entertainment coupon: What's really in our food and drink?

As we sit down at night contemplating dinner, we are bombarded with advertisements on the TV to fill that aching gap in our stomach.? So what do we choose, the high calorie takeaway, a hearty feel-good home cooked meal or a healthy fresh vegetable dominated meal? Here?s what not to choose!

It?s no secret that the binge drinking and takeaway foods we heavily consume in this country are adding to the growing obesity epidemic.? But what is it that makes them so bad? Low fat, low carb, lite, healthy choice, are all the buzz words that very clever marketers use to get you hooked on making the better choice. But what it all comes down to are the calories you consume.

Let?s take a look at a recent buzz word ?low carb?. Almost overnight carbohydrates (the fuel the brain needs to function and the fuel for exercise) became the devil.? Why they all of a sudden became the enemy I?m still not certain.? So let?s take a look at the great low carb beer.? You can choose either the low carb option such as Export 33 with 129 calories per standard serve (330ml), this little beauty only has 1.3g of the evil carbohydrates or alternatively a Lion Red (330ml) has only 109 calories with 2.9g of carbohydrates.? How can the healthy option contain more calories than the supposed unhealthy option?

The danger is the alcohol content of beer and all other alcoholic drinks for that matter.? For example an Amstel Light contains a mere 110 calories per serve (330ml) with an alcohol content of 2.4% which equates to 0.7 of a standard drink.? At the other end of the scale Monteith?s Original with a 4% alcohol content has a whopping 190 calories per standard drink (330ml).? Therefore we can see that the choice of beer we drink can dramatically change the amount of calories we consume.

Alcohol contains approximately 7 calories per gram whereas carbohydrate and protein contain 4 calories per gram.? Fat on the other hand has approximately 9 calories per gram.? Therefore if you are trying to lose weight and reduce your body fat, drinking alcohol is not the smartest option.? Sure you can enjoy the odd drink here and there but drinking 2-3 glasses of wine a night can add more than 1500 extra calories a week which is seriously detrimental to your weight loss efforts.? Enjoy the good things in life and limit the intake to special occasions, trust me you will enjoy it so much more.

Now for those who don?t drink beer here is a comparison for other alcoholic drinks.? Wine as many New Zealanders love to drink can vary with a standard glass containing 80-100 calories.? One standard drink of wine is only 100ml.? Typically in restaurants and bars you are served anything from 140-170ml for a glass.?? Your RTD?s contain very high amounts of energy due to both the alcohol and sugar content; typically well over the 200 calorie mark for a 6% alcohol drink; however some drinks contain even higher percentages of alcohol which increases the calorie content.

One standard shot of spirits is just under 30mls and typically contains around 80 calories for 37% alcohol content. ?When you add a mixer a simple gin and tonic can escalate to over 200 calories.? If for some reason you enjoy the classic long island ice tea you are looking at over 700 calories in the one drink.? Try dancing that off on a night out!

Now the big players in the fast food industry wanting our hard earned dollars spend millions trying to convince us that their products provide the best taste, value and happiness.? Only in the last 5 years has this industry grown a conscience and tried to provide healthy options.? Take the classic McDonalds.? I do applaud their efforts in the salad department and finally now using 100% chicken breast, but how many of us actually step inside a place surrounded by large signs of delicious looking burgers, fries and other treats and order that salad?? My point is, McD?s marketing is only targeted at getting you in the door, once inside your trapped.? My advice is just say no!

What about the calories in common fast foods.? A Kiwi favourite KFC has a very large variety of options.? Typically people go for the combo?s of a couple of pieces of chicken (237cal each), regular seasoned chips (215cal), regular potato and gravy (76cal) bread roll (120cal), snack popcorn chicken (219cal) and a large drink (Pepsi at 251cal).? This adds up to over 1300 calories in one sitting.? That is well over half the recommended calorie intake for both men and women.? Alternatively you could choose a grilled chicken salad (144cal), or chicken fillets (159cal per piece).? Be careful with what you believe some of the healthy options are.? The danger is in the sauces and coatings often piled on such as your pepper mayo twister (579cal) or hot and spicy fillets (272cal per piece).

If all of this information is a bit too much to take in, you can always visit the websites of your favourite takeaway outlet and see what better choices you could make and also see the real nutritional value of what you are eating.? Remember the aim of marketers is to get you in the door, once inside it is up to you to make the right decision.

Disclaimer: I am in no way tied to any company to advertise or promote their products.? Nutritional information was sourced from official suppliers.