Bagels: Bad Choice?

Photo Credit: www.joybauer.com

Bagels are one extremely common food item that is often overlooked when it comes to healthiness. I personally have never heard anybody think about whether or not a bagel is a good decision. When you really look into it, a bagel topped with cream cheese might not be your best bet for your next breakfast. There are a few main reasons why we all should only eat bagels on rare occasion, and I think that you all will agree with me after reading them.

Bagels are pretty much an insane steroid version of white bread.  Every plain bagel has up to six servings of grain in it (50 carbs!). That's enough for a day and a half. Too much grain can cause inflammation and skyrocketing cholesterol. If eating a bagel is a daily routine for you, I suggest a long, long run should also be added to your daily routine.  Yes, even the "everything" bagels and poppy seed bagels can do this to you.  On top of taking over your daily allotment of grains, they also contain an amino acid that is linked to human hair and duck feathers. Of course, it is approved by the FDA, but we've been finding out that it probably isn't okay to consume everything that is approved by the FDA.

It's extremely common these days to buy all carbs in the form of multi-grain or wheat. White bread is processed, wheat and multi-grain bread is not. Stick to a wheat english muffin or a multigrain bagel thin. These have just as much flavor along with none of the harmful side effects!

Make sweet choices--in food and in life.

Starbucks: Sticky Situation

Photo Credit: www.everydayhealthy.com

Starbucks is definitely one of my favorite coffee places of all time (next to Dunkin Donuts of course). There are some things on the menu that have a "light" option making them healthier than normal, which is why I'm definitely not against their products. However, recently the information that I found out about one of their drinks really creeped me out.  When I was younger and would go to the mall with my friends, we always had to have a Starbucks Frappuccino. This was before I would drink any of the coffee items on the menu.  My favorite was always Strawberries and Creme. Looking back after what I now know, I probably would not get this drink again.

How does the Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino get its amazing pink coloring?! Well, that's the gross part. After a little bit of research, I unfortunately found out how the dye is made. The pink dye comes from crushed up cochineal beetles. Wow, delicious, right? Absolutely not. Starbucks has defended their case on this one, saying that it is approved by the FDA and has been used in food and fabric materials for years (which it has). The kicker to this one is that Starbucks is known for their vegan selections, and adding this little critter into the drink definitely makes it not vegan.

If only there was an option to have it made without the dye, I mean they have options for everything else!  I'd take a plain colored drink over one with crushed beetles in it any day. So, next time you go to order, think about whether or not your drink will come over the counter with color added to it.

Make sweet choices--in food and in life.

Information Source: www.cbsnews.com