The School Newspaper of Winston Churchill High School.

The Observer

The School Newspaper of Winston Churchill High School.

The Observer

The School Newspaper of Winston Churchill High School.

The Observer

Eat This or That?

In the face of the nation’s worst obesity epidemic, a health food craze has taken root, with frozen yogurt, salad shops, and organic restaurants popping up everywhere. Despite this, false advertising and misconceptions influence consumers to buy things that aren’t particularly healthy at all. So which restaurants don’t quite make the cut?

Frozen yogurt places like Yogiberry and Sweetgreen are all the craze. Is one healthier than the other? Let’s find out…

Yogiberry 1/2 cup of original frozen yogurt—90 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of protein and 3 grams of fat.

Sweetgreen 1/2  cup  of tart yogurt—
80 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, 15 grams of sugar and 0 grams of fat.

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Winner: Sweetgreen, the tart yogurt is fat-free and it also provides 3 grams of protein, an essential in everyone’s diet.

Robeks and Smoothie King are popular places to pick up smoothies on the go, both offering many flavors of fruit based drinks.

Robeks 24 oz. Strawberry Pineapple smoothie—262 calories, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 58 grams of sugar and 0 milligrams of sodium.

Smoothie King 24 oz Pineapple Surf smoothie—
553 calories, 124.6 grams of carbohydrates, 110.4 grams of sugar and 334.8 milligrams of sodium.

Winner: Robeks—not only does it contain significantly fewer calories, but the grams of carbohydrates, sugars and sodium are at least half of that of Smoothie King’s.

When burrito cravings arrive, the only place that comes to mind is Chipotle, which is infamous for its heavy, big-portion fare. Is there an option that is slightly healthier than others?

Burrito with chicken, rice and black beans—730 calories, 1,440 milligrams of sodium and 28.5 grams of total fat.

Burrito with steak, vegetables and red salsa—520 calories, 1630 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of total fat.

Winner: Burrito with steak. While it does have more sodium, it has significantly less fat and fewer calories.

In Montgomery Mall, California Pizza Kitchen is a tasty place to eat. With many delicious food options on the menu, there is something there for everyone. But what if the salad is not as healthy as it seems? Maybe sacrificing the pizza is not necessary at all.

Full CPK Cobb Salad with ranch dressing—1,015 calories, 1,509 milligrams of sodium and 22 grams of total carbohydrates.

Traditional cheese pizza with thin crust—828 calories, 2,161 milligrams of sodium and 122 grams of total carbohydrates.

Winner: Depending on if your calories or sodium intake is of concern, the winner varies.

Hamburgers are an American standard, so is it Five Guys or McDonald’s next time there’s an urge for a good quarter pounder?

McDonald’s Cheeseburger—300 calories, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams saturated fat and 750 milligrams of sodium and 15 grams of protein.

Five Guys—Cheeseburger, 840 calories, 55 grams of total fat, 28.5 grams of saturated fat and 1,050 mg of sodium and 47 grams of protein.

Winner: The numbers say it all—McDonald’s.

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Eat This or That?