Tag Archives: french fries

Look Again! Misleading Fast Food Ads Cause Kids to Identify Apple Slices as French Fries

When I was younger, elementary school age, I saw my mom cutting up what I believed to be peeled apples in the kitchen. I took a piece and ate it, only to be unpleasantly surprised at the raw potato in my mouth. I quickly learned that while potatoes and apples look the same when peeled and chopped, they certainly don’t taste the same.

child watching tv

New research from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center in New Hampshire indicates that many kids have a similar problem distinguishing apples from potatoes. Only this time, the kids were asked to tell the difference between apple slices and french fries in fast food advertising on networks like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

Since 2024, fast food restaurants have been in agreement to include healthy foods in their advertising targeted at children. It was hoped kids could be encouraged to eat healthier foods with their meals. Of course, if kids don’t recognize the healthy food, the plan doesn’t work.

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Posted on April 2, 2024 by Elizabeth

The 11 Most Criminal Examples of Food Gone Too Far

Have you ever seen a picture or video of food that made you sick just from looking at it? That’s what happened when we saw a video from the Travel Channel’s popular show Man v. Food. The dish was so piled with meats, cheeses, sauces, and who knows what else, it could no longer be identified as food.

We know that food challenges aren’t the only culprit when it comes to shameful servings, so we decided to come up with a rap sheet for the worst food felons. Here’s our Most Wanted list of top culinary criminals starting with the simply overindulgent and ending with the disgustingly gluttonous.

green tea latte

Wanted for: Imitating a Healthy Beverage – Green Tea Latte
Starting off our list is the deceptive Green Tea Latte from Starbucks. Getting a venti (20 oz.) of this beverage with whole milk will cost you 500 calories and 71 grams of sugar. So much for the idea of green tea always being a healthy choice.

disney ice cream sandwiches

Wanted for: Ridiculous Use of Sugar – Ice Cream Sandwiches
Disney, it’s a happy, magical place. It’s also a place where you can get ice cream sandwiches as big as your face. The two homemade chocolate chip cookies and three heaping scoops of ice cream are delicious, but I speak from experience when I say you’ll have sugar shakes and nausea for hours after eating.

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Posted on January 24, 2024 by Elizabeth

Still Not Satisfried – Burger King Debuts a Lower Fat French Fry That isn’t Any Healthier

  • On Tuesday, Burger King debuted their new “Satisfries,” which have 40 percent less fat and 30 percent fewer calories than their traditional french fries.
  • It took Burger King 10 years to engineer a special batter that would absorb less oil while still maintaining a crispy exterior. Operative word – engineered. Cheryl Forberg, RD, the nutrition expert for Biggest Loser, told us, “The new fry appears to be more processed, more of a potato product with some type of batter that absorbs less oil.”
  • A regular sized order of the crinkle cut “Satisfries” contains 340 calories, 14g of fat, and 370mg of sodium, so these fries are healthyishnot healthy. A medium order of their standard fries has 403 calories, 17g of fat, and 572mg of sodium.
  • “One out of every two Burger King guests orders our classic French fries and we know our guests are hungry for options that are better for them,” said Burger King president Alex Macedo.
  • While these fries may be healthier than their fast food counterparts, taste tests have proved people prefer the greasy, hi-fat old standbys. However, BK must be doing something right, their stock rose 0.2 percent yesterday.

Get More Information: The Daily Beast, Bloomberg

Satisfries (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Patrick

Sriracha Oven Fries: The Way to a Hot Sauce Fan’s Spicy Heart

Sriracha lovers are a special breed. The hot pepper sauce is the equivalent of Asian ketchup – die-hard fans, like my friend Kenton, will put it on almost anything. And the more the better. So when Lay’s announced the finalists for its Do Us a Flavor contest this spring, and Sriracha was one of the three flavors Americans wanted most, I knew many of my friends wouldn’t be able to resist.

sriracha oven fries text

But then, Sriracha didn’t win. The Garlic Cheesy Bread did. So what were my friends like Kenton to do when they crave that crunchy, spicy, impossible-to-pronounce condiment? Well, turn to us, of course!

Sriracha oven fries rack

Snack or side, these Sriracha Oven Fries are super simple, exceptionally crisp, and as spicy as your tender taste buds can handle. (more…)

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Natalie K

Health Buzz June 8: Fitbloggin’ Tickets, Fat to Fit Trainer, and a Vegetarian Weekend Dinner

Two Ways to Win a Ticket to Fitbloggin’ 2024

Find out how to win a trip to Fitbloggin’ 2024! The third annual fitness blogging conference will be held in Baltimore during the month of September. DIR, along with hundreds of veterans and new fitness and health bloggers, will learn, play, and work out with others during September 20-23.

Miss USA 2024 Stays Fit with Zumba and a Small Meal Diet

Judges in Las Vegas crowned Olivia Culpo of Rhode Island as the new Miss USA. Olivia hasn’t always had a bikini ready body. The beauty queen gives detail of how she stays fit and healthy.

Drew Manning Completes Fat to Fit Journey by Losing 70 pounds

Most people dream of having a fit body, but for Drew Manning experimenting with his fit physique was an experience he will never forget. Drew Manning, a personal trainer, went from fit to fat to fit in a one-year time span. Drew documents his journey for others to prove to the world getting an over-weight body fit takes time and dedication. (more…)

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Samantha

The Fast Food Habits of Men

Ladies, we men are pretty easy to figure out. Most of us enjoy sports, think about sex a lot, love grilling meat and drinking brews on the weekend, and then thinking about sex some more.

If I’m to take a new survey of men’s fast food eating habits to heart, I’d say we are pretty predictable in that department as well. Market research company Lab42 conducted an online survey of 18- to 35-year-old men via social networks, all of whom admitted to frequenting fast food joints. Here is some of what they found out:

  • McDonald’s is at the top of the heap, with 90 percent of the men saying they went there at least once in the past month. (more…)
Posted on June 27, 2024 by Jason

We Love Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

As if keeping your dinner entrees interesting wasn’t task enough, what about the side dishes? It’s easy to fall in to a culinary rut, no matter how much you do or don’t like cooking. Personally, I love cooking. I don’t think it’s stressful to make dinner, I actually enjoy it. And while a lot of people like taking short-cuts, like buying pre-chopped vegetables or pre-shredded cheese, I enjoy taking on each of those steps in the preparation. But like everyone else, I too seem to serve the same roasted veggies and salad all. the. time.

When I stumbled upon the Alexia food products in my grocer’s natural food section, I hemmed and hawed over whether to even buy them. I bypassed everything that I know I could easily make myself, and took home a bag of the Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. Why? Because 1) side dishes get monotonous at my house and we needed something new, and 2) I’ve yet to conquer the sweet potato fry. Mine come out limp, wilty and nothing more than a chunk of mushy sweet potato. (more…)

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Natalie K

Top 10 Worst Foods for Your Workout

Below is a list of the top ten foods that you shouldn’t eat, especially if you exercise consistently every day.

Each food below is known to hinder the results of exercise. Most of the foods below will make you feel sluggish, fat, and will reduce your overall energy levels throughout the course of your exercise routines. Food for thought!

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Posted on December 29, 2023 by Matt

Morbidly Obese Eat Free at Heart Attack Grill

There are fast food restaurants, and then there are fast food restaurants that put the rest of them to shame. Such is the case with the oft maligned Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, AZ.

Profiled in the media for their insane menu, which consists of the biggest burgers available (called the single, double, triple and quadruple bypass burgers), fries deep fried in lard, butterfat shakes, no filter cigarettes and Jolt Cola, they’ve recently come under fire for their newest promotion and spokesman.

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Posted on November 18, 2024 by Carmen

Wendy’s New “Natural” Fries Are No Different

In the latest twist towards more “real” food, Wendy’s is rolling out new french fries. The fast food giant is introducing fries that are thinner, smaller, and crispier than the current offerings. The revamped sides are made with Russet potatoes, with the skin left on, and topped with sea salt. The fries were transformed to appeal to a more diverse and upscale palate.

“We want every ingredient to be a simple ingredient, to be one you can pronounce and one your grandmother would recognize in her pantry,” said Ken Calwell, Wendy’s chief marketing officer.  “People want foods that are less processed,” he continued, “and by leaving the skins on, it reminds people where the fries come from.” Testing done by the company indicates that many consumers feel that fries are processed foods. In addition, there is a common misconception that sea salt is healthier. (more…)

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Carmen

A McDonald’s Hamburger: 145 Days Later

McDonald's Hamburger after 145 DaysOne of the eating guidelines in Michael Pollan‘s Food Rules is to eat things that will eventually rot. Things like meat, fruits and vegetables, all eventually decompose, returning them to the organic cycle from which they came. Foods that don’t go bad, from Twinkies to Spam, have been highly processed. Not only are processed foods often full of synthetic chemicals, they’ve also been stripped of many of the nutrients that your body needs yet are still full of empty calories.

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Posted on September 2, 2024 by Margaret