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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Palate Just the Stats
by LEE GERSTEIN
2003-12-03

This article shared 2420 times since Wed Dec 3, 2003
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Obesity and Diabetes have been linked. Heart disease is an epidemic killer. Childhood obesity is at record levels. But those French fries are so good. Especially with barbecue sauce. I know, I know—everyone loves ketchup. But, you're not like everybody else, are you? Go for it. The grease and the tang of the sauce … can't be beat.

If you're going to go ahead and let the fat content bother you, why not just stop eating the fries, and save us all your guilty confessions as soon as you're finished eating. The rest of us, however, can still have a lot of fun calculating the horrific fat and calorie content of some of the favorite fast foods that have turned us into the faulty-heart, husky-pant-wearing fatties that we are. I recently spent a good couple of hours messing around on fatcalories.com, a site that allows you to pick specific fast food menu items, and compare them by fat grams, calories, sodium content, cholesterol, fiber, and more. I'll tell you now—the fiber content is always going to be the lowest, and the calories are always going to be your highest.

I began my search comparing various French fries. The big winner here was McDonald's large size, with 610 calories, 43 percent of which come just from fat. Next up was Burger King (600 calories, 45 percent from fat), Arby's Home style Fries (560 calories, 39 percent from fat), Wendy's (440 calories, 39 percent from fat), and Kentucky Fried Chicken's Potato Wedges. KFC's Wedges may have been lowest in calories (376) and percent from fat (37), but comes up as the big winner in sodium content, with an astonishing 1323 milligrams. That's 55 percent of all the sodium one should eat in an entire day. Compare that to 390 mg for McDonald's. If all of this doesn't scare you, then by all means visit the site today. You'll have lotsa laughs, and work up an appetite, which, of course, means a trip to Popeye's.

Not So Sweetie Pie

So, if there's no sugar in our French Fries, where can we indulge? Not in the usual place, apparently. These days, the evils of sugar are being trumpeted to a degree not heard since the 1970s. Food manufacturers are looking to sweeten their products, but in a more appealing way to their consumers, than simply by dumping in a barrel of sugar. Many current sugar replacements focus on hyper-sweet fakes, but these don't have sugar's textural and bulking qualities. Now, there's a crop of new choices beyond Splenda and Aspartame.

Brown rice Syrup is one of these. Derived by curing rice with enzymes to break it down, Brown Rice Syrup is really the liquid skimmed from above the rice that is cooked until it hits the required consistency. It is currently used to sweeten mostly alternative products aimed at the health food market, like Soy Delicious frozen desserts.

Hershey's is using the yummy-sounding Lacticol in its new sugar-free candy bars. Not only will this reduce overall calories, but also, as the package points out, 'Lactitol (a sugar substitute) is a slowly metabolized carbohydrate that generally causes only a small rise in blood glucose levels.' Exactly what Dr. Atkins ordered. So, what does the future bring? Tagatol. This product is still being tested, but offers a number of benefits. One of the benefits of Tagatol is that you can bake with it, and the foods actually brown. Another is intestinal health. That's right. This sweetener promotes healthy intestinal tracts (fermentation, bacteria growth—I mean, do you really want to know more?), and supposedly improves flavor and so-called mouthful feel of diet soda pops. The first commercial use of Tagatol is in Diet Pepsi Slurpees at 7-Eleven stores.

Dr. Evil

That's what pasta makers must be calling Dr. Atkins. With the Atkins Diet and other low-carb plans sweeping the nation, sales of dry pasta have actually decreased several percentage points in the last few years. Manufacturers are counting on loads of new convenience products to stimulate the market. How can you make pasta any easier than boiling water, you may ask, but your question simply proves you are not one of the extremely lazy.

Kraft's macaroni and cheese still holds about one quarter of the market, but new innovations include Campbell's Supper Bakes, Banquet's Home style Bakes, and Lipton's Sizzle and Stir meal kits. These are all aimed at diners who want a homey stick-to-your-ribs dinner, but fast and easy. Even kids are being courted, with Ragu Express and Kraft Easy Mac, meal kits designed to be prepared by children.

Faring worse than dry pasta is the prepared, refrigerated pastas. Considered up-market, these have seen their sales drop almost 15 percent. They are fighting back, with filled pastas, such as ravioli. Fillings include cheese or veggies, but also less traditional items, like crabmeat, lobster, or grilled chicken.


This article shared 2420 times since Wed Dec 3, 2003
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