Processed foods should be kept at a minimum. I know it’s so hard for so many people to give up processed foods because they are seemingly so convenient, but at what cost?

Processed foods as the name would imply are not REAL foods and therefore don’t contain any REAL nutritional value.

Processed foods in my opinion are to blame for a lot of the obesity issues in North America. As the America Diet becomes the norm around the globe many countries are now dealing with many of the healthy issues that have been associated with the U.S. for so long.

>>> I wrote a post on the fastest countries on the planet and if you’ve missed it, you can catch it here: 10 fattest countries in the world: Obesity Statistics

Recently I found a great Q & A from Nutrition Data where nutritionist Monica Reinagel answered a few questions from readers who wanted to know “How far do we need to go to avoid processed foods?”

You’ll find the answers quite telling:

How do you define processing?

Think of processing as a spectrum.  On one end of the spectrum, you might have a raw ear of corn. On the other end might be corn chips. In its journey from one end of the spectrum to the other, the raw corn is cut off the cob, cooked, dried, ground, combined with sugar, salt, and fat, shaped into chips, and fried.

We’d all immediately recognize corn chips as “processed” food. But where exactly do we draw the line between unprocessed and processed?  As soon as we cut the ear off the cob? When we boil it? When we grind it into flour? When we add sugar, salt, and preservatives? When we fry it?

People are going to draw that line in different places.  Some might consider cooked corn OK but ground cornmeal too processed.  I’d probably draw the line a step later, when the sugar, salt and preservatives are added.  But it’s obviously somewhat arbitrary.

Q. I am trying to reduce the amount of processed foods in my diet, and I recently learned that soy milk is a processed food; which leads me to wonder whether cow’s milk and other dairy products are also considered “processed”?   Would I be better off taking a supplement to get my vitamin D and calcium?

A. Yes, soybeans are cooked and pressed to make plain soy milk.  Commercially available cow’s milk is skimmed, homogenized, and pasteurized. So, both are “processed.” However, either one would be considerably less processed than a vitamin supplement, don’t you think?

I think the movement away from processed foods is a great idea!  But if avoiding “processed” foods means that you need to take a vitamin supplement to supply missing nutrients, I think you may have missed the point of the exercise!

Cooked vegetables and pasteurized milk are technically “processed foods.” And there are those who will argue that uncooked vegetables and unpasteurized milk are better for you. But I really don’t think we need to go that far to improve the nutritional quality of most people’s diets.

>>> If you are looking for ways to reduce the amount of processed foods you buy, let famed nutrition/food writer Michael Pollan guide you. This is the shortest read you’ll ever need to set you on the write course to a better health!

* Here’s what Pollan has to say about reducing processed foods from your diet:

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize.

2. Don’t eat cereal that changes the color of your milk.

3. Eat more food that comes without packaging.

4. Look for foods with fewer than 5 ingredients in the ingredient list.

5. Avoid things made with ingredients that you don’t recognize as food.

6. Eat more whole intact grains and less flour.

7. Eat most of your fruit whole and unprocessed.

8. Eat at least some of your vegetables raw every day.

Michael Pollan is the author of these acclaimed books:

1. Omnivore’s Dilemma

> You can read my original review here: Omnivore’s Dilemma is a must read!

2. Defense of Food

3. Food Rules

If you have mastered the art of successfully reducing processed foods from your diet, I’d love to hear your tips. Do share them by leaving them in the comment box below:

This adapted from NutritionData

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There is no shortage of foods that will keep you fat or make you fat, but foods that are really bad for you are on a different scale.

It’s now becoming more and more popular to finger certain foods as those that are bad for you and in some cases, foods that will darn right kill you!

If you’ve not yet seen the list of 10 worst foods published by Nutrition Action, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to the list.

>>> The 10 worst foods you can buy, as published by Nutrition Action:

1. Cold Stone Creamery “Gotta Have It Founder’s Favorite”: the chocolate-dipped waffle bowl topped with ice cream, pecans, brownie pieces, fudge, and caramel represent a whopping 1,600 calories and 42 grams of saturated fat. That’s equivalent to eating five single-scoop ice cream cones!!!

2. Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream: Don’t bother calling this a coffee because it’s really a dessert. In fact, it’s way worse than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It comes at a staggering 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. Remember women only need about 2,000 calories a day, while men need 2,500 calories and this Starbucks drink eats up a lot of your allotted calories for the day.

3. Pillsbury Grands! Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll with Icing: If you are used to preparing those at home during the weekend, you might think again because they contain 310 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat plus 2 ½ grams of trans fat (the worst kind of fat and experts recommend capping it at no more than 2 grams for the entire day) and 23 grams of sugar. Cinnamon buns in my opinion are one of the worst inventions because they are so unhealthy.

4. Häagen-Dazs ice cream: Do you sit in front of the television with your carton of Häagen-Dazs ice cream? Well you might want to rethink that because an average half-cup serving packs squeezes half-a-day’s saturated fat and a third-of-a-day’s cholesterol into your artery walls and it all comes at a staggering 300 calories. Did I mention that was for half a cup and not half a carton of Häagen-Dazs ice cream???

5. Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy Homemade Lasagne, Lightly Breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo: This combination is mislabelled and should simply be called: “heart attack on a plate”! This Olive Garden concoction comes in at an incredible 1,450 calories (this is well over half of your recommended daily calorie intake), 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium (oh, by the way, you should max out your daily salt intake at 2,300 mg, which represents about 1 teaspoon salt). This dish is so out there it’s completely unacceptable that a restaurant would serve this kind of heart-attack-inducing meal.

6. Chipotle Chicken Burrito: This Mexican delight made of tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa comes in at a eye-popping 970 calories and 17½ grams of saturated fat and 2,200 mg of sodium. It’s the equivalent to eating three 6-inch Subway BLT Classic Subs! It’s true that you could skip the cheese and sour cream, but you’re still stuck with 750 calories! I say PASS!

7. Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter Popcorn Snack Size Bags: This popular snack comes in at 9 grams of saturated fat and 6 grams of tans fat. Need I say more?

Not to mention, microwave popcorn is quite controversial these days.

>>> If you missed the post we wrote on the subject, you can catch it here: Is microwave popcorn dangerous for your health?

8. Cheesecake Factory Chris’ Outrageous Chocolate Cake: The idea of a five-inch-layer of moist chocolate cake, chewy brownie, toasted coconut pecan filling, and creamy chocolate chip coconut cheesecake may sound divine to some, but to me it screams OMG!!!!!!!!

This dessert is an artery-clogger at 1,550 calories, 43 grams of saturated fat and 32 teaspoons of sugar. Oh, did I mention it weighs three-quarters of a pound? You might as well order three Quarter Pounders from McDonald’s after your dinner and call it a day (yup, it’s the equivalent).

9. Progresso Traditional, Vegetable Classics, and Rich & Hearty soups: This is pretty easy: half a can of Progresso soup represents over half of the daily recommended quota of salt (remember you are only allowed about 2,300 grams of salt daily or 1 teaspoon salt)!

10. Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie: Half a pie (like anybody eats half a pie) comes in at 520 calories and 12 grams of fat. This simply means that the full Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie comes in at 1,040 calories and 24 grams.

These foods are only 10 that have been picked by Nutrition Action as being among the worst at most grocery stores. If you take time to check and READ labels, there are a lot of foods that you will decide to no longer eat because it just makes no sense to put your body under that kind of nutritional-stress.

Can those foods kill you in the end? If you have enough of them and they promote weight gain, high levels of sodium intake (and trust me they all contain insane amounts of salt) or spike your sugar levels, you will in the end feel the weight (pun intended) of your food choices.

Highly processed foods are not real foods and the sooner you learn to replace them with real foods, the better off you’ll be. When it comes to the Häagen-Dazs ice cream, remember that moderation goes a long way and putting your ice cream in a separate container is a good idea as opposed to eat right out of the ice cream carton.

>>> Here’s what all these bad food and bad eating habits can do to your body:

>>> If you’ve missed one of the most talked about and life changing (as per the emails I received and messages on Facebook) posts I’ve featured on this site, check it out right now: The body scan of a 250 lbs woman vs a 120 lbs woman (trust me, you’ll never look at obesity in the same way)

I’d love to hear your opinion on this post and I’d love to see your reaction.

Are there any of these killer-foods that you eat on a regular base?

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5 Bite Diet the best diet? If you believe that I have property in Spain and one in Miami to sell you at 2007 prices!

The 5 Bite Diet is causing a stir because it’s all about eating only 5 bites of food to keep the weight off.

Well, it’s obvious that 5 bites of food will allow an elephant to look like a zebra in no time.

>>> Here’s the premise of the 5 Bite Diet if you’ve not yet heard of the latest fast weight loss diet:

* The 5 Bite Diet is the brainchild of Dr. Alwin Lewis. In his book “Why Weight Around? Changing The Weight Loss Strategy”, he says that the obesity crisis affecting America can be solved if people only kept their meals to no more than 5 bites – hence the 5 Bite Diet.

> Dr. Alwin Lewis also recommends the following for his 5 Bite Diet plan (see my irate comments in bracket):

1) Drink as much of anything as you want as long as it doesn’t contain calories (I guess that would be water???).

2) Take 5 bites of any food at lunch (Good Lord this is insane).

3) Take 5 bites of anything at dinner (How are you supposed to make it until dinner with only 5 bites of food).

4) Take one multi-vitamin every day (How is that part of a diet, it’s part of a healthy balanced lifestyle and not a stupid rapid weight loss diet).

5) Get a bit of protein a day “on average” (you don’t need a bit of protein to lose weight and maintain muscle, you NEED protein with every meal … even a vegetarian protein like nuts).

Dr. Lewis also says that after three days on this diet you will no longer be hungry: “that then resets what you body sees as full” (yup and a juice fast will do the same, but at least you get all of your nutrients). Once you have reached your weight you can go back to “eating normally” (NO YOU CANNOT eat normally because people still don’t know how to eat healthy meals because for 30 days they’ve been on your ridiculous diet plan).

I mean seriously, who the hell can survive on so little food. I mean your bloody organs will shut down if you survive on the 5 Bite Diet. I’m so mad right now (I’m seeing red) at this type of ridiculousness and it bothers me to no end that this guy is a doctor. So many people will think he knows better … well he does NOT (in my opinion).

May I be honest with you about what I think about Dr. Alwin Lewis’ 5 Bite Diet? I think it’s completely ridiculous. He’s going to sell millions of books to unsuspecting fools who will screw up their entire bodies and the long-term negative effects of such a restrictive diet can be serious.

My God, there are young girls and teenagers who may actually think that this 5 Bite Diet is their solution to fitting into size zero jeans.

You want to lose weight for good? You need to do the following steps that have been repeated millions of times (because they work):

1. Give up junk food

2. Start making fitness a priority

3. Stop with your whining and excuses

4. Make a commitment to yourself

5. Eat real food packed with nutrition

6. Ditch foods high in salt, sugar and fat

7. Give up the stupid diets.

Dr. Alwin Lewis, that is how people NEED to lose weight and not adhere to the 5 Bite Diet plan!

The 5 Bite Diet is honestly a crime because your body is not designed for such severe restrictive diets.

Please let know I’m not the only who is outraged by the 5 Bite Diet and leave me your comment below. I’d love to hear from you on the latest crazy fast weight loss diet.

Will you lose weight on the 5 Bite Diet? Yes you will because you will have cut your calories by a zillion, but will you be able to survive for 12 months on the 5 Bite Diet? Open your eyes and don’t kid yourself … NO ONE CAN SURVIVE on the 5 Bite Diet (it’s unhealthy)!

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Dr. Oz is really shaking up our conception of food and I love him for doing that.

Not long ago Dr. Oz had a show that went into details talking about the 5 foods you should never (EVER) buy at the grocery store.

Dr. Oz’ show revealed some sobering facts about what Americans eat:

Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans obtain the food that nourishes their family at the supermarket, spending $100 every week and almost $5,000 annually. Last year, unwholesome heavily processed foods like salty snacks, frozen dinners and breakfast cereals were among the top 10 bestsellers, with carbonated beverages ringing in at #1, commanding a whopping $12 billion in sales.

>>> In fact, I had written a post highlighting these facts: 10 foods keeping America F-A-T!

>>> What you buy determines if you are setting yourself and your family up for weight gain or obesity:

The items tossed in your grocery cart play a huge role in the health and wellbeing of your family. Today’s supermarket shelves are stocked with tons of healthy and unhealthy foods. You need to make the right choices when walking the aisles, steering clear of foods that can have disastrous long-term health consequences for your household.

>>> Here is Dr. Oz’s list of 5 grocery items that should never make it through the checkout line:

Holistic Nutritionist Gillian McKeith, host of the U.K.’s “You are What You Eat” helped Dr. Oz on this segment.

> You can learn more about Gillian on her site: Gillian McKeith

> Gillian is also co-host of another one of my favourite British diet shows on TV: “SuperSize vs SuperSkinny” is my favourite British TV show on dieting and body image!!!

Here are 5 grocery items that should never make it through the checkout line.

1. Simple Sugars or Carbs and Unhealthy Fats:

* The items tossed in your grocery cart play a huge role in the health and wellbeing of your family. Today’s supermarket shelves are stocked with tons of healthy and unhealthy foods. You need to make the right choices when walking the aisles, steering clear of foods that can have disastrous long-term health consequences for your household.

* Make smart choices by selecting fibre-rich complex carbohydrates, including 100% whole grain bread, brown rice or steel-cut oats. Select whole foods such as fresh vegetables and lean meats. These all provide slow, sustained releases of energy for long-lasting fuel.  If you do crave something sweet, head for the produce aisle and pick out your favorite seasonal fruits such as pears, apples, or blueberries.

* Processed sweets and goodies also contain saturated and trans fats that clog arteries and stunt weight loss. Instead purchase items rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, like avocados and nuts.

* Skip foods laden with simple sugars, also called simple carbohydrates. Sugary breakfast cereals, donuts, pastries, cookies, ice cream, cakes and soda are loaded with them. Often referred to as “empty calories,” simple sugars are rapidly absorbed, spiking blood sugar levels for an initial energy high. This triggers an insulin reaction, driving levels back down and creating fatigue. You’ll feel hungrier and crave even more sugar. Plus those rapidly absorbed extra calories are stored as fat, putting you at risk for obesity.

2. Meats High in Nitrates and Saturated Fats

* Processed meats such as cold cuts, bacon, sausages and hot dogs contain nitrates, chemical additives that preserve freshness. Nitrates have been linked to stomach cancer and other degenerative diseases. These fatty meat products are also full of unhealthy saturated fat that can raise levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease and strokes.

* Ditch preserved meats altogether or look for ones that are advertised as “nitrate-free.” Buy meats low in saturated fats such as chicken and turkey or eat more fish, like salmon or tilapia, rich in healthy omega-3 fats. If you must have red meat, choose lean cuts such as sirloin or tenderloin.

3. Ingredients You Can’t Pronounce

* Does ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate or partially hydrogenated soybean oil sound appetizing to you? Follow this rule of thumb: if a food product is made of stuff you need a course in chemistry to comprehend – or —if you can’t pronounce the first 5 ingredients, don’t let it near your cart.

* Stay focused on buying whole foods comprised of only one ingredient. Instead of snacking on neon-orange cheese curls, slice up some carrots or celery sticks. Invest in an air popper and enjoy fibre-rich popcorn. Make homemade veggie chips: cut up kale, thinly slice beets, sweet potatoes or yams, sprinkle them with herbs and a little olive oil and bake in the oven.

4. Fake Health Foods

* Fake health foods are those deceptive foods, billing themselves as “low in fat”, like certain cookies, salad dressings or yogurt brands. Look closely at their labels. To make up for flavour, these items are inevitably high in sugar or salt. Other tricky foods include packaged breads and crackers with labels stating “contains whole grains.” This often translates into considerably less fibre than 100% whole grain products.

* Again, choose real foods as much as possible. If it’s a sweet tooth you need to satisfy, buy tasty dried fruits, such as apricots or mangos.

5. Canned Foods High in Sodium

* Eighty percent of our sodium intake comes from processed and canned foods. In fact, many canned foods are so full of salt, they contain half or more of your daily recommended intake. A diet high in sodium is dangerous since it can lead to high blood pressure.

* Instead of buying canned soups, try making your own simple versions, like a healthy cream of carrot soup or hearty lentil. If you don’t have the time to cook, purchase canned soups low in sodium.

* To lower your overall sodium intake, try seasoning foods with more herbs, both dried and fresh. You’ll rely less on table salt for flavor.

I’d love to hear from you and see which of these foods you’ve been guilty for buying for your family. Do leave a comment at the bottom of this page inside the comment box.

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***My interview with healthy chef Teri Gentes***

Teri Gentes is a nutritional consultant and she often works with Can-Fit-Pro.

I just love talking with food experts because I’m constantly learning new things. When I’m actually able to speak to someone who actually shares my point of view and we get into a heated discussion about some of the biggest myths in the world of diet and nutrition, it really validates what I do for a living.

Lately, I’ve been getting so many emails, comments and Facebook interactions about many basic questions about healthy eating, diet and nutrition and that’s when I know that this overload of information is confusing people.

Heck, I’m sometimes quite confused and I spend most of my life reading about healthy eating, diet and nutrition.

One of my biggest pet peeves about healthy eating is this idea that counting calories will help you lose weight. It’s partially true. If you are at the weight of a contestant on The Biggest Loser and you weight 200 lbs+, then YES you will have to start looking at your caloric intake because obviously you are eating too much. It might even be advisable that you do count calories for a few months to learn what a healthy portion looks like.

That said, you will need to quickly start learning how to eat sensible meal sizes without always having to count calories.

If you need to lose 10,20,50 lbs, there are much better ways to go about it then counting calories.

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, you really want to adopt healthy habits that you can keep for the rest of your life and NOT for a few months.

I asked Teri to elaborate on the topic since it had been a subject of one of our recent conversations and you’ll learn a lot by what she has to say on the subject of calorie counting to lose weight.

Here’s one of Teri’s favourite quotes and after you read the interview, it will all make a whole lot more sense to you!

“The most important home we will ever own is the one that houses our heart and soul – Our BODY!”

The $1 million question: Can counting calories help you lose weight?

1) Does calorie counting work to lose weight?

For decades people have attempted to manage their weight by counting calories yet very rarely does this work well.  The quality of the calories (foods) consumed and the nutrient content counts far more than simply counting calories.  In addition one’s caloric needs can vary from day to day pending upon such variables as one’s activity level, their mood, their present state of health/digestive abilities and the types of foods and combinations they choose.

2) Why are so many people counting calories in an attempt to lose weight?

Counting calories has been a practice implemented by many diet and weight loss initiatives. It is crucial to realize the age old business of weight loss prevails because our society has been both brainwashed by the food industry and they have developed a very unhealthy relationship with food and eating habits.

In addition, most of today’s over-processed ‘nutrient void’ foods are formulated to be addictive.

>>>  In The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M Campbell we learn that the food industry (700 billion annually) sees 90% of the food expenditures in the U.S. spent on purchasing processed foods.  Much of our society is overfed and malnourished. Disease prevails as a result.  Excess weight has become just one of our ever-increasing health challenges that predispose us to even more illness.

3) Is there a better technique to losing weight if calorie counting is not the best idea?

Absolutely! First and foremost one needs to regain health by eating a wide variety of unprocessed, fresh, perishable, clean, organic foods in moderation and relative to their present state of health and lifestyle. A proper balance of essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and fibre is integral for a healthy functioning mind, body, heart and soul.

Learning to appreciate, honour and appropriately fuel our selves according to our daily demands is an everyday practice that shifts regularly just as each of us does.

‘Going on a diet’ does not keep one healthy and balanced for life.  Healthy everyday eating habits need to be sustained in our everyday life.

4) Do you think that Hollywood and skinny starlets push women to calorie count in the hopes of losing weight?

“Media mania” and societal influencing has major impact on the perception of a perfect/figure for males and females.  Society is brainwashed with the current stereotyped “ideal” body and often the Hollywood stars and other perceived “perfect bodies” compromise their own health to attain/sustain an image.

5) Can you share healthier techniques to lose weight and keep it off permanently?

An overweight body is an unhealthy body so the first step towards weight loss is to reclaim one’s health.

This is accomplished by transitioning ones relationship with food and their everyday eating habits to those that support rather than sabotage one’s well-being and ability to manage their weight.

Each of us is a synergistic being requiring a full spectrum of quality whole foods, appropriate activity levels and a balance of work, rest and play.

Living Health EATING ESSENTIALS basics:

Teri Gente’s Healthy Eating Tips!

> EAT: Real, local, perishable, fresh, clean, organic, seasonal and varied foods in moderation

1. Eat every 2 – 4 hours in response to your lifestyle, activity level, health and digestive needs.

2. Include a quality protein, healthy fat and fibre in each meal and snack (choose some/more veggie sourced).

3. Include fresh vegetables in each meal or snack.

4. Enjoy quality organic starch/carb heavy meals after activity/exercise.

5. Ensure you have a balance of healthy fats (Omega 3s particularly) in your diet.

6. Ingest adequate fibre from plant based foods every day.

7. Choose the least refined, additive/preservative/chemical free foods most often/always.

8.  Enjoy the blessings of food and aim to fuel yourself with nutrient dense foods that augment health and well-being.

Resources/References: The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods – Michael Murray ND / http://www.hps-online.com / www.wrc.net

The Complete Guide to Nutritional Health Pierre Jean Cousin, Kirsten Hartvig /

=========== Do you want to know more about Teri?

TRG Living Health Dietary Enhancement Program (local or long distant) reviews your lifestyle and eating habits to reveal nutritional challenges that may lead to or worsen disease.

Learn what foods truly support health, how to read /decipher labels, what to shop for and how to prepare and enjoy fabulous tasting and nourishing, affordable foods easily and quickly.  www.terigentes.com

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Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen

I remember sneaking a bag of microwave popcorn into the movie theatres when I was younger to avoid the expensive theatre brand and I never really thought about whether or not it was healthy.

Now that I’m older and more knowledgeable about healthy eating, I personally lump in microwave popcorn with other junk foods that you find at the theatres.

As I got older, I looked for popcorn with less salt but that was as far as I looked. What I should have been a little concerned about is whether or not there was *real* butter added (or an unhealthy oil disguised as fake butter).

There have been studies that have said that the chemicals in the butter (aka fake butter) might not be good for us.

I’m not really a fan of that buttery smell that comes along with microwave popcorn and now I’m beginning to think that there was a reason I was initially turned off by the scent.

>>> Here are some facts about microwave popcorn that may turn you away from this mass-produced snack food:

* Beware of popcorn lung. This is a result of an overexposure to diacetyl, a chemical found in artificial butter. So be careful about inhaling the heavy steam that comes out of the popcorn bag just after it’s done popping in the microwave.

* As if popcorn lung wasn’t enough of a concern, you could also get other lung diseases from that buttery substance in microwave popcorn.

* Perfluorooctanoic acid is another chemical that may be dangerous to your health that’s found in microwave popcorn bags. Exposure to this substance may lead to tumours and cancer.

* There have been studies that have shown that birds being exposed to perflurooctaoic acid (a main component of Teflon) have died as a result.

* The dangers of popcorn lung and other health hazards from microwave popcorn might be avoided by using an air popper or just getting some kernels and cooking them on your stove.

I don’t know about you but this information has made me rethink microwave popcorn all together. Perhaps this isn’t the best snack to make during stay-at-home movie nights anymore.

>>> So do you eat microwave popcorn and were you aware of this information? Leave us a comment below! I’d love to know your point of view on this!

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Who woke up one day at Domino’s headquarters and decided to concoct an insanely fatty dish that is honestly just so bad there are no words?

I was watching one of those daytime shows where the author of “Eat This Not That” was talking about the Domino Pasta bowl.

Since I don’t eat at fast food restaurants, I had never heard of the Domino Pasta bowl in my life until that show.

It turns out that in an effort to win the fast-food-restaurant-popularity-game, Domino churned out five-flavours of pasta housed in a bread bowl (pasta primavera, chicken carbonara, three cheese Mac-N-Cheese (OMG mac and cheese AND pizza!!!), Italian sausage marinara and chicken Alfredo) .

Now, stop me if I’m wrong, but pasta from a fast food restaurant and pizza from a fast food restaurant are bad enough on their own. Doesn’t combining them offer North Americans an even greater chance of destroying their health?

I mean, who in the world thinks of this stuff? And is that person who came up with this recipe eating their own creation or do they know better not to touch that stuff???

When you look at the concept of the pasta in a bowl, you’re looking at simple carbs served inside simple carbs! You really cannot get much worse than that.

The calorie count in one of these Domino Pasta bowls is simply ridiculous. We’re talking about something like 740 calories for one serving (which is half of the bowl) of the chicken carbonara pasta in a bowl (as per the calorie count on Domino’s Web site). If you sit there and eat the entire bowl you are looking at 1,480 calories for ONE MEAL (women need a daily caloric intake of about 2,000 calories and men need about 2,500 calories)!

>> Am I the only one who things that these Domino Pasta bowls are insane?

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Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen

Corn syrup plays a role in many of our dietary lives. It sneaks in through soft drinks, fruit drinks, candies and it’s also found in some fast foods. It’s added to sugar in foods because it’s sweeter than natural sugar (and North Americans love their sweets). In some cases, it’s the type of sugar that has replaced natural sugar … except it’s not good for you.

Corn syrup is something we all should be aware of and maybe think about skipping out on. I think Canadians are starting to get the picture. If you look at Statistics Canada’s numbers on beverages you’ll see Canadians have been drinking less soft drinks and fruit juice lately.

Americans for the most part are also following in the footsteps of their Canadian cousins because beverage consumption of soft drinks in the U.S.( according to Mintel Marketing) is said to have continued to drop.

>>> Here are the top 5 reasons why corn syrup might be making you fat:

1) Although products that are high in fructose aren’t necessarily worse than other sweeteners, they are dangerous because those foods are so easy to eat, especially something like jam, which may cause you to gain more weight.

2) Foods that contain high fructose corn syrup usually contain empty calories, which means you probably won’t find much nutritional value in them. Obviously these foods make you fat because even though it makes you feel full, your body still needs nutrients that those foods are lacking in which means you eat more, and voilà, weight gain.

3) It’s hard to control the amount of foods with high fructose corn syrup you digest. Most of us aren’t aware how common corn syrup is in foods (you should read labels carefully).

4) It makes you feel hungrier! And this of course makes you eat more and gain more weight.

5) We’re just eating more. The more we eat, the more we see people gaining weight. We can’t completely blame corn syrup for that.

The bottom line is that we should treat foods with corn syrup very carefully and you should eat these products in moderation.

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