Monday, December 14, 2009

Fact: Fast Food Items Highest In Trans Fat The 88 least healthy foods:

The absolute worst ingredient your food could possibly contain is trans fat. Maybe you've heard of it?
If not, here's a quick run down of some of the horrible things that studies have shown may be caused by a diet high in trans fat:
  • Coronary Heart Disease (Raise bad cholesterol AND lower good cholesterol)
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes 
There then exists some (albeit less) evidence that trans fat may also cause:
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Liver Dysfunction
  • Infertility
Like I said, it's the worst ingredient your food could contain. And, guess what? Fast food is pretty much the most common place you'll find this evil type of fat. Fast food is also the place you'll find the highest amounts of it.
Knowing this, I looked over the nutrition facts of literally every single item from the menus of McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, A&W, Arby's, Hardee's, In-N-Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Little Caesars, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Sonic, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, White Castle, Popeyes, Del Taco, Carl's Jr., and Dairy Queen to put together a list of the 88 fast food items highest in trans fat.
Keeping in mind just how terrible trans fat is and all of the terrible things it can cause, I have given this the very catchy nickname of "The 88 Fast Food Items Most Likely To Kill You." When you look over this list with the understanding that you should be eating 0 grams of trans fat per day, you'll realize that my little nickname really isn't that much of an overstatement. So, without further ado...
...The 88 Fast Food Items Most Likely To Kill You:


  1. White Castle Homestyle Onion Rings - Sack
    Trans Fat: 30 grams



  2. White Castle Fish Nibblers - Sack
    Trans Fat: 16 grams



  3. KFC Chicken Pot Pie
    Trans Fat: 14 grams



  4. Burger King Hash Browns - Large
    Trans Fat: 13 grams



  5. White Castle Chicken Rings - 20 rings
    Trans Fat: 13 grams



  6. Jack in the Box Fish & Chips - Large
    Trans Fat: 12 grams



  7. Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges
    Trans Fat: 12 grams



  8. White Castle Clam Strips - Sack
    Trans Fat: 12 grams



  9. Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket 6-piece
    Trans Fat: 12 grams



  10. White Castle French Fries - Sack
    Trans Fat: 11 grams



  11. Jack in the Box Fish & Chips - Medium
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  12. Jack in the Box Natural Cut Fries - Large
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  13. Jack in the Box Onion Rings (8)
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  14. Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly Fries - Large
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  15. White Castle Onion Chips - Sack
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  16. Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket 4-piece
    Trans Fat: 10 grams



  17. Burger King Hash Browns - Medium
    Trans Fat: 9 grams



  18. Jack in the Box Fish & Chips - Small
    Trans Fat: 9 grams



  19. Dairy Queen Large Onion Rings
    Trans Fat: 9 grams



  20. McDonald's Large French Fries
    Trans Fat: 8 grams



  21. Burger King French Fries King Size
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  22. Domino's Garlic Dipping Sauce
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  23. White Castle Onion Rings - Sack
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  24. Jack in the Box Natural Cut Fries - Medium
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  25. Jack in the Box Sampler Trio
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  26. Jack in the Box Spicy Chicken Bites (16)
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  27. Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly Fries - Medium
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  28. Jack in the Box Spicy Chicken Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  29. Dairy Queen Regular Onion Rings
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  30. Boston Market Pastry Top Chicken Pot Pie
    Trans Fat: 7 grams



  31. Arby's Apple Turnover
    Trans Fat: 6.5 grams



  32. Burger King BK Chicken Fries 12pc
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  33. Burger King French Fries Large
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  34. Burger King Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  35. Arby's Cherry Turnover
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  36. White Castle Chicken Rings - 9 rings
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  37. White Castle Clam Strips - Regular
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  38. White Castle Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (10 sticks)
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  39. Jack in the Box Chicken Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  40. Jack in the Box Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  41. Dairy Queen Large Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard
    Trans Fat: 6 grams



  42. A&W Large Fries
    Trans Fat: 5.5 grams



  43. McDonald's Baked Apple Pie
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  44. Burger King Sausage Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  45. McDonald's Medium French Fries
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  46. Burger King Ham, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  47. Burger King Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  48. Burger King Hash Browns - Small
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  49. White Castle Onion Chips - Regular
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  50. Jack in the Box Natural Cut Fries - Small
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  51. Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly Fries - Small
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  52. Jack in the Box Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  53. Jack in the Box Original French Toast Sticks (4)
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  54. Jack in the Box Sausage Biscuit
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  55. Dairy Queen Large French Fries
    Trans Fat: 5 grams



  56. Burger King BK Chicken Fries 9pc
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  57. McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 pc)
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  58. Boston Market Chocolate Cake
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  59. KFC Chicken and Biscuit Bowl
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  60. Burger King Onion Rings King Size
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  61. Burger King French Fries Medium
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  62. Sonic French Toast Sticks (4)
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  63. Jack in the Box Sourdough Ultimate Cheeseburger
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  64. Jack in the Box Stuffed Jalapenos (7)
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  65. Jack in the Box Blueberry French Toast Sticks (4)
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  66. White Castle Fish Nibblers - Regular
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  67. Dairy Queen Med. Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  68. A&W Onion Rings
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  69. A&W Crispy Chicken Sandwich
    Trans Fat: 4.5 grams



  70. Burger King Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  71. McDonald's Hotcakes (2 pats margarine & syrup)
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  72. Burger King Onion Rings Large
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  73. Burger King Cini-minis
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  74. White Castle French Fries - Regular
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  75. White Castle Homestyle Onion Rings - Regular
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  76. White Castle Chicken Rings - 6 rings
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  77. White Castle Hot Chocolate Large
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  78. Arby's Cinnamon Twist
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  79. A&W Papa Burger
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  80. A&W Original Bacon Double Cheeseburger
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  81. A&W Original Double Cheeseburger
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  82. A&W Chili Cheese Fries
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  83. A&W Cheese Fries
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  84. A&W Chili Fries
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  85. A&W Kids Fries
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  86. Dairy Queen 1/2 lb. FlameThrower GrilllBurger
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  87. Jack in the Box Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (6)
    Trans Fat: 4 grams



  88. Jack in the Box Sausage Croissant
    Trans Fat: 4 grams 

*NOTE* The above list shows every fast food item that contained 4 or more grams of trans fat per serving. There were TONS of items that contained less than 4 grams (anywhere from 0.5 to 3.5) but I decided on 4 grams as the cut off point for the WORST 88 foods. 3.5 grams of trans fat is still terrible, but the above 88 are the worst of the worst.

Trans Fat FAQ

How much trans fat are we supposed to eat per day?

The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day. Not per meal or per food, but per day total. And, get this. They also say that there is enough naturally occurring trans fats in some meat and dairy products that most people already reach this maximum 2 grams without the additional consumption of the industrially manufactured trans fats contained in the foods on the above list. So, to sum up, if you care at all about your health and enjoy being alive, you should be eating 0 grams of trans fat per day.

So does this mean we should never eat fast food ever?

In a perfect world, pretty much. I mean, you know it's junk. Besides trans fat, there's the always fun stuff like saturated fat, calories, and sodium to also think about. It really is the type of food that should never be eaten... ever. Sure, there are some better choices you can be making at these types of restaurants. And, if you're going to eat this stuff, you should definitely be making those choices. For starters, avoiding the 88 foods on this list would be a fantastic idea.

Is this information all current? When was it put together and when was it last updated?

This list was originally created in October 2007, and last updated in November 2007. I'm thinking of updating the list once or twice a year to keep it all up to date. When I do update it, it will be mentioned right here.



 Source


Posted by The StiG at 19:00 0 comments
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25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Your Body and Health



In the spirit of those annoying, addictive, you-know-you're-reading-them-even-though-you-wish-you-weren't Facebook notes popping up everywhere, Health.com presents its list of 25 random things you might not know about the human body, nutrition and exercise, sex, sickness, and health. Go ahead: Pass it on to your friends.
1. Rinsing your nose with salt water can help keep you healthy and ward off allergy symptoms. Nasal irrigation is a cheap and easy way to find relief if you have spring allergies, nasal congestion, stuffy noses or post-nasal drip, says Dr. Melissa Pynnonen, co-director of the Michigan Sinus Center and an assistant professor in the University of Michigan's department of otolaryngology.
2. Dogs can smell cancer and low blood sugar. The Pine Street Foundation, a cancer-education and research center in San Anselmo, Calif., published a study showing it was possible to train dogs to identify, based on breath samples, which patients had lung and breast cancer. Now the organization is recruiting ovarian cancer patients and dogs for a new study. In diabetics, the presence of ketones—substances made by the body during the metabolic process—can be smelled in urine and on the breath when blood sugars are high. Dogs can pick up on other smells that humans can’t when glucose levels drop.
3. Researchers at Cornell University found that people who pass through an entryway near the kitchen tend to eat 15 percent more than those who use the front door.
4. You're more likely to have a heart attack on a Monday, or up to three days after you've been diagnosed with the flu or a respiratory tract infection. The risk of dying from a heart attack increases by a third during outbreaks of the flu and related respiratory diseases, found researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The study authors estimate that 90,000 coronary deaths could be prevented a year in the United States if more heart patients simply got a flu shot.
5. You can't get a tan from your computer screen. The Computer Tan Web site was created as a hoax to raise awareness about skin cancer.
6. Obese people spend approximately $485 more on clothing, $828 on extra plane seats, and $36 more on gas each year than their thinner counterparts. Researchers say an overweight driver burns about 18 additional gallons of gas a year. Plus-sized clothing costs 10 percent to 15 percent more than smaller-sized clothes. When it comes to jet fuel, a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicineestimated that the extra weight of obese Americans caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel.
7. Smokers are four times as likely to report feeling unrested after a night's sleep than nonsmokers. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, thus causing periods of restlessness and waking. Smokers were also 1.69 times as likely to develop hearing loss than non-smokers, as smoking may affect antioxidative mechanisms or the blood vessels that feed the auditory system.1
8. Eating fruits and vegetables may help the human body make its own aspirin. Findings from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistryindicate that study participants who received benzoic acid, a natural substance in fruits and vegetables, could make their own salicylic acid, the key component that gives aspirin its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
9. A 20-minute nap can improve your overall alertness, boost your mood, and increase productivity. William Anthony, co-author of The Art of Napping at Work (Larson Publications, 1999),says the post-nap boost can last for several hours. In addition, your heart may reap benefits from napping. In a six-year study of Greek adults, researchers found that that men who took naps at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of heart-related death.

10. Your kitchen sink is dirtier than your bathroom: There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in its drain. The faucet, basin, and sponge are crawling with germs as well. Bacteria colonies with a total population exceeding 50 million can live on a single dirty sponge. And just think—that's what you use to wipe down countertops, forks and drinking glasses.
11. Four out of five doctors in the UK don't work out enough. Heavy workloads, lack of time and poor motivation contributed to the lack of exercise.2
12. Baking soda can whiten teeth, garlic can help treat athlete's foot, and honeycan soothe a hangover.
13. Using a food diary can double a person's weight-loss efforts. Your food diary makes you accountable to yourself and provides you with clues on where the extra calories are sneaking in.
14. Regular exercise can lower a woman's cancer risk—but only if she's getting enough sleep. The National Cancer Institute followed 5,968 women for almost 10 years, during which 604 of them developed some form of cancer. Women in the top half of physical activity levels showed an approximate 20 percent reduction in cancer risk compared to those who exercised less. For a segment of those women, sleeping less than seven hours per night had a decreased benefit to exercise. Their cancer risk was greater than those who exercised but slept more—but still lower than those who exercised the least.
15.Watching yourself run in a mirror can make a treadmill workout go by faster and feel easier.
16. Third-hand smoke—the particles that cling to smokers' hair and clothing and linger in a room long after they've left—is a cancer risk to young children (and pets).
17. Walking against the wind, in the water, or while wearing a backpack burns about 50 more calories per hour than walking with no resistance. People who wear pedometers also tend to burn more calories and lose more weight.
18. Trained sexologists can infer a woman's orgasm history by observing the way she walks.3 In other research news, men find women who wear red sexier than those who wear "cool" colors such as blue and green.
19.Foreign accent syndrome and exploding head syndrome are real (but very rare) medical conditions. The American Sleep Association explains that a person with exploding head syndrome experiences a a loud, indecipherable noise that seems to originate from inside the head.
20. Vitamins don't seem to help older women guard against cancer or heart disease.
21. Some men experience pain, headaches, or sneezing as a result of ejaculation. The increased activity in the nervous system during orgasm may be the culprit in triggering headaches.
22. Germ-killing wipes can spread bacteria from one spot to another if you reuse them. Researchers at the Welsh School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University in Wales issued their concern on the use of the wipes in hospitals and the importance of a routine surveillance program in reducing risks of infection to patients.
23. Oatmeal, citrus fruits, and honey can boost your sex drive and improve fertility. Oats produce a chemical that releases testosterone into the blood supply, increasing sex drive and orgasm strength. Vitamin C found in citrus fruits improves sperm count and motility, while vitamin B from honey helps the body use estrogen, a key factor in blood flow and arousal.
24. Twenty-nine percent of Americans say they have skipped filling a prescription due to the cost, and 23 percent use pill splitting as a way to save money.
25. Facebook may be good for your health: Studies show that staying in touch with family and friends can ward off memory loss and help you live longer.


Posted by The StiG at 10:10 0 comments
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