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What we find is that fat is by far the biggest component of most
junk food. A Nestle Crunch Bar gets 72 of its 150 calories from fat;
a bag of potato chips has 10-11 grams of fat per ounce. Palm and
coconut oil, which are highly saturated vegetable fats, are used in
making a wide variety of snack foods. And so-called "healthy" snack
foods are not always that healthy either; a bag of "natural" potato
chips gets 60 percent of its calories from fat.
Red meat is still the biggest contributor of fat to the American
diet, with butter, dressing, and frying oil coming in second. Most
fast food items contain 40 to 50 percent fat. If you choose a Burger
King Double Whopper with Cheese, you've ordered up 935 calories and
61 grams of fat. Compare that with the Burger King Broiler Chicken
Sandwich at a more reasonable 320 calories and 10 grams of fat.
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Supermarkets and health food stores are stocked with an
increasing variety of low-fat, low-calorie junk food. Here are
some you might like as much as the old-fashioned
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Low fat baked cheese puffs |
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Low sodium, low-fat chips (Cape Cod, Louise's, Old
El Paso) |
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Whole wheat pretzels |
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Sesame sticks |
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Instant diet hot chocolate |
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Fat free chocolate cookies |
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Chocolate syrup |
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Dip mixes by Hain |
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Fresh salsas |
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Lite mayonnaise (tofu-based) and ketchup |
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Low-sodium mustard and Worcestershire
sauce |
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Chutney (fruit or vegetable based relishes) |
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Horseradish |
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Low-calorie candies or lifesavers |
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Hard candy, jelly beans |
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Marshmallows |
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Angel food cake |
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Apple crisps |
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Whipped toppings |
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Fig bars |
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Gingersnaps |
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R.W Frookie Cookies & Apple Fruit
Cookie |
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Snackwell's |
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Sherbet |
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Frozen yogurt |
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Ice milk |
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Frozen tofu |
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Frozen fruit juice bars |
Along with fat, most junk food is high in sodium, which can
aggravate high blood pressure, leading ultimately to strokes and
congestive heart failure. Some canned foods and frozen dinners are
also known for their high sodium content. The National Academy of
Science recommends no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day, or
just over one teaspoon. Yet a Burger King Chicken Sandwich has 1,400
milligrams of sodium and McDonald's Sausage Biscuit with Egg has
1,160 milligrams. Remember that most of the sodium we eat is added
when foods are manufactured and cooked. French fries are one of the
lowest sodium foods you can finduntil you pick up the salt
shaker.
Our bodies need protein, and fast food chains often advertise
this fact to appear healthy. However, all we need to function
normally is less than 2 ounces a day. The average American diet
provides this much and more without our having to give it a thought.
A large hamburger provides more than half the protein we need in a
day; combine it with a shake and fries and you'll have met all your
protein needs. You will also have consumed 1,779 caloriesenough for
a whole day for most people. Fast food provides protein, yesbut
only with the extra fat and calories that most of us definitely do
not need.
While junk food gives us too much of many food elements, it
provides too little fiber. A high-fiber diet may help reduce your
odds of many major disorders, such as heart disease, diabetes, and
colon cancer. Americans eat an average of 15 grams of fiber daily
while the National Cancer Institute recommends eating 20 to 35
grams. More fiber-enriched foods are beginning to reach the market,
which is a start; but beware of high-fiber candy bars. These
products often get 35 percent of their calories from fat, compared
with the 21 percent fat in regular candy bars. They also contain
less than 7 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance of all
vitamins and minerals. Reading labels can really help!
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