Just FYI, the cinnabon classic roll weighs 8 oz. pre-baking. Yes, that's right, half a pound. People eat these and think that they're adequate breakfasts. Of course, if you just eat the delicious center curls then you only get about 400 calories, not 800.

On a related note about unhealthy snacks, people will polish off a 6 oz. muffin and think they're eating healthy. They're not. There's a LOT of oil and eggs that goes into a muffin.

Macaroni Grill - Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Meat SauceHow a simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs has: 2,430 calories, 128g of fat, 5,290mg of sodium and 207g of carbs.
What I wonder is how that much sodium could be in something period? ick..

I have this book and keep it in my car. If you are trying to eat a little better it's actually pretty helpful.

Yes some of the the worst choices are obvious, but some are really suprising. You'll actually find a few salads on the "worst choice" lists which caught me off guard.

On the flip side, some of the good choices are things I had always assumed were bad choices. (McDonalds Quarter Pounder, good?)

@HawkWolf

That's was truly scares me. I love cooking for me and my wife daily, but nothing is better than eating engineered goodness...

@Ben

Seriously, enough with the reposts on this.

Surprisingly, I didn't throw up after having one (a double cheeseburger meal... quite the bargain at $4 for the whole shebang -- compare to subway at $10). Anyway, the burger was nothing special... salty, greasy bun, and a patty that tasted surprisingly like Burger King (which is nothing special either). The next day, I noticed two interesting things. First, while the burger didn't want to come out of one end, it did want to come out of the other.

Secondly (and less disgustingly), I had a strong, and I do mean strong craving for another one, despite what the previous one was making me feel like. In fact, I had to go and save more money by getting one again the next day. I was shocked, though not too surprised, at how ridiculously addictive whatever they do to the things was. It isn't just nutrition, they've really gotten the food science down to where your body craves this stuff, not normal food anymore.

Not only that, but I couldn't make a decent meal for $4, when you consider the costs of food purchasing, storage, cooking, cleanup, and time. Food shortages? Hah! There's more food than you can shake a stick at in the world, and it's super cheap. The only problem is, it's this engineered food crap.

So as long as people try to balance their diet and exercise, fast food is not something to be afraid of. In just 30 minutes of my day I easily burn 500 calories, so my body needs that 1k calorie lunch of burger and fries.

I love Chipotle - make one a late lunch and you can just about skip dinner as well.

@kittenfoo: Kittenfoo '08! Can I be Secretary of Milkshakes?

If you don't want your Cinnabon, give it to me. Kthxsbai.

Yes, I know Ranch sauce is horrible, but what about just the chicken strips? What about a regular bowl of pasta, not covered with cheese sauce? It's like, suddenly, they're making these shocking revelations. Oh my God, you mean a chocolate chip ice cream pie desert is bad for me if I eat the whole thing myself? You mean anything that has a creme sauce, made with heavy cream, by definition 30% fat, has fat in it? Who would have known?

Instead of assuming I'm some crazed food tornado that eats everything in sight, and instead of trying to scaremonger people into thinking they're going to balloon like belugas if they eat at a Ruby Tuesdays, why don't they make realistic assumptions about the kinds of things people eat, and write books on that?

Everything in moderation my friend.

Like the story of the 28 year old who was running the U.S. men's Olympic marathon trials and dropped dead from a heart defect. Bet he never ate at McDonalds. Didn't do him much good. Never know how or when you're gonna die. Point is most things in moderation. And just because a restaurant offers it doesn't mean you have to eat it. But a Big Mac once a year for me sure tastes good.

Portion control and making better choices enable one to eat healthier and the food tastes great.

It seems to me that most of the people who tell you what you should and shouldn't eat are more concerned with controlling your life than maintaining your health. It's always "What I like EVERYONE should like" and not "We are all different, but this might be a better choice."

Anyway, personal responsibility is only as good as social responsibility. Blah blah blah.

@picardia:

"That food is crap" is your opinion. Plenty of people enjoy fast food because.... it DOES taste good. I am particularly fond of Chicken Mcnuggets, Arby's roast beef etc. etc..

I don't get the whole "I'd rather eat the things I love" thing as applied to shit from McDonalds and Ruby Tuesday. That food is CRAP. If you're going to sin, sin with something worth eating. Otherwise, you might as well look out for yourself.

@FrankTheTank: I own the book, and believe it or not, there's not a sandwich on McDonald's menu that has as many calories as the Chicken Selects.

[www.cbc.ca]

It would be trivial to modify menus to indicate the important nutritional content but obviously industry spokesweasels are against it since it would cut into sales.

To each his own, but if you're eating "healthy" at McDonald's, it's still McDonald's.

General rules of thumb:
- Avoid fast food/chain restaurants if possible
- If u must eat on the go, try to omit the sauce/spread/dressing whenever possible, or use sparingly
- Eat fast food slowly and/or in small portions--your stomach is slow to tell your brain when you're full

@FrankTheTank: I think the lists are very helpful because they take things that people think are healthy when in reality they are not. Everyone knows that the standard double cheeseburger with bacon and whatnot is going to be pretty bad for you.

I'm never looking in the mirror.... AGAIN.

@Mr_Human: That's a myth. Over a lifetime, the morbidly obese die far earlier and with less overall healthcare costs than a healthy person dieing at a ripe old age.

@CRNewsom: death pocket!

Then again, I've never tried a triathlon. I can't swim.

I'm disappointed.

I will eat what I want & not care about the consequences thankyou very much!

Seriously, eating a cup of sugar would taste less sweet than that. Makes my teeth hurt just thinking of it.

These lists have become idiotic.
As BrockBrockman points out, everyone and their moms have issued one, and they say different things.

(although they all seems to list Carl Jr's Double Six Dollar Burger...)

Trying to eat healthy at McDonald's is like taking part in a gangbang while trying to stay a virgin.

I'm getting visions of the Boondocks cartoon, when Grandad opened a soul food restaurant... "a full pound burger patty, 3 types of cheese, 6 strips of bacon, all sandwiched between.... 2 krispy kreme donuts!"

"This is what crack must feel like."

Next time my girlfriend orders that pie from Chili's I'm going to suggest we get Bic Macs instead. Wonder how that will turn out...

You could just call this: Everything that tastes delicious is bad for you.
It still wouldn't stop me from wanting to eat all those things.

That must be like that hallucinating experience that Bart and Milhouse had at the Kick-E-Mart when they paid Apu to give him the most syurpy squishee he could muster up.

w00t, Hot Pockets are still good for you.

/-:Insert Jim Gaffigan Hot Pockets Routine Here:-

It's kinda messed up when you can skip dessert at Chili's, have two Big Macs instead, and think "Hey, that was a healthy life choice!"

The Jamba Juice thing is kinda funny. Yeah, I'd feel energized if I sucked down 2 pints of liquified ice cream, until the buzz wore off and I'd need to, uh, what's -- I'm just gonna lie down over here and take a nap...

[consumerist.com]
[consumerist.com]

And for good measure:

[consumerist.com]