FoodBozo.com

Two Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos are healthier than you might imagine.

Of all the questions I get, this is by far the most common. There are many reasons: We’ve added extra calories to basic foods, everything from pasta sauce to ketchup. We’re drinking more calories than ever—450 a day, on average. And, of course, we’ve been trained to supersize it. Those “value” meals we order through the clown’s mouth cost us only 17 percent more money, but 73 percent more calories. That’s dummy economics—you wouldn’t buy a new Blu-Ray Disc and then pay the electronics store to throw in some old, worn-out videotapes, would you? And so, everytime we eat out, we add 134 calories to our daily intake.

Read more: 7 Best Fast-Food Meals Under 350 Calories

Bacon, poutine and French toast – what’s more Québécois than that? Hot dogs and maple syrup?

Four Montrealers have created a gargantuan sandwich, the Angry French Canadian, which combines all of those things, plus eggs, on a wonderfully greasy baguette that weighs in at 5,343 calories.

Read more: Epic sandwich is distinctly Québécois

Consuming too many calories can foil the weight loss efforts of even the most dedicated walkers. These five easy food swaps will help you cut calories, eat healthier and make every stride count.

Read more here: Cut the calories: Make these five easy food switches

Now I know why I never take my family out to eat. It’s only partly because it costs a fortune and because my kids will sit for all of seven minutes before the game of hide-and-seek under other patrons’ tables starts up — but it’s because of those awful CALORIES.

Enter KFC’s Double Down, 540 calories of salty bacon and cheese goodness sandwiched between fried chicken. You’ve heard a lot of talk about this. The guys in my office are in love with this sandwich and regularly make a lunchtime pilgrimage.

Read more here: KFC’s Double Down is healthy! (uh, compared to these meals … )

Here’s a simple way to slash major calories from some of your favorite comfort foods — and you won’t miss a thing.

When you’re making lasagna, sloppy joes, chili, and other ground beef dishes, use chopped mushrooms instead of meat. If you’re like the people in a recent study, you’ll naturally eat about 420 fewer calories with these mushroom-enriched meals. (Need help losing holiday pounds? Try the Amazing Soup Diet in our New Year, New You Center.)

Read more here: An Easy, Tasty Way to Cut Calories and Fat

How many calories do you need to maintain a healthy weight?

To hear people talk, you’d think metabolism was the only factor that comes into play when determining body weight. A skinny person may shrug off their ability to polish off a burger and large fries and never gain an ounce with “I have quick metabolism,” while an overweight person may say slow metabolism is to blame for their extra body weight.

• How many calories do you really need?
• Nutrition Labels: The Fast Track to Diet Health

With the Winter Olympics well under way in Vancouver, cold-weather lovers can use the Olympic inspiration to launch into winter activities to burn off some of those calories stored around the waist.

With activities like snow shoveling, sledding, playing in the snow, shopping, hot yoga, snowball fighting, a game of pick-up pond hockey, snow shoeing, winter offers plenty of opportunities to get out there, so be sure to bundle up & be ready to have fun.

Find out about Calorie-burning winter activities!

Sledding

Whee! The ride down is a breeze, but climbing up the hill with your sled or toboggan is a real workout. “You’re walking uphill against gravity, pulling a load, maybe pulling your child along,” says MacKinnon. That builds muscle and challenges your cardiovascular system. Plus, it’s another chance to show your family how much fun active living can be.<br/> Tips : Skating helmets protect the heads of kids and adults alike. Dress warmly and bring something to drink.

Written by: Michael Hill, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Writers Sue Manning in Los Angeles and Caryn Rousseau in Chicago contributed to this report.

Dieters can’t believe everything they read: The food at many popular chain restaurants and in the freezer section of the supermarket may contain a lot more calories than advertised.

A U.S. study of 10 chain restaurants, including Wendy’s and Ruby Tuesday, found that the number of calories in 29 meals or other menu items was an average of 18 per cent higher than listed.

And frozen supermarket meals from Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice and South Beach Living had eight per cent more calories than the labels said, according to the study, published in this month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The researchers and other experts aren’t accusing restaurants and food companies of trying to deceive customers. They said most of the discrepancies can be explained by variations in ingredients, portion sizes and testing methods. For example, the teenager behind the counter might have put too much mayonnaise on one sandwich.

(more…)