Xtreme Eating Awards given to dishonorees
The food police have made their latest Xtreme Eating Awards, “dishonorees” that are doing their best to overfeed America.
The list of eight were unveiled in the Nutrition Action Health Letter of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and include lots of stuffed, stacked and topped foods.
“If Americans are feeling a little more full when lumbering out of The Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, Denny’s, and other chains, it’s not in their heads,” said CSPI nutrition director Bonnie Liebman, in a statement. “It’s as if the restaurants were targeting the remaining one out of three Americans who are still normal weight in order to boost their risk of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer.”
The government says the average eater should consumer about 2,000 calories a day, and no more than 20 grams of saturated fat and 1,500 milligrams of sodium. As part of health care reform, calorie counts will soon have to be on the restaurant menus.
Here’s the top five on the list:
+Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt: Four fried mozzarella sticks and melted American cheese grilled between two slices of sourdough. With fries and marinara sauce, it has 1,260 calories, 21 grams of saturated fat and 3,010 mg of sodium (Equal to two Pizza Hit personal pan pepperoni pizzas.)
+The Cheesecake Factory Farmhouse Cheeseburger: A burger topped with grilled smoked pork belly cheddar cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo and a fried egg. It has 1,530 calories, 36 grams of saturated fat and 3,210 mg of sodium. No fries. (Equal to three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with cheese.)
+Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake: 24 ounces of peanut butter, chocolate ice cream and milk. It has 2,010 calories and 68 grams of saturated fat. (Equal to two 16-ounce T-bone steaks plus a butter baked potato.)
+Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs With Fettuccine: Meatballs stuffed with provolone cheese atop fettuccine with a marinara sauce and a Parmesan cream sauce. With garlic bread, it’s 1,520 calories, 43 grams of saturated fat and 3,700 mg of sodium. (Equal fo two Applebee’s 12-ounce ribeye steaks plus a side of garlic mashed potatoes.
+The Cheesecake Factory Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake: Red velvet cake topped with a layer of cheesecake topped with another layer of red velvet cake and topped that with another layer of cheesecake and cream cheese frosting, chocolate shavings and whipped cream. It has 1,540 calories and 59 grams of saturated fat. (Equal to a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza and two Quarter Pounders with cheese, though the cake has an additional days’ worth of saturated fat.)
“Perhaps calorie labeling will usher in a new era of common sense at America’s chain restaurants, and chains will compete with each other to come up with new, healthy menu items with more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains,” said CSPI’s Michael F. Jacobson, in a statement.
Justin Wilson, senior research analyst at the Center for Consumer Freedom, which represents restaurants and food companies, responded with:
"The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s “Xtreme Eating Awards” is just another stunt to chastise the American public for occasionally indulging in life’s simpler pleasures. The notorious self-proclaimed “food cops” appear to fundamentally disagree with the notion of personal responsibility in choosing what we eat. Instead, they believe they know what’s best for the American public, no matter how bland it might taste."
Comments
Yikes some of these foods sound scary good as well as just plain scary. Being healthy isn't about never getting to eat these treats. Just being active and eating healthier MOST of the time will keep you fit. But yeah, you can't eat these foods everyday or even every week. But that's the problem, most people don't even know how bad the food is that they eat everyday. You almost need another degree to figure it all out sometimes. Very interesting though. blog.mydiscoverhealth.com
Posted by: JSC0922 | July 20, 2011 11:47 AM
I'm with Wilson; obesity is terrible, especially the self-induced variety, but it's actually not a crime. It's not the type of issue the government has any business taking control of.
The thing about America is that these freedoms used to be unquestionable. We went from being a liberated nation centuries ago to Socializing ourselves into regulated oblivion for decades. Can you imagine what our founding fathers would've thought of the idea of using government to legislate ourselves out of poor health? They have to be spinning in their graves; I'm ashamed just thinking about it.
Posted by: Lefty | July 20, 2011 1:13 PM