The fats of life (Part 2)

To continue our fat-finding mission, the book Weight Loss – Not Another Diet Book by Burton Goldberg and the editors of Alternative Medicine has come up with the following guidelines for healthy eating:

Foods to Avoid

• Refined sugars: white sugar (sucrose), fructose, corn syrup, sorbitol, mannitol. Synthetic sugars and saccharin.

• Refined flours: white, unbleached, bleached, enriched flour and products containing these flours.

• Synthetic fats: margarine, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, vegetable shortening, Mocha Mix, Olestra.

• High levels of saturated oils (from meats, butter, palm and coconut oils).

• Homogenized, pasteurized, nonfat or acidophilus milk, and processed cheese.

• Nuts and seeds: commercial, oiled, sugared, and salted. Beware of aflatoxin mold on peanuts.

• All commercial red meat and poultry.

• Commercial eggs or egg substitutes.

• Canned, pre-cooked, microwaved, or processed fast foods, and junk foods.

Foods to Use

• Natural sweeteners: fruit juice, raw honey, organic maple syrup, molasses, barley malt, sucanat (organic sugar cane). Avoid if diabetic or sugar intolerant.

• Organic whole grains: Best are heirloom (genetically unaltered) grains such as kamut, quinoa, amaranth, and spelt. Grain-intolerant people may do well on heirlooms.

• Unsaturated oils (olive, flaxseed, safflower); butter, preferably raw and organic.

• Use unsaturated oils such as cold-pressed grapeseed, olive, corn, canola, and safflower oils. Oils must be fresh and cold-pressed; rancid oils can be harmful.

• Raw, whole milk (contains vitamin A), cultured milk products (kefir, yogurt, buttermilk), and goat’s milk; unprocessed cheese. Use in moderation if you are lactose intolerant.

• Preferably organic nuts and seeds. Must be soaked (6 hrs.), blanched, or roasted to destroy enzyme inhibitors.

• Organic beef, organic free-range poultry. Fish is fine if it is not from polluted waters.

• Organic eggs (no chemicals, no drugs, or hormones) from free-range chickens or ducks.

• Buy fresh, organic foods first, fresh nonorganic second, frozen third, and canned if that is the only food available.

Unfortunately, we live such frenetic lifestyles today that we often literally find ourselves grabbing a bite to eat. And indeed, fast foods (read: burgers) provide the fastest (and beefiest) way to satisfy our hunger pangs. But of course, we still have a choice. We can always choose the lesser (or least unhealthy) evil. The Cyberdiet went fast-food binging and came up with these biting comparisons:

Burger King

• Bacon cheeseburger (4.9 oz, 140 gm) – 400 calories, 22 fat gms, 70 mgs cholesterol, 940 mgs sodium, 27 gms carbohydrates, 1 gm fiber, 24 gms protein.

• Double whopper with cheese (13.2 oz., 374 gm) – 850 calories, 50 fat gms, 180 mgs cholesterol, 1,460 mgs sodium, 47 gms carbs, 3 gms fiber, 55 gms protein.

Carl’s Jr.

• Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger (10.9 oz, 308 gm) – 900 calories, 49 fat gms, 155 mgs cholesterol, 1,770 mgs sodium, 64 gms carbs, 2 gms fiber, 51 gms protein.

• Carl’s Jr. Hamburger (4.7 oz, 134 gm) – 330 calories, 13 fat gms, 45 gms cholesterol, 480 mgs sodium, 34 gms carbs, 1 gm fiber, 18 gms protein.

McDonald’s

• Big Mac (7.6 oz, 216 gms) – 570 calories, 32 fat gms, 85 mgs cholesterol, 1,100 mgs sodium, 45 gms carbs, 3 gms fiber, 26 gms protein

• Quarter pounder (6.1 oz, 172 gm) – 430 calories, 21 fat gms, 70 mgs cholesterol, 840 mgs sodium, 37 gms carbs, 2 gms fiber, 23 gms protein.

• Quarter pounder with cheese (7.1 oz, 200 gm) – 530 calories, 30 fat gms, 95 mgs cholesterol, 1,310 mgs sodium, 38 gms carbs, 2 gms fiber, 28 gms protein.

Wendy’s

• Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger (5.9 oz, 166 gm) – 380 calories, 19 fat gms, 60 mgs. cholesterol, 850 mgs sodium, 34 gms carbs, 2 gms fiber, 20 gms protein.

• Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe (6.3 oz, 180 gm) – 360 calories, 17 fat gms, 50 mgs cholesterol, 890 mgs sodium, 36 gms carbs, 3 gms fiber, 18 gms protein.

• Plain single (4.7 oz, 133 gm) – 360 calories, 16 fat gms, 65 mgs cholesterol, 580 mgs sodium, 31 gms carbs, 2 gms. fiber, 24 gms protein.

Jack in the Box

• Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger (10.7 oz, 302 gm) – 1,020 calories, 71 gms. fat, 210 mgs cholesterol, 1,740 mgs sodium, 37 gms carbs, 1 gm fiber, 58 gms protein.

• Double Cheeseburger (5.8 oz, 165 gm) – 460 calories, 27 fat gms, 80 mgs cholesterol, 1,090 mgs sodium, 32 gms carbs, 2 gms fiber, 24 gms protein.

Subway

What about the Subway diet, which has gained loads of faithful adherents? Okay, let’s take a bite into some popular items on the Subway menu:

• Subway tuna sandwich on deli style roll with light mayonnaise dressing (6 oz, 169 gm) – 267 calories, 8 fat gms, 16 mgs cholesterol, 627 mgs sodium, 37 gms carbs, 1 gm fiber, 12 gms protein.

• Subway turkey breast sandwich on deli style roll (6 oz, 171 gm) – 227 calories, 4 fat gms, 13 mgs cholesterol, 678 mgs sodium, 37 gms carbs, 1 gm fiber, 13 gms protein.

• Subway ham sandwich on deli style roll (5.7 oz, 162 gm) – 224 calories, 3 fat gms, 12 mgs cholesterol, 827 mgs sodium, 37 gms carbs, 1 gm fiber, 12 gms protein.

Happy fast-food eating!