The Worst "Mall Food" Ever

The weather's getting nicer, but there's one indoor place you can't resist going to, sometimes on even the sunniest days: the mall. And whether you blame stress, shopping fatigue, or the irresistible smell of food-court treats slamming your senses from the minute you walk in the door, you'll probably end up chowing down at the mall during your shopping trip. Here's the danger: Studies have shown that the more temptation people resist, the harder it becomes to continue resisting.

That means after hours of being surrounded by tempting sales, special offers, and life-changing, one-time deals, your ability to resist the enticing edibles of the food court may be severely compromised. And considering the industrial strength calorie bombs we found this week, a lack of willpower in the presence of mall eateries can be a very dangerous thing. What follows is a list of the worst foods we discovered in our scramble to save shoppers serious calories. Proceed with caution.

"MOST FAT" in a Breakfast Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun

• 1,100 calories
• 56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)
• 141 g carbs
• 47 g sugars

FAT EQUIVALENT: 8 White Castle Hamburgers

Cinnabon and malls are inseparable. But just because Cinnabon might be good for the Gap doesn't mean it's at all good for you. This dangerously bloated bun -- among these Fattiest Foods in America -- contains nearly an entire day's worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. Reconsider your breakfast or snack options, but if you absolutely must eat something, make it Stix. Cinnabon Stix

• 379 calories
• 21 g fat (6 g saturated, 4 g trans)
• 41 g carbs
• 14 g sugars

"MOST SUGAR" in a Drink Smoothie King

• Grape Expectations II (40 oz)
• 1,096 calories
• 0 g fat (0 g saturated)
• 266 g carbs
• 250 g sugars

SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 13 Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Smoothie King calls this a way to "snack right"; we call it one of the quickest ways to pack on extra pounds. Even if most of the sugar comes from some form of fruit or fruit juice (in this case, ultra-sweet grape juice), the resulting blood-sugar surge (and inevitable energy crash) from this much sweetness may leave you struggling to find that perfect gift for your friend's birthday. Drink This Instead: Slim-N-Trim Orange-Vanilla 20 oz

• 250 calories
• 1 g fat (0 g saturated)
• 46 g carbs
• 38 g sugars

"MOST SODIUM" in a Soup Au Bon Pain Large Macaroni and Cheese Stew with Bread Bowl

• 1,120 calories
• 42 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)
• 3,070 mg sodium
• 157 g carbs

SODIUM EQUIVALENT: 22 small orders of McDonald's French Fries!

Whether it's made from a giant fried tortilla or a massive hunk of sourdough, if you r serving vessel is edible, you're asking for trouble. In this case, the bread bowl adds a belly-building 600 calories to what is already one of America's most decadent, over-the-top spoonables. If soup's your thing, you'll have a hard time keeping the sodium down no matter which bowl you order; good, old-fashioned tomato soup is as good as you'll do at Au Bon Pain. Eat This Instead: Medium Old Fashioned Tomato Soup

• 200 calories
• 7 g fat (3 g saturated)
• 1,150 mg sodium
• 27 g carbs

"MOST CALORIES" in a Sandwich Quizno's Large Tuna Melt Club with cheese and dressing

• 1,820 calories
• 147 g fat (27 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
• 2,020 mg sodium
• 85 g carbs

CALORIC EQUIVALENT: 12 Taco Bell Fresco Style Beef Tacos

Tuna off the grill or straight from the can is perfectly healthy; tuna drowning in mayonnaise, blanketed in melted cheese, and slicked with oily dressing is decidedly not. Not only does this sandwich carry with it nearly an entire day's worth of calories and sodium, it also contains as much fat as 49 strips of bacon.

Eat This Instead: Small Tuna Melt, no cheese, no dressing

• 500 calories
• 33 g fat (5 g saturated)
• 630 mg sodium
• 37 g carbs

5 Proven Ways to Raise Your Metabolism

"Metabolism" is the name of the bodily system that converts food calories to energy needed to perform various tasks, like pumping oxygen to muscles during a long walk. Many variables contribute to your metabolism, including heredity, gender and age. But you can quicken yours; here's how.

• Exercise more. When you walk, run, or lift weights, you increase the energy required of your body, which raises your metabolism then, and for hours afterward. "It's not a huge spike, but it definitely makes a difference," says Gary Miller, PhD, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
  

• Work out with weights. During weight training, muscle tissue is stressed; afterward, it's repaired -- which raises metabolism. A woman who strength trains three times a week for six months can build enough muscle to burn 100 to 320 extra calories a day, according to Robert Wolfe, PhD, professor of geriatrics at the University of Arkansas.

• Practice portion control. This helps ensure you don't overload your metabolism with a surplus of unusable energy (that is, food). Use a food scale or measuring cups to identify proper portions. Or use your hand as a guide. A fist equals a serving of fruit, a cupped hand equals a serving of cereal or grains, two cupped handfuls equal a serving of leafy green vegetables and an open palm equals a serving of meat.

• Eat smaller meals more often. Some experts recommend eating smaller meals throughout the day, known as grazing. "Grazing helps normalize blood sugar levels rather than producing three large spikes, which is what happens eating three meals a day," says Nick Flynn, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.

• Be Happy. When researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, put people into a "metabolic chamber" (a small room that measures heat output in order to calculate a person's metabolic rate) and showed them funny videos, the subjects' metabolic rates rose by 10 to 40 calories. It's a small increase, but every calorie counts for those seeking weight loss, says lead researcher Maciej Buchowksi, PhD. It's also a lot more fun that doing lunges.

Are These 3 Foods Making You Fat?

It's easy to let yourself be fooled into thinking the things you eat are healthy. Foods dressed in crafty packaging lead you to believe they will help you lose weight.

But do they?

The truth is that most of the time the only thing special about the so-called healthy food product is the clever marketing. Have you been fooled by the following foods?

So-Called Healthy Food #1: SALAD

Who doesn't get a self-righteous feeling when ordering a salad, right? Salads are healthy, and salads equal weight loss. Unfortunately, not anymore.

Salad in and of itself is a wonderful, healthy food. It is filled with nutrients and untouched by artificial additives. If only we left it at that.

Most salads on the menu today are loaded with fat laden extras. Croutons, tortilla strips, nuts, and even fried chicken (not the best source of protein). And let's not forget the salad dressing.

While you know that salad dressing isn't very healthy, you may not be aware of the staggering number of fat calorie packed in these dressings. Most people add between a quarter to a half a cup of dressing to their salad, and with the average creamy salad dressing weighing in at 8-12 grams of fat per tablespoon, you can see how an innocent collection of greens can quickly turn into a spare tire.

So-Called Healthy Food #2: 100 CALORIE PACKS

In the snack section of your local grocery store you've probably seen the attractively packaged "100 Calorie Packs." These light and airy snack packs send a subtle message that they are healthy and in line with your desire to drop the fat. I mean, how harmful can they be? Let's take a look at the snacks within the package. Here are the most popular:

• Oreo cookies
• Ritz snack mix
• Planter's peanut butter cookies
• Cheese Nips crackers
• Chips Ahoy cookies
• Shortbread cookie

Hmmm, that list sounds like junk food-doesn't it? These items are high in sugar, salt and fat, and they don't contain a grain of nutritional value. And let's be honest, most people don't eat just one pack...

So-Called Healthy Food #3: CEREAL

Can a box of cereal help you lose weight? That's the message being sent out by a handful of cereal brands, namely Special K. This cereal manufacturer has gone so far as to create the Special K Challenge, a program which claims to help drop 6 pounds in 2 weeks. The message that most consumers take away from the cereal commercials is "If I eat this brand of cereal then I will lose weight."

Wait, don't grab a bowl of your favorite cereal along with your skinny jeans just yet.

It's dangerous to think that any food item will promote weight loss, especially a food item that is high in simple carbohydrates. In the fine print you will see that the cereal claims to help lose weight when incorporated with a very low calorie diet, and that the cereal itself has no weight loss inducing power.

Making the Healthy Choice
As a rule of thumb ignore the bold claims on food packaging-the information you really need is listed on the nutrition label. Finding healthy food is simple when you use the following guidelines.

Eat Fresh: The healthiest food in the world is fresh, unprocessed whole foods. This includes fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains and legumes, and raw seeds and nuts. These fresh foods supply your body with vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are priceless to your health. When it comes to meat, poultry and dairy choose products that are grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free.

Set Limits: Let's be honest. Just because something is edible doesn't mean you should eat it. A key to healthy eating is to identify which items to limit or even eliminate from your diet.

• Cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your intake of cholesterol from food to less than 300 milligrams per day.
• Saturated Fat. Your intake of saturated fat should be less than 7% of your total daily calories.
• Trans Fat. It is recommended that you either eliminate trans fat from your diet or keep it under 1% of your total daily calories.
• Sugar. Most of us consume way more sugar than we should. Make a habit of checking the ingredient list of the foods you eat. If sugar is the first listed ingredient then you know that item is packed with sugar.

Look at the whole picture: A healthy diet consists of taking in a combination of fats, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals each day. Remember that eating too much of even healthy foods can lead to weight gain. All of the foods that you eat should fit together to form a well-balanced, calorie controlled diet.
The bottom line is that you should eat to live not live to eat. Your body will thank you for it.

Want more ideas on how to get the body of your dreams without starving yourself or doing boring exercise routines? Contact me today to get started on a fitness program that will change your body and improve your health.