exercise helps to improve your cognitive ability by increasing the blood and oxygen flow to your brain.
• Menstrual Problems and PMS. Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances often associated with PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.
• Osteoporosis. Exercise promotes bone density— thereby lowering an individual's risk of suffering a bone fracture.
• Overweight Problems. Exercise suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolic rate, burns fat, increases lean muscle mass, and improves your level of self-esteem.
• Varicose Veins. Exercise can help control the level of discomfort caused by existing varicose veins and help you prevent getting any additional varicose veins
Are the positive effects that result from exercising regularly worth the required effort? Absolutely. Should you make exercise an integral part of your daily regimen? Of course, you should.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Importance of Drinking Enough Water
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is
often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is
often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
Your Metabolism
Making the Most of your Metabolism
Metabolism -- what is it and why is it so important? Simply put, your metabolism is the total amount of energy your body needs and uses for all its daily activities. The faster your metabolism, the faster you'll burn calories. The more efficiently you burn calories, the easier it is to lose and maintain weight.
Okay, so how can you increase your metabolism?
Exercise. Working out is the best way to raise your metabolism! During activity, your body demands more energy. Therefore, your metabolism is temporarily increased to meet those demands. Cardio activities also help keep your metabolism elevated for several hours afterwards which also increases the number of calories burned.
Strength Train. Strength training helps increase the percentage of lean muscle mass. Building muscle will permanently increase your metabolic rate by helping your body work more efficiently. That means that you'll burn more calories in a shorter amount of time during any activity and at rest. Traditional weight training and Pilates are both great options.
Eat. This may sound contradictory, but it's true - you have to eat (healthy of course)! First of all, always eat breakfast. Eating breakfast helps jump start your metabolism for the day. Secondly, eat five to six smaller meals a day as opposed to a big breakfast, lunch and dinner. This will help your metabolism remain in constant working mode. Finally, no crash dieting! Skipping meals and crash dieting brings your metabolism to a screeching halt. When you greatly restrict calories, your body wants to conserve energy so it slows down your metabolism. This is why many crash dieters will see initial weight loss, but quickly regain the weight.
Unfortunately, there are some factors that you can not control. If you inherited a faster metabolism, you're in luck. If not, you'll need to work just a little harder. Also, your metabolism naturally slows as you age. Most studies report that between the ages of 25 and 30 your metabolism biologically begins to decrease.
But don't be discouraged. Boosting your metabolism isn't difficult. Just follow the simple tips above. You'll be on your way to a faster metabolism in no time!
Metabolism -- what is it and why is it so important? Simply put, your metabolism is the total amount of energy your body needs and uses for all its daily activities. The faster your metabolism, the faster you'll burn calories. The more efficiently you burn calories, the easier it is to lose and maintain weight.
Okay, so how can you increase your metabolism?
Exercise. Working out is the best way to raise your metabolism! During activity, your body demands more energy. Therefore, your metabolism is temporarily increased to meet those demands. Cardio activities also help keep your metabolism elevated for several hours afterwards which also increases the number of calories burned.
Strength Train. Strength training helps increase the percentage of lean muscle mass. Building muscle will permanently increase your metabolic rate by helping your body work more efficiently. That means that you'll burn more calories in a shorter amount of time during any activity and at rest. Traditional weight training and Pilates are both great options.
Eat. This may sound contradictory, but it's true - you have to eat (healthy of course)! First of all, always eat breakfast. Eating breakfast helps jump start your metabolism for the day. Secondly, eat five to six smaller meals a day as opposed to a big breakfast, lunch and dinner. This will help your metabolism remain in constant working mode. Finally, no crash dieting! Skipping meals and crash dieting brings your metabolism to a screeching halt. When you greatly restrict calories, your body wants to conserve energy so it slows down your metabolism. This is why many crash dieters will see initial weight loss, but quickly regain the weight.
Unfortunately, there are some factors that you can not control. If you inherited a faster metabolism, you're in luck. If not, you'll need to work just a little harder. Also, your metabolism naturally slows as you age. Most studies report that between the ages of 25 and 30 your metabolism biologically begins to decrease.
But don't be discouraged. Boosting your metabolism isn't difficult. Just follow the simple tips above. You'll be on your way to a faster metabolism in no time!
Variety is the spice of life!
You may love your current exercise routine and because it seems comfortable and relatively safe, not feel so inclined to change it, especially if it appears to be working.
However, variation is a must. Your body adapts to the demands you put on it. In other words, if we don't challenge ourselves, we won't improve. Fitness pros refer to this as the "overload principle." If it's easy to do bicep curls with a 5-pound weight, continuing with a 5-pound weight will not help develop your bicep strength. You'll need to lift an 8 or 10-pound weight to overload the muscle and build strength.
If you've been doing your current workout consistently for three months, your body has most likely adapted to that workout. You'll eventually reach a plateau or possibly find it difficult to maintain your current fitness level. The workout becomes too easy, too "normal."
Here are a few simple ways to transform your workout:
Increase the weight: When you can perform the last repetition of a strength exercise easily, its time to boost the amount of weight you're lifting.
Add sets or reps: Instead of one set of 10 lunges, make it two sets of 10 lunges (or one set of 15 lunges).
Lengthen the duration: Plain and simple -- work out longer! Choose the 60-minute video instead of your usual 45-minute program.
Raise the intensity: If you're physically ready, pick it up a notch and get that heart rate up. Add an extra riser to your step or increase the range of motion in your movements.
Try something totally new: This is the best way to physically and mentally rejuvenate your workout. There are so many great options -- Pilates, boot camp, step aerobics, Jazzercise, interval training, dance and more. Every new exercise will challenge the body in diverse ways. This helps create the desired "overload" as well as reducing the risk of overuse injuries.
Okay. So there's no need to give up that favorite routine entirely. Just make a few easy modifications. To start, try a new technique or a completely different activity at least one day a week. Before you know it, your old routine may be history.
However, variation is a must. Your body adapts to the demands you put on it. In other words, if we don't challenge ourselves, we won't improve. Fitness pros refer to this as the "overload principle." If it's easy to do bicep curls with a 5-pound weight, continuing with a 5-pound weight will not help develop your bicep strength. You'll need to lift an 8 or 10-pound weight to overload the muscle and build strength.
If you've been doing your current workout consistently for three months, your body has most likely adapted to that workout. You'll eventually reach a plateau or possibly find it difficult to maintain your current fitness level. The workout becomes too easy, too "normal."
Here are a few simple ways to transform your workout:
Increase the weight: When you can perform the last repetition of a strength exercise easily, its time to boost the amount of weight you're lifting.Add sets or reps: Instead of one set of 10 lunges, make it two sets of 10 lunges (or one set of 15 lunges).Lengthen the duration: Plain and simple -- work out longer! Choose the 60-minute video instead of your usual 45-minute program.Raise the intensity: If you're physically ready, pick it up a notch and get that heart rate up. Add an extra riser to your step or increase the range of motion in your movements.Try something totally new: This is the best way to physically and mentally rejuvenate your workout. There are so many great options -- Pilates, boot camp, step aerobics, Jazzercise, interval training, dance and more. Every new exercise will challenge the body in diverse ways. This helps create the desired "overload" as well as reducing the risk of overuse injuries.Okay. So there's no need to give up that favorite routine entirely. Just make a few easy modifications. To start, try a new technique or a completely different activity at least one day a week. Before you know it, your old routine may be history.
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