Thursday, January 20, 2011

When Walmart comes to town we all get chubbier

Add this to the list of societal ills we can blame on Walmart. According to a study by the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, when a Walmart opens in town . . . everyone in town gets CHUBBIER.


--The researchers found that a new Walmart translated to an average weight gain of 1.5 pounds per person over the next decade. It also boosts the area's obesity rate by 2.3%.


--They believe this is because food is cheaper at Walmart . . . and those cheap foods aren't usually the ones that are good for you. (Montreal Gazette)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Six "Healthy" Foods That Might Be Ruining Your Diet:

Six "Healthy" Foods That Might Be Ruining Your Diet:


If you've been trying to lose Holiday weight but can't, here's a list that might help. These are six foods that are usually considered healthy . . . but can actually make you gain weight . . .


#1.) Sushi. Obviously, a Philadelphia roll with cream cheese isn't the healthiest choice. But even a standard California roll can easily be five or six hundred calories.


--And soy sauce is loaded with sodium, which doesn't actually make you gain weight. But it makes you retain water so you LOOK like you gained weight.


#2.) Dried Fruit. Since it's dehydrated, one cup has five to eight times more calories than fresh fruit. For example, a cup of fresh grapes has about 60 calories in it, but a cup of raisins has 460.


#3.) Bran Muffins. They have a lot of fiber, which is good. But other than that, it's basically cake. A decent-sized bran muffin can have about 20 grams of fat, 400 calories, and 30 grams of sugar.


--In comparison, a Hostess Cup Cake has 7 grams of fat, 180 calories, and 20 grams of sugar.


#4.) Bottled Iced Tea. If it has sugar or honey in it, one bottle can have 150 to 200 calories, which is basically like a bottle of soda.


--And too much juice can ruin a diet too. A 16-ounce glass of orange juice or apple juice has about 55 grams of carbohydrates . . . which is the same as five pieces of bread.



#5.) Rice Cakes. They're fat-free and low in calories, but they have no fiber or protein. That's why you can eat three of them and still feel hungry. And the flavored ones are almost as bad as potato chips.



#6.) Tofu. The problem is it's too bland on its own. So if you order it at a restaurant, they'll add salt, butter, or sugar to make it taste better . . .which also makes it a lot less helpful if you're trying to lose weight.



(Cosmopolitan)

Thursday, January 6, 2011