Ten Foods You Should Never Eat!

Originally published by Nutritional Action (Center for Science in the Public Interest)


1. Artery Crust.
Judging by the label, Pepperidge Farm Original Flaky Crust Roasted Chicken Pot Pie has 510 calories and 9 grams of saturated fat. But look again. Those numbers are for half a pie. Eat the entire pie, as most people probably do, and you're tallting more than 1,000 calories and 18 grams of sat fat. Then add the 13 grams of hidden trans fat (from the partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening) in each pie and you're up to 31 grams of artery-clogging fat — that's far more than a day's allotment.

2. Strip Tease.
McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips sounds healthy. In fact, ounce for ounce, the Selects are no healthier than the chain's Chicken McNuggets. A standard, five-strip order has 630 calories and 11 grams of artery-clogging fat. That's about the same as a Big Mac, except the burger has 1,010 mg of sodium, while the Selects hit 1,550 mg, without the salty sauce.

3. Factory Reject.
Each slice of The Cheesecake Factory's Carb Original Cheesecake has 610 calories — that's only 20 calories less than you'd get from a slice of their Original Cheesecake. Think of it as an 8-ounce prime rib for dessert — with 29 grams of saturated fat, 11/2 days' supply. The next time you step on the bathroom scale, you may never know that the carbs were missing.

4. Discomfort Food.
"Back in 1948, Marie Callender put love and care into every meal she still made with the care of Marie." Marie's "care" may still be there, but the love has gone cold. Take Marie Callender's Herb Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Florets & Carrots. You'd never guess that the "Complete Dinner" has 530 calories, 12 grams of saturated fat, and 1,270 mg of sodium. Marie manages to add enough butter and heavy whipping cream to turn a roasted chicken meal into a Big Mac.

5. Out in Left Field.
No one expects a Mrs. Fields cookie to be good for you, but who would guess that a single Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie has more than 300 calories and as much saturated fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak? It's also got six teaspoons of sugar. If you can't resist Mrs. Fields, share the smallest bag of Nibblers (six half-ounce cookies) with a friend. Or walk a few feet and look for a piece of fruit at another store instead.

6. Starbucks on Steroids.
The Starbucks Venti Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème with whipped cream is more than a mere cup of coffee. Think of it as a milk shake. Few people have room in their diets for the 770 calories and 19 grams of fat (10 of them saturated — half a day's quota of artery-clogging fat) that this hefty beverage supplies. It's the nutritional equivalent of a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza that you sip through a straw.

7. Coronary King.
Burger King makes some of the worst french-fries you can buy. A King Size order packs 600 calories and three-quarters of your daily maximum for heart-unhealthy

8. Salt's On!
Campbell's red-and-white-label condensed soups are brimming with salt: Half a can averages more than half of a person's daily quota of salt. Instead, try brands like Healthy Choice and Campbell's Healthy Request, which have less than half as much sodium.

9. Oops!
"Swoops are the essence of your favorite chocolate candy," explains the package. "The unique shape envelops your mouth in chocolate bliss." Hershey's crams almost 200 calories, seven or eight grains of saturated fat (a third of a day's worth), and more than four teaspoons of sugar into each six-Swoop pack While the Almond Joy or Hershey's Milk Chocolate Swoops are no worse than the candy bars, that's not the case for the other varieties. Thanks to highly saturated palm and/or palm kernel oil, York Swoops have more man three times as much sat fat as a York Peppermint Pattie, and Reese's Swoops have roughly twice as much as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Swoops? Oops is more like it.

10. Razzle, Dazzle 'em.
A Häagen-Dazs Mint Chip Dazzler (three scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream) has 1,270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat — that's two days' worth. Think of it as a portable T-bone steak with Caesar salad, and baked potato with sour cream. But that's dinner — yet many people have a Dazzler as a dessert after lunch and dinner!


Far better alternatives are available to you. Click here for some healthier choices!