Tag Archives: calories

Iceberg Lettuce

Healthy Eating, , ,

So what’s the beef with eating iceberg lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is very low in calories and high in Vitamin K. A few decades ago, it was just about the only lettuce people were eating. 3.2 ounces is about 12.5 calories. At this rate you can eat the whole head!

Many of us grew up with this being the lettuce to put on tacos. It’s just not the same with spinach leaves or other lettuces. If you ask for a burger without a bun in a lettuce wrap it would probably be iceberg lettuce. There’s also a wedge salad but you need to be aware of the extra calories the toppings are. They can range from 200-800 calories or even more depending on what you add to them.

Iceberg got it name from the way it was transported – on ice. It traveled very well this way.

Yes there is more nutrition in other lettuces but why not mix it up with this iceberg lettuce for a little changeup to your salads. With it’s mild flavor it can adapt to many dressings without overpowering other ingredients.

Big Fat Shake

Healthy Eating, , , ,

A few weeks ago we talked about the Big Fat Fatty. Sal’s has another food challenge called the Big Fat Shake. You can only get these items as part of a challenge and you must finish in the allotted time.

So the Big Fat Shake has 30 scoops of vanilla AND 30 scoops of chocolate ice creams, cake, candy, cookies, pretzels, syrup, and whipped cream. It would have been nice to find a picture or video with this concoction but there were none. Milk wasn’t even mentioned.

So let’s try and break this down. 60 scoops of ice cream at about 179 calories per scoop is about 10,740 calories. Let’s add another 10,000 for the rest (without knowing the amounts) is hopefully not too conservative a count. It has to be a “glutton” for punishment that would eat this!

Is Eating Breakfast Really Necessary?

Healthy Eating, ,

Whether it’s oatmeal, cereal, or eggs and toast, many people enjoy breakfast. For some it gets you going and fuels your morning. But is it really necessary?

The BMJ did an analysis on just that. They examined the effect of breakfast consumption on weight change and energy intake. In their conclusion, they caution the addition of breakfast for weight loss. They looked at trials that had already occurred in the U.S., U.K., and one from Japan, and found seven studies that had data about breakfast consumption from various previous years.

They found that those who did eat breakfast had higher energy intake (assuming calories) per day. Daily calorie intake was higher in those who did eat breakfast than those who skipped breakfast. The assumption that early calorie intake in the day helps metabolizing calories throughout the day was debunked.

So whether you eat breakfast or not, we suggest you eat when you are hungry, not because of whatever the clock says.

Source: The BMJ

Cheat Days

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , ,

So there was a new study done in Australia that concludes that having cheat days can help in weight loss. Now this is not a license to binge or overeat but quite contrary.

What they really are conveying is that it is better to stick to your strict diet for maybe two weeks and then for the next two weeks eat the things you want but keep within the calorie frame for maintaining your weight. For instance, if it’s determined that your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day you can go ahead and sustain that for two weeks and then go back to your 1,200 calorie per day dieting for two weeks.

After a while of dieting your body goes into “starvation” mode (the study called it ER or Energy Restriction) and by doing this, you may trick it into not doing that.

Be careful with “comfort foods”

Healthy Eating, , ,

We all know and love our “comfort foods” but did you know what the calorie counts are? It also depends on the portion size. The Victor crew found an article that talks about these comfort foods you might find at a local fast food joint.

Buffalo Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings: 10 wings have 750 calories, 45 grams fat, and 14 grams saturated fat.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich: one egg, one slice of cheese, two strips of bacon, a roll, and butter can give you about 600 calories and 36 grams of fat.

Cheeseburger from Shake Shack: this will give you 455 calories, 26 grams fat, and 13 grams saturated fat. (They don’t taste terrible either.)

Cheeseburger from Red Robin: on the other hand, this one will give you 733 calories with 41 grams of fat.

Chili from Chili’s: this can run you 460 calories with 31 grams fat, and 15 grams saturated fat. Bean-free will have even more calories.

Donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts: a chocolate frosted donut has 280 calories and 15 grams of fat; a coconut donut has 400 calories and 22 grams of fat. Even a munchkin averages 70 calories apiece. How many of these do you pop in your mouth without thinking (or counting)?

French Fries from McDonalds: a medium-sized order has 230 calories and 11 grams fat.

Fried Chicken from KFC: original recipe half chicken has 860 calories, 52 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat, 280 mg cholesterol, and 2,640 mg sodium. Fried chicken tenders can also exceed 1000 calories.