Washington, Oct. 24, 2014 – Happy Food Day!
That’s the message from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which launched the event three years ago to “inspire Americans to change their diets for the better and to support smarter food policies.”
And to help consumers mark the occasion, CSPI is passing along its list of the “10 worst” packaged and restaurant foods that Americans should be eating less of to avoid obesity, diabetes and heart disease problems.
“Food Day is an opportunity for Americans to begin improving their diets,” CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson said in a news release. “Eating an occasional can of Campbell’s Soup isn’t going to kill anyone. Neither is the odd 1,000-calorie burrito or 2,000-calorie plate of macaroni and cheese. But for too many Americans those aren’t special-occasion splurges… they’re everyday staples.”
Campbell’s was included on the list under a headline that reads “Liquid Salt!” CSPI noted that an average cup of Campbell’s Condensed Soup contains 810 mg of sodium. But it said most people eat the whole can, which has 2,030 mg of sodium - more than most adults should consume in an entire day. It recommends instead Campbell’s Healthy Request soups with lower sodium content, or soups by Amy's, McDougall's, Health Valley, Imagine Foods, Pacific Foods, Tabatchnick, and Trader Joe's.
Other highlights from the list:
--Five Guys and its two-patty Bacon Cheeseburger (without toppings, which 920 calories and 1½ days’ worth of saturated fat (30 grams). “It makes a Big Mac (520 calories) look positively wimpy,” says CSPI.
--Chipotle’s Chicken Burrito, with 1,020 calories, 16 grams of saturated fat, and 2,400 mg of sodium.
--Uno Chicago Grill’s Deep Dish Macaroni &3-Cheese, with 1,980 calories (a day’s worth), 71 grams of saturated fat (3½ days’ worth), and 3,110 mg of sodium (2 days’ worth). CSPI said it’s t’s like eating a family size box of Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese—which serves five people—with a stick of butter on top.
--Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake, which would stand over six inches tall if it were served on its side and weighs three-quarters of a pound, packing 1,900 calories and 3 days’ worth of saturated fat (62 grams).
Also mentioned were Stouffer's Satisfying Servings (16 oz.) White Meat Chicken Pot Pie; Olive Garden's Tour of Italy; Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) White Chocolate Mocha; Häagen-Dazs ice cream; and Cold Stone Creamery's Oh Fudge! Shake.
CSPI noted that there are lots of products and restaurant items that would rival the 10 that made its list.
Still, “These are the types of foods – high in some combination of calories of calories, saturated fat, sodium, white flour, and sugar—that are contributing to America’s obesity, diabetes, and heart disease problems.”
(Click here to find a Food Day event near you.)
#30
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
