SHOULDN'T EAT, SHOULD EAT By Susan Gazerro
By Susan Gazerro
I recently researched top ten foods not to eat and top ten foods you should eat. Here’s what I came up with and why. I will start with the “shouldn’t eat.” Number one, Marie Callender’s Large Size Chicken Pot Pie. Most people hear “chicken” and assume it’s good for you. Not this one. It’s loaded with saturated fat, calories, and sodium. Stay away. Number two, Five Guys Burgers. I was surprised at this one. I was thinking that they must use better meat than the other fast food places. I was wrong. Their burgers are loaded with fat. They’re burgers make McDonald’s Big Mac seem healthy. Stay away. Number three, Cambell’s Chicken Soup. Again, a little surprised, but I know there is a lot of sodium in anything canned. It doesn’t get any worse than this one. Number four, Chipotle’s Chicken Burrito. Again chicken. This has the most sodium and calories I have ever seen. You can eat six Taco Bell’s chicken soft tacos and still have half the calories and sodium of this item. Stay away. Number five, Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake. Forget the calories and saturated fat. The grams of sugar in this cake add up to a three day supply of sugar intake in one slice. Stay away. Number six, Uno Pizzeria and Grill’s Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza. You can have three of Pizza Hut’s Pepperoni Lover’s Personal Pan Pizzas to one of these. It’s loaded with sodium, fat, and calories. Number seven, Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy. It should be named “triple bypass.” Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo. Too un-
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healthy for anyone. Stay away. Number eight, a Starbucks product. They call it “Starbucks on steroids.” White Chocolate Mocha. Even if you order this with 2% or nonfat milk, it has as many calories, ready, as a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese! Who would have thought a coffee drink would be that unhealthy. Stay away. Number nine, Ben & Jerry’s Extreme Ice Cream. This was not so much of a surprise. There is so much sugar added to your fat cells and into your artery walls and that’s only with one serving. By the way, Haagen Dazs is no better. Stay away. Number ten, McDonald’s, but not food, rather its Shakedown. A 22 oz cup has 19 teaspoons of sugar, added sugar, and 13 grams of saturated fat. Granted, that’s a large, but a small has just as many calories as a Big Mac. Stay away. Here are the “should eat.” Number one, sweet potato. This is an excellent source of carotenoids, potassium, and fiber. Add olive oil, cinnamon, or chili powder and enjoy. Number two, mangos. One cup of mangos provides about two-thirds a day’s supply of vitamin C, 10% of vitamin A, fiber, and a dose of blood pressure-lowering potassium. Number three, Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has twice the protein of ordinary yogurt. Greek yogurt is also strained so it is very thick and creamy. Add fruit, nuts, or granola and enjoy. Number four, broccoli. One of my favorite foods. Raw, broiled, frozen, steamed, baked, it doesn’t matter. Broccoli is loaded with vitamin C, vita-
