Bariatric Newsletters
For My Bariatric Patients from Dr. J. Barry McKernan
SEPTEMBER 2006 |
Be sure to hear Dr. McKernan on
AM1620 or via internet at www.radiosandysprings.com
every Thursday morning from 9-10 am. |
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What Are We Eating?
It happens everyday...someone, somewhere is going to eat "out"!!! It does not matter what you know or who says it to you, eating out is a fact of life. Don't apologize for trying to enjoy one of America's favorite past-times. Ever since the fast-food revolution, Americans have been eating out more and more.
Since having bariatric surgery, you know you can't eat the volume you once did. We still view food the same, but, how about making smarter, wiser decisions when eating out. Don't feel bad if you don't always make the right decision. Read about a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health. People everywhere pick the wrong food everyday and greatly underestimate the caloric and fat content. .
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| The study is about a person's perception of what is healthy and what was unhealthy in regards to restaurant food. The premise of the study was to have participants estimate the calories and fat from several restaurant entrees. |
| These three were picked for being considered "Healthy".-- grilled chicken breast, pot roast, and turkey sandwich. Calories ranged from 370 to 640. Fat grams ranged from 6 to 26 grams. |
| The less than healthy options included -- hamburger with fries, chef's salad, fettuccine Alfredo. This catagory ranged from 930 calories to 1660 with the fat grams from 63 to 97. |
| The last item was...cheese fries with ranch dressing. Are you ready for this? 3,010 calories and 217 grams of fat. |
THE RESULTS: when it came to estimating the calorie count of the less healthful entrees, respondents underestimated the number by an average of 642 calories -- or nearly 50%. The calorie content of the cheese fries with ranch dressing was underestimated by 2,000 calories!
This study was performed by the University of Arkansas and suggest requiring restaurants to print nutritional information on menus. This could save the average diner 30,000 extra calories a year (since the average person eats 600 extra calories at a restaurant each week). Those 30,000 calories add up to NINE pounds a year.
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Source: Burton, S. American Journal of Public Health, September 2006, vol 96.
Source: www.webmd.com |
