Jul 20 2011

Yes calories count, especially in big numbers

Center for Science in the Public Interest anounces its Xtreme Eating Awards and describes them in detail in the latest issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter.

Xtreme Eating gives the numbers for calories, saturated, fat and sodium (nicely summarized by  FoodNavigator), but let’s just look at calories.

  • Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt  1,260
  • The Cheesecake Factory Farmhouse Cheeseburger 1,530 (1,900 with fries)
  • IHOP Bacon ’N Beef Cheeseburger 1,250 (plus 620 for onion rings)
  • Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake 2,010
  • Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs With Fettuccine  1,520
  • The Cheesecake Factory Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake 1,540
  • The Steakhouse (Morton’s) Porterhouse Steak and mash 1,390 for the steak; 850 for the mash
  • Great Steak extra large King Fries 1,500

These, it should be evident, are substantial fractions of the 2,000 to 3,000 calories most people need in a day.  And these numbers don’t include the additional calories from drinks and anything else that’s added.

CSPI gets sarcastic: “Let’s get one thing clear: Restaurants have nothing to do with the nation’s obesity epidemic. It’s not their fault that two out of three adults and one out of three children are either overweight or obese.”

Are the numbers accurate?  My July 20 JAMA hasn’t arrived yet but I hear that it has an article saying that the calorie numbers posted on restaurant menu boards seem close enough.

If an item says it’s 1,500 calories, it probably is.  Best to share with friends.

 

 

 

 

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  • Pete
  • July 22, 2011
  • 2:18 pm

Did I mention that studies would catch up?

http://lifehacker.com/5823587/moderation-may-not-be-the-best-approach-to-weight-loss
“A new study by nutritionists and public health experts at Harvard University showed that the conventional wisdom that the key to weight loss is just to eat less and exercise more actually isn’t very effective when it comes to weight loss.”

More time and they’ll catch up to the grains too.

  • Chris
  • July 22, 2011
  • 5:16 pm

“Instead, they propose, Americans should temper their diet to minimize the foods that contribute the most to weight gain, like French fries, potato chips, and sugar-sweetened drinks. They also noted that the “good foods” were the ones most people already associate as good for you: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”

We need people from Harvard to say that? *smh*

I’m glad Harvard used it’s expansive research funding and brain power to tell me that fruits and vegetables are good for me.

Holy cow! After all these years spent in Australia I’ve forgotten how huge the portion sizes are in the states. 2000 calories in a milkshake? Gimme a break! That’s deplorable regardless how good it tastes.

[...] Marion Nestle at Food Politics highlights some of the “winners” from CSPI’s “Xtreme Eating Awards.” For instance, the Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake has 2,010 calories. [...]

  • laura k
  • July 25, 2011
  • 12:57 pm

How do they even GET that many calories in a single item of food?! I mean, I know a cheeseburger isn’t a low-calorie food, but 1500 of them? What are they putting in that cheeseburger?

  • Tory
  • September 3, 2011
  • 4:36 pm

A great reason why you should check nutritional information on a restaurants website before going out to eat (when possible). I like to pick out what I’m going to order before I even leave my house.

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