Restaurants, Diners, Fast Food

How Many Calories Are In Your Favorite Summer Drinks?

August 6, 2015 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s hot. You’re thirsty. You want something cool – or maybe ice cold – to drink.

Check Out The Calories

A lot of cool, refreshing drinks come with a hefty dose of calories. You might be surprised how many are in a drink you’ve been having for years.

According to CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest), carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet. It’s easy to forget about the calories in sugared sports drinks, sweetened ice teas, juices, and alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol isn’t a caloric bargain – it has 7 calories per gram (protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram and fat has 9 calories per gram). Add sweetened juices, syrups, or soda to your alcohol, and you could be drinking a significant portion of your suggested daily calorie allowance.

It helps to do some research to figure out what’s your best choice to grab from the deli, the food truck, the coffee shop, or at the bar.

Can you be satisfied with a bottle of beer that has around 100 calories rather than another brand that has around 300 – or water with a hint of flavor instead of a sports drink?

To help you with your choices, here are the calories in some summer favorites:

Water and Sports Drinks

Gatorade, 12 ounces: 80 calories
Gatorade G Orange, 12 ounce bottle: 80 calories
Gatorade G2 Perform Low Calorie Orange, 8 ounces: 20 calories
SoBe Lifewater, 20 ounces: 90 calories
Sobe Lifewater 0 calories Black & Blue Berry, 8 ounces: 0 calories
Glaceau Smart Water, 33.8 ounces: 0 calories
Vitamin Water, 20 ounces: 125 calories
Vitamin Water 10, 20 ounces: 25 calories
Perrier Citron Lemon Lime, 22 ounce bottle: 0 calories
Vitamin Water Focus Kiwi-Strawberry, 20 ounce bottle: 125 calories
Hint Blackberry, 16 ounce bottle: 0 calories
Powerade, Grape, 8 ounces: 50 calories
Propel Kiwi-Strawberry, 8 ounces: 10 calories
Water (as much as you want): 0 calories

Iced Coffee and Tea Drinks

Dunkin’ Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta, 16 ounces: 430 calories
Dunkin’ Donuts Sweet Tea, 16 ounces: 120 calories
Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino, 16 ounces (grande): 240 calories
Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino light, 16 ounces grande: 110 calories
Tazo Unsweetened Shaken Iced Passion Tea: 0 calories
Iced Brewed Coffee with classic syrup, 12 ounces (tall): 60 calories
Red Bull Energy Drink, 8.4 ounces, 110 calories

Soda and Non-Carbonated Drinks

Mountain Dew, 20 ounce bottle: 290 calories
Coke Classic, 20 ounce bottle: 233 calories
Diet coke, 20 ounce bottle: 0 calories
Snapple Orangeade, 16 ounces: 200 calories
San Pelligrino Limonata, 11.15 ounce can: 141 calories
Can of Coke, 12 ounces: 140 calories
Bottle of 7Up, 12 ounces: 150 calories
Root beer float, large, 32 ounces: 640 calories

Beer (12 ounce bottle)

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale: 330 calories
Samuel Adams Boston Lager: 180 calories
Guinness Extra Stout: 176 calories
Pete’s Wicked Ale: 174 calories
Harpoon IPA: 170 calories
Heineken: 166 calories
Killian’s Irish Red: 163 calories
Long Trail: 163 calories
Molson Ice: 160 calories
Samuel Adams Brown Ale: 160 calories
Budweiser: 144 calories
Corona Light: 105 calories
Coors Light: 102 calories
Heineken Light: 99 calories
Budweiser Select: 99 calories
Miller Light: 96 calories
Amstel Light: 95 calories
Anheuser Busch Natural Light: 95 calories
Michelob Ultra: 95 calories
Miller MGD 64: 64 calories
Beck’s Premier Light: 64 calories

Wine

Red Wine, 5 ounces: 129 calories
White Wine, 5 ounces: 120 calories
Sangria, 8 ounces: 176 calories

Alcoholic Drinks

Mojito, 7 ounces: 172 calories
Frozen Magarita, 4 ounces: 180 calories (the average margarita glass holds 12 ounces, 540 calories)
Mimosa: 137 calories
Gin and Tonic: 175 calories

Do Your Road Trips Mean Dashboard Dining?

July 23, 2015 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

How many ketchup drips, chocolate smears, coffee stains, and greasy crumbs do you have in your car (or on your clothes)?

Is your road trip an endless food-fest of fast food, junk food, and all kinds of snacks — with your dashboard or vacant passenger seat acting as your table?

If you’re nodding your head, you’re a dashboard diner. What is it about mini-mart and rest stop food that seems to touch that primal urge to eat sweet and/or salty stuff that’s probably loaded with calories and lacking in nutrition?

The Trap And The Danger

When you walk through rest stop or gas station doors, there’s an endless stream of high carb, high fat, high calorie, and processed food just begging you to plunk down your money so you can immediately indulge (watch how many people start eating the food they’ve bought before they even pay).

The real danger – aside from the damage to your waistline and poor nutrition — is that high-carb processed foods spike then crash your blood sugar — making you really tired and cranky.

Drowsy drivers are most definitely not safe drivers.
Cranky drivers make life miserable for everyone in the car – not a great tone to set if you’re going on vacation.

Some Mini-Mart And Rest-Stop “Gotchas”

Candy is an impulse purchase; 49 percent of shoppers admit to unplanned purchases of candy. It seems that we want to treat ourselves and candy is an affordable luxury.

Check out the placement of candy the next time you’re in a mini-mart or rest stop — it’s positioned to grab your attention. Vividly colored wrappers reach out to you from high-traffic areas of the store: the checkout area, the aisle that leads to the check out, and on the way to the restrooms.

Visually, you’re going to be assaulted by the unending display of colorful packages, so have a plan for what you will and will not buy. If you’ve decided you want M&Ms go straight to them and don’t get sidetracked by the large display of new kinds of chips, seasonal displays, or the latest and greatest deal on a king-sized package of some kind of candy.

Coffee, unlike candy, coffee isn’t an impulse purchase. Nearly 96% of customers intend to buy a cup of coffee before they walk in. Here’s the impulse buy: stores put candy, baked goods, and chips — near the coffee to entice you to buy them. As a man standing in line at a gas station mini-mart muttered, “I stop here for coffee every morning and I’ve gained 20 pounds since they put in the Krispy Kreme donut display between the door and the cash register.”

Helpful Tips

Nuts have protein and crunch, won’t cause swings in your blood sugar, and are almost always stocked. Tread a little gently — nuts aren’t low in calories. For a one-ounce serving of nuts you might find at rest stops:

49 shelled pistachios, 162 calories
23 almonds, 169 calories
18 cashews, 163 calories
19 pecans, 201 calories
10-12 macadamias, 203 calories
39 peanuts (technically a legume), dry roasted, 170 calories

Some mini-marts have fruit (bonus: oranges and bananas come in their own natural wrapper and don’t have to be washed) and almost all have dried fruit — but balance the higher sugar content of the dried fruit with the fat and protein in the nuts.

Sometimes you can find individual bowls of Cheerios or whole grain cereals, although check labels because some cereals are loaded with sugar. Grab a small container of low-fat milk or a container of yogurt to go with it.

Protein bars can be good, better, and best. Check the labels for higher protein and lower sugar. Some can be the equivalent of a candy bar and are so large (with so many calories) that they are made to be meal replacements. A protein bar for a snack should be around 150 calories. Meal replacement bars have around 300 calories or more. Look for at least 15 grams of protein.

If you’re really hungry, choose a sandwich or burrito over donuts, pastry, and cookies. Check out how fresh it is, though. What’s appealing early in the morning when the shelves are first stocked might not be so appealing at 10PM when it’s been sitting around all day and lots of people have picked up the sandwich, squeezed it, and put it back again.

Beef jerky or beef sticks (or nuggets) are good, portable protein snacks. A one-ounce serving usually has around 80 calories and 5 grams of fat or less.

A hard-boiled egg is a good choice, too. Just make sure it’s been refrigerated and hasn’t been sitting around for a couple of days!

If you really want crunchy stuff, stick with popcorn, pretzels, soy crisps, or baked or popped chips in single-serve bags to keep portions in check. Sometimes bags might look small, but contain multiple servings. Remember that the salty stuff will make you thirsty so stock up on water. There’s something to be said for snacks that take time to eat one by one when you’re driving.

Remember to drink water. It’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger so you can end up eating extra calories when a glass of water is really all you need. If plain water doesn’t cut it, try drinking flavored still or sparkling water. Dehydration can cause fatigue and there’s some evidence that even mild dehydration can slow metabolism and drain your energy.

8 Ways To Save Calories When You Order Fast Food

March 18, 2015 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Tip 1. Know your setting: pace yourself in the “speed eating” environment of fast food restaurants. Restaurant decor of fast food restaurants is not an accident — it is designed with the intention of getting you to eat and run. The red and gold color schemes in many fast food and Chinese restaurants encourage you to chow down quickly.

Tip 2. Go easy on sauces and dressings: There are lots of calories in mayo, sour cream, salad dressing and other “special” sauces, like those often found on burgers. The amount on your sandwich or salad often depends on the “hand” of the person preparing your food or how much you pour on. The best way to control this is to ask for the sauce or dressing on the side and add it (or not) by yourself. You really can do this — even in fast food burger places! Source: McDonald’s USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items

McDonald’s Creamy ranch Sauce (0.8 ounces): 110 calories, 110 calories from fat
Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame ginger Dressing ( 1.5 ounces) 90 calories, 25 calories from fat
McDonald’s Spicy Buffalo Sauce (0.8 ounces): 35 calories, 30 calories from fat
Newman’s Own Creamy Southwest Dressing (1.5 ounces): 120 calories, 70 calories from fat
Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing (2 ounces): 200 calories, 150 calories from fat
McDonald’s Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce (1 Package): 50 calories, no fat
McDonald’s Honey Mustard Sauce (0.8 ounces): 60 calories,, 35 calories from fat
McDonald’s Tartar Sauce Cup (1 ounce): 140 calories, 130 calories from fat

Tip 3. Opt for chicken or fish as long as it’s not fried/breaded/or called crispy – which is just an alias for fried. Order it grilled, baked or broiled. Another sauce alert: lots of the sauces have a ton of sugar in them. Make your best choice (check the labels or nutrition info) and dip sparingly. Source: McDonald’s USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items

McDonald’s Premium McWrap Chicken & Bacon (Crispy): 610 calories, 280 calories from fat
McDonald’s Premium McWrap Chicken & Ranch (Grilled): 450 calories, 160 calories from fat

Tip 4. Order your burger or chicken sandwich without bacon or cheese: A serving size of meat is about 3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards. You’re probably getting well over that with a single meat patty. One slice of bacon adds about 43 calories, but how many sandwiches come with only one slice? One slice of American cheese clocks in at 94 calories.

Tip 5. Do you really need (read “need” not “want”) fries, curly fries, potato sticks, or onion rings? You can order salad or a baked potato instead (as long as you don’t smother them in butter and/or sour cream or salad dressing). If you absolutely must have fries, order a small or a kid’s size. Large fries can tack on around 500 calories. Larger sizes may seem like a good “value” but the beefed up sizes also beef up the calories, fat, and sugar.

Tip 6. Avoid combo specials: they might have wallet appeal but you get, on average, 55% more calories for 17% more money. What’s more important, your waistline, or your wallet?

Tip 7. Survey the sides: Eating a burger or sandwich by itself is often filling enough. If you do want a side, consider ordering a fruit cup or side salad instead of French fries or onion rings. Most fast food restaurants now offer them. Source: McDonald’s USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items

McDonald’s Side Salad (3.1 ounces): 20 calories, no fat
McDonald’s Apple Slices (1.2 ounces): 15 calories, no fat
McDonald’s Large French Fries: 510 calories, 220 calories from fat
McDonald’s Medium French Fries: 340 calories, 140 calories from fat
McDonald’s Kids’ Fries: 110 calories, 50 calories from fat

Tip 8. Don’t drink your calories. Soda isn’t the only sugary drink. Sweetened tea, sports drinks, non-diet flavored water, juice, flavored milk, and shakes are sugary drinks, too. A 12-ounce can of coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar (about 10 teaspoons). Eight ounces of orange juice has 110 calories and 25 grams of carbs. At Burger King, a small classic coca cola has 190 calories and 51g carbs; a medium classic coca cola has 290 calories and 79 carbs. Decreasing – or eliminating — the amount of sugary soda that you drink is an easy way to save calories.

For 99 cents you can get the lowdown on Easter Candy. Check out my ebook Easter Candy Facts and Fun on Amazon. You’ll spend less than you would on jelly beans. It’s also way fewer calories than a chocolate bunny!

Do You Sit In The Fat Or Skinny Area Of A Restaurant?

January 15, 2015 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 7 Comments

Choose your seat carefully. According to Brian Wansink, Director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, where you sit in a restaurant does have an effect on how much you eat!

Scratching your head yet?

After mapping the layout of 27 restaurants across the country and analyzing what and where customers ate, here are some general findings and recommendations from Wansink and his team:

Diners who sit the farthest from the door eat the fewest salads and they are 73% more likely to order dessert.
People who sit at darkly lit tables or in booths eat fattier foods.
Diners who sit within two tables from the bar, drink, on average, three more beers or mixed drinks (based on a table of four) than a group even one table farther away.
Diners order healthier foods when they sit by a window or in a well-lit area. Wansink speculates that seeing sunlight, people, or trees might make you think about how you look which, in turn, might make you think about walking — which could prompt you to order a salad.
People at uncomfortable high-top tables tend to choose salads and order fewer desserts, perhaps because it’s harder to slouch or spread out.
Conspicuous consumption, or eating in an area where other people can see you, seems to cut down on overeating. If it’s darker, Wansink thinks you might feel more “invisible.” Since it’s not too easy to see how much you’re eating, you feel less conspicuous or guilty.
The “fat” table? Try near the TV screen. The closer you sit to the screen, the more fried food you’ll probably eat because you’re distracted and likely to order seconds and refills.

**Some additional findings in Wansink’s book, Slim by Design:**

Skinny people face away from the buffet when they eat.
Thinner people choose smaller plates. It takes less food to fill up the plate causing you to eat smaller portions.
Diners sitting at high-top tables tend to order more fish and salads.
Diners at regular tables order more vegetarian entrees and more vegetable sides.
Diners at tables near the window have fewer drinks and have more side salads.
Diners at tables closer to the TV screen and the bar order more chicken wings and drinks.
Diners in booths order more ribs and desserts.

Do You Eat A Bread And Butter (or oil) Meal Before Your Meal?

September 25, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Have you been known to invade the breadbasket with gusto as soon as it lands on the table?

Then do you mindlessly continue to munch before and during your meal either because you’re hungry or because the bread is there for easy nibbling or for sopping up gravy or sauce?

Butter or Oil?

Olive oil for bread dipping is giving butter some stiff competition. Olive oil arrives green or golden, plain, herbed or spiced. It can be plopped down on your table, or poured with a flourish. Some restaurants offer a selection for dipping – and attempt to educate you about the variation in flavors depending upon the olives’ country of origin.

Butter can also appear in many forms. It still may still arrive in shiny foil packets – what would a diner be without them – or mounded in pretty dishes and sprinkled with sea salt or blended with various fruits or herbs.

Don’t be misled by the presentation — butter and oil, although delicious, are high calorie, high fat foods. Certain oils may be heart healthy, but they are still caloric.

Who Takes In More Calories – Butter Or Olive Oil Eaters?

Hidden cameras in Italian restaurants have shown that people who put olive oil on a piece of bread consume more fat and calories than if they use butter on their bread. But, the olive oil users end up eating fewer pieces of bread than the butter eaters.

In the study done by the food psychology laboratory at Cornell University, 341 restaurant goers were randomly given olive oil or blocks of butter with their bread. Following dinner, researchers calculated the amount of olive oil or butter and bread that was eaten.

The researchers found:

Olive oil users used 26% more olive oil on each piece of bread compared to block butter users (40 vs. 33 calories).
Olive oil users ate 23% less bread over the course of a meal than the people who used butter.
Although the olive oil users used a heavier hand than the butter users for what they put on individual slices of bread, over the course of the meal they ate less bread and oil.
Olive oil users took in 17% fewer bread calories: 264 calories (oil eaters) vs. 319 calories (butter eaters).

The Caloric Punch of Butter, Oil, And Bread

A tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, a tablespoon of butter has 102 calories, one pat of butter has around 36 calories.
Butter and oil are all fat; olive oil is loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fat, butter contains heart unhealthy saturated fat.
Bread varies significantly in calories depending on the type of bread and the size of the piece. Harder breads and breadsticks are often less caloric than softer doughy breads.
Most white bread and a small piece of French bread average around 90 to 100 calories a slice. Dinner rolls average 85 calories each.
If you’re eating Mexican food, bread may not appear, but a basket of chips adds around 500 calories.