Eat this not That!. CRIPES!

[Krandall]

What's in a Chicken McNugget?
You'd think that a breaded lump of chicken would be pretty simple. Mostly, it would contain bread and chicken. But the McNugget and its peers at other fast-food restaurants are much more complicated creatures than that. The "meat" in the McNugget alone contains seven ingredients, some of which are made up of yet more ingredients. (Nope, it's not just chicken. It's also such nonchicken-related stuff as water, wheat starch, dextrose, safflower oil, and sodium phosphates.) The "meat" also contains something called "autolyzed yeast extract." Then add another 20 ingredients that make up the breading, and you have the industrial chemical—I mean, fast-food meal—called the McNugget. Still, McDonald's is practically all-natural compared to Wendy's Chicken Nuggets, with 30 ingredients, and Burger King Chicken Fries, with a whopping 35 ingredients.

Bonus tip: For the nutritional breakdown of each of these "chicken" meals, and thousands others, download the brand-new Eat This, Not That! iPhone App! It's like having your own personal nutritionist always at your fingertips!





What's in a Wendy's Frosty?
Wendy's Frosty requires 14 ingredients to create what traditional shakes achieve with only milk and ice cream. So what accounts for the double-digit ingredient list? Mostly a barrage of thickening agents that includes guar gum, cellulose gum, and carrageenan. And while that's enough to disqualify it as a milk shake in our book, it's nothing compared to the chemist's list of ingredients in the restaurant's new line of bulked-up Frankenfrosties.

Check out the Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty, for instance. It seems harmless enough; the only additions, after all, are "coffee syrup" and "coffee toffee pieces." The problem is that those two additions collectively ­contain 25 extra ingredients, seven of which are sugars and three of which are oils. And get this: Rather than a classic syrup, the "coffee syrup" would more accurately be described as a blend of water, high-fructose corn syrup, and propylene glycol, a laxative chemical that's used as an emulsifier in food and a filler in electronic cigarettes. Of all 10 ingredients it takes to make the syrup, coffee doesn't show up until near the end, eight items down the list.

Bonus tip: Not all restaurant desserts will detonate your diet. See which frozen treats made our popular list of The 39 Best Healthy Foods in America.



What's in a Filet-O-Fish?
The world's most famous fish sandwich begins as one of the ocean's ugliest creatures. Filet-O-Fish, like many of the fish patties used by fast-food chains, is made predominantly from hoki, a gnarly, crazy-eyed fish found in the cold waters off the coast of New Zealand. In the past, McDonald's has purchased up to 15 million pounds of hoki a year, each flaky fillet destined for a coat of batter, a bath of oil, a squirt of tartar, and a final resting place in a warm, squishy bun. But it seems the world's appetite for this and other fried-fish sandwiches has proven too voracious, as New Zealand has been forced to cut the allowable catch over the years in order to keep the hoki population from collapsing. Don't expect McDonald's to scale down Filet-O-Fish output anytime soon, though; other whitefish like Alaskan pollock will likely fill in the gaps left by the hoki downturn. After all, once it's battered and fried, do you really think you'll know the difference?



What's in my salami sandwich?
Salami, the mystery meat: Is it cow? Is it pig? Well, if you're talking Genoa salami, like you'd get at Subway, then it's both. Most salami is made from slaughterhouse leftovers that are gathered using "advanced meat recovery," which sounds like a rehab center for vegans but is actually a mechanical process that strips the last remaining bits of muscle off the bone so nothing is wasted. It's then processed using lactic acid, the waste product produced by bacteria in the meat. It both gives the salami its tangy flavor and cures it as well, making it an inhos­pitable place for other bacteria to grow. Add in a bunch of salt and spices—for a total of 15 ingredients in all—and you've got salami. But now that you know what's in there, you might need to check yourself into an advanced meat recovery center.

[Krandall]

Worst Drink in America 2009

Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake Gotta Have It Size
2,010 calories
131 g fat (68 g saturated)
153 g sugars

The PB&C is intended to denote peanut butter and chocolate, but the more accurate translation might be potbellies and cardiovascular disease. After all, this one drink does pack more calories than a dozen ice cream sandwiches and more saturated fat than nearly 20 large orders of McDonald's French fries. And what's even more depressing is that no shake on Cold Stone's menu, not even the small sizes, falls below 1,000 calories. Choose a small ice cream and use the 1,640 calories for something with at least a trace of nutritional value.

[Krandall]

Worst Soda
Sunkist Orange Soda

320 calories
84 g sugars

All full-sugar sodas are evil, but they weren't all created equal. A 12-ounce can of Coke-the tooth-rotting standard-contains 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar. That same size can from Sunkist packs 190 calories and a staggering 52 grams of sugar. Tack on the extra 8 ounces in this orange monster and you begin to understand why soft drinks are often cited as one of the top contributors to obesity and diabetes in this country.

[Krandall]

Worst Bottled Coffee
Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino (13.7-ounce bottle)

290 calories
4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
46 g sugars

Most people don't associate coffee with milk shakes-like loads of sugar, but that's exactly what's happening inside this bottle. Add one of these to your diet every morning and you'll add about 28 pounds of flab to your body in a year.

[Lady4Fiddy]

Randy I hate you!!! 

I love a few of these items and you are ruining it for me, now when I go get a coffee toffee frosty I will think about this post which will cause a slight delay in me ingesting this yummy treat. I like to taste it when I get it not 10-20 seconds later.

Gawd damn hippie!   

[Colorado700R]

Worst Drink in America 2009

Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake Gotta Have It Size
2,010 calories
131 g fat (68 g saturated)
153 g sugars

The PB&C is intended to denote peanut butter and chocolate, but the more accurate translation might be potbellies and cardiovascular disease. After all, this one drink does pack more calories than a dozen ice cream sandwiches and more saturated fat than nearly 20 large orders of McDonald's French fries. And what's even more depressing is that no shake on Cold Stone's menu, not even the small sizes, falls below 1,000 calories. Choose a small ice cream and use the 1,640 calories for something with at least a trace of nutritional value.

hello beautiful

[Peelz]

you know what I learned from this thread Randi?


IGNORANCE IS BLISS!!!!!



I won't eat burger king any more. Waiting in line one day I read the health factoids...
one my My favorite fast foods... over 2000 calories...in one sitting. CRIPES!!!!!

[Lady4Fiddy]

Don't be a bitch  calories = flavor

[Gunz]

The only fast food I eat anymore is Quiznos or Taco Bell fresca menu... Other than that I havent had Wendys or BurgerKing in years and its been months since I had a fatkid emergency and ate at McDonalds...yuck.

[Krandall]

Olive Garden's Tour Of Italy—Homemade Lasagna,
Lightly Breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Creamy Fettucine Alfredo

1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium.
Add a breadstick (150 calories)
plate of Garden-Fresh Salad with dressing (350 calories)

you've hit 2,000 calories (an entire day's worth) in a single meal.

[Krandall]

Erich, this is right up your alley!!!!
Worst Pizza!

Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
# 2,310 calories
# 162 g fat
# 123 g carbs
# 4,470 mg sodium

Downing this "personal" pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.

[Colorado700R]

Erich, this is right up your alley!!!!
Worst Pizza!

Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
# 2,310 calories
# 162 g fat
# 123 g carbs
# 4,470 mg sodium

Downing this "personal" pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.

Randy, I believe that's where we all went out to eat at in Chicago ...nom..nom...nom!!

Lou's is better, but UNO's is good too.

[Krandall]

Nope, I'm yet to go to Uno's.

I've been to Lou's and Giradanos only.

[Colorado700R]

we were at Giradano's then? Erich's family and I went to Lou's before you got there, then I thought we went to Uno's

[funyun]

Ive been to Unos but not lous. And i think im scared for life on eating at some of these places.