captainchas

Running Tri'ing Flying

"This is about limits. Reaching them, exploring them, exceeding what you thought yours were. Then coming to the conclusion that there aren't any limits."

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Tag Archives: food

Taco Bell: To Beef or Not to Beef

Recently, a lawsuit was filed against Taco Bell claiming the company falsely advertised it’s “beef” in tacos as… “beef.” Some experts say the lawsuit will fail, because “most people understand that most Tacos don’t contain… beef.” Here are the points I consider relevant to this discussion, from various sources (Taco Bell Press Release, USA Today, Associated Press, and Fox News):

Taco Bell says its seasoned beef contains 88% USDA-inspected beef and the rest is water, spices and a mixture of oats, starch and other ingredients that contribute to the “quality of its product.” The company said it uses no extenders.

…

Fast food generally does contain additives, such as the “isolated oat product” (usually used as a flavor and moisture enhancer) found in Taco Bell’s meat, but experts say they’re no different than whats in processed foods sold in stores.

…

“There is nothing really frankenfood in here,” said Karen Ansel, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “These are in a lot of foods we eat.” (Hey Karen – Maybe that’s why we have an obesity and diabetes problem in this country? -ed)

…

Attorney Dee Miles said attorneys had Taco Bell’s “meat mixture” tested and found it contained less that 35 percent beef.

Okay, what is being missed here is one simple thing: Even if Taco Bell is correct… does anybody find it somewhat well… gross.. to know that 12% of what you are eating isn’t actually meat? I mean “Spices” would not reduce the percent of meat going in to your mouth. Apparently, that 12% is stuff “commonly found in processed foods.” So, that makes it okay according to American Dietetic Association.

That’s sad. I mean, I guess we always knew Taco Bell was crap food (a quick search of the internet will reveal more than a few nasty opinions on the food quality) and a reason why some experts and lawyers figure the suit will fail – we already expect and know that Taco Bell food is low quality. So, just because we are arguing over just how low quality the meat is, doesn’t mean the lawsuit will win. Taco Bell will win because – it’s food is nasty crap, and we know it when we buy it. Admittedly, the 3am “munchy” run because you’re drunk or high is probably the number one revenue generator for the company, and when you’re in that state, you actually want to eat nasty, because it tastes soooooooooo good to our little drunken brain cells staggering around in our brain.  Count me guilty on that one.

Maybe that could be a new advertising campaign for the company…

So back to what I’ve said before: Simply cooking your own food, from fresh ingredients, will do amazing things to health. These chemicals and concoctions, like Ice Cream Sundaes or Chocolate Malts (I love Chocolate Malts), may be safe in moderation, but the problem is, like ice-cream, we rarely eat the frankenfood sparingly.

Personally, whomever is right in this lawsuit – I just find the whole thing disgusting. Another reason I don’t like fast food.

I guess, ultimately, if you must eat Taco Bell, order everything without the meat, and garnish it instead with lettuce. sour cream and tomatoes. I’ve heard their Mexican pizza’s are really good that way.

Calorie tracking and livestrong.com

livestrong.com

Although many of us ditch any form of tracking our calories through the holiday season, there are still others who, while indulging on the day of the holiday, still want to end the week with a reasonable calorie count. Let’s face it: No matter what plan you may be on, you can’t defeat physics. Day to day doesn’t matter, but if at the end of the week the numbers show you having consumed more than you’ve burned, your weight is sure to increase.

Now, I try to eat at home as much as possible, eating fresh fruit and veggies and yummy healthy recipes (which I’ll be adding here soon, really), and that keeps tracking my calories very easy. But even I am tempted by the siren song of holiday meals: So how am I supposed to determine my calories when eating out?

There are many resources to determine just that, but one of my favorites is “My Plate”, now a part of the http://www.livestrong.com website. There, you can find over 625,000 foods already in their database (everything from Five Guys Hamburgers to Dairy Queen Smoothies). On the website you can also track your calories consumed, and earn badges and other recognition.

Since I use trainingpeaks to track almost everything, I don’t use their tracking, but I do use their database to get an idea of just how many calories I’m consuming – and often, how a small change can make a huge difference in calories (just eliminating mayonnaise often eliminates over 200 calories).

But what if you’re in the airport, it’s late, you’re starving, you’ve been traveling all day, and the only thing open is Burger King? What to do?

Well, oddly enough one of the best websites for looking at calories from a restaurant is actually Burger King. On their website, under menu-nutrition, you can build your entire meal, including condiments, and see just how many calories you’ll be consuming with that happy meal (and how much saturated fat, salt, etc). You can even remove and add condiments to see how that will effect your total.

So all is not lost this holiday season – enjoy your “Free” days of cookies and cake. And don’t obsess over every calorie. But if you want to have an idea of just how many calories that Chocolate Cake from Denny’s might be: livestrong.com and my plate is the place to look.