Tasty Food that Kills (maybe)

I have never been one to shy away from food that is deemed to be "bad for you" but I must admit that as I get older I find myself thinking about the healthiness of some of the food I eat.

This really came to the forefront of my mind when a new FatBurger franchise opened up by my place of work. I have had FatBurger exactly once in my life and it was delicious so the prospect of having a store just downstairs was very appealing. The day that the storefront opened I made a decision that I was going to go down and get myself some lunch from there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the line was way to long to eat there and I decided on some EDO.

When I returned to my desk, one of my co-workers had sent out a "nutrition" guide for FatBurger item menus. Normally I would just ignore this email but I decided to check it out. I was appalled at how bad for a person this stuff was.

Example: My plan was to have a burger, onion rings and a shake. These are all things that FatBurger is known for. Total calories: 2280. Total Fat: 114g. Total Sodium: 2330mg.

Now, I am no health expert but even I could identify that this could not be good for you. The Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests an individual should limit themselves to no more than 2300mg of sodium per DAY. This meal would have exceeded the daily limits for all three of the categories listed above.

So, after I saw this I was amazed and then I started looking at the values for other things that I like to eat or drink when I go out. Here are some examples:

My favorite weekend breakfast of McDonalds Sausage w/Egg McMuffins, hashbrowns and apple juice: 840 calories, 46g of fat, and 1700mg of sodium (WTF??)

I love the Wendy's Double Baconator: 980 calories, 63g of fat and 1830mg of sodium. This is just the burger, no fries!!

Hooters Hot Wings (5 only, and who just eats 5?): 866 calories, 63g of fat and 1379mg of sodium. (this doesn't include the Bleu Cheese or Ranch dips.

I could keep on going but this is actually making me feel a little queasy. I suppose the lesson to be learned here is that while this stuff may taste good, it is not good for you. I am not saying that you (or I) shouldn't eat food like this but to do so in moderation. I decided a while ago to limit myself to unhealthy food like this to only 3 days a week. The rest of the time I try to eat salads, fruit, veggie sandwiches and the like. While eating healthy food may not counter-act the damage the unhealthy food is doing, I figure it's a good start.

Thoughts? Let me know.