Bad food? Too bad

By Kelsey C. Blackwell
Medill Reports - Chicago

The original five-flavor Rainbow Cone. The three-cheese potato crust pizza at Tata's. A juicy Top-Notch burger. A steak burrito with everything from Burrito Station. Meals you can't live without ... or meals you should live without? We're hearing that you might want to skip out on many of them.

Oh, and while you're at it, put that pie crust down.

In fact, you may want to forget about dinner altogether. An analysis from the Center for Science in the Public Interest outlines the 10 foods we should never, under any circumstance, let pass our lips unless we want to risk heart attack or stroke.

"These foods were picked because their calorie contents were so surprising," said Jayne Hurley, a senior nutritionist at the center who helped compile the information. "We wanted to bring attention to these foods so people could think about how to make them better."

The artery-clogging roundup includes many of our faves: Frozen chicken pot pie, deep-fried chicken strips, cheesecake, ice cream, suped-up coffee drinks, cheesy pasta dishes, multiple-pattied hamburgers, canned soups, giant burritos and ice cream shakes.

The information appears in the center's September Nutrition Action Health Letter.

The outlined offenders are charged with the usual crimes: partially hydrogenated oils, high sodium, calories that are off the charts and shockingly high sugars - all things that Seattle Sutton vehemently avoids. Sutton is a registered nurse and founder of Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, an Illinois-based healthy meal replacement company.

Sutton founded the now-nationwide operation 22 years ago to help those who want to eat healthy but don't want to spend too much time thinking about it. Her calorie-controlled meals highlight fruits and vegetables and have all been taste tested, according to her Web site.

Both Sutton and Hurley say if one of your favorites makes the do-not-eat list, there are ways to save it. They offer advice on five items with Jennifer K. Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to turn these foods from nutritional nightmares to something both you and your body can love.

* Pepperidge Farm Roasted White Meat Chicken Pot Pie
"In each pie you're up to 31 grams of artery-clogging fat - that's far more than a day's allotment," the study says.
Calories: 1,020
Saturated Fat: 31 grams (13 are trans fats)
Advice: "Making your own pot pie sans gravy is a good idea," Nelson says. "Even better would be a vegetable stew, and instead of the crust have a whole grain roll on the side."

* McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Chicken Breasts
"Ounce for ounce, the selects are no healthier than the nuggets," the study says.
Calories: Five strips total 630 calories
Saturated Fat: 11 grams
Advice: "Anytime you fry something it's going to be bad," Sutton says. "Ask for the grilled sandwich or make it at home in the oven."

* The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Cheesecake
"Prime rib for dessert," the study says.
Calories: 610
Saturated Fat: 29 grams
Advice: "Cream cheese is good because it has a lot of protein," Sutton says. "It's just when you add all those extra sugars that it goes south. Your best bet is portion control and to read labels online before going."

* Starbucks Venti Café Mocha
"A quarter pounder with cheese in a cup," the study says.
Calories: 490
Saturated Fat: 16 grams
Advice: "Another one where calories sneak up on the list," Hurley says. "There's a Starbucks on every corner, but we don't go here for a meal, we go for a cup of coffee or a snack. Instead, in some cases people are walking out with a milk shake. All you have to do is get fat-free milk and skip the whipped cream."

* Chipotle Chicken Burrito
"Three six-inch Subway steak-and-cheese subs"
Calories: 1,180
Saturated Fat: 19 grams
Sodium: 2,900 mg
Advice: "Beans are full of nutrients rather than rice," Hurley says. "Ask for plenty of salsa and go light on the guacamole. Skip the tortilla entirely."

OK, now that we've heard about why some of these foods are soooo bad for us, let's turn things around: Log on and give us your input about what local foods are so bad they're good.