We've all been there.
You're running through the mall for a quick errand, and that's when it hits you: you're
starving, and your only option is the bright neon lights of the food court.
It's scary enough to drive even the steadiest person a little crazy.
"food court!" "food court!"
But not anymore, because you can turn any trip to the food court into your own dance
party if you follow our guide to things you should never order at a food court.
Fancy coffee drinks
Grabbing a nice cold coffee drink seems like a fun treat while running around the mall.
But just how much sugar and cream are being poured into that little cup?
Dr. Steven J. Hausman says "While the health benefits of coffee are manifold, people have
come to love to have fancy lattes and other sorts of flavored coffee.
The problem with these concoctions is that they can contain huge amounts of sugar and
fat.
Stick with black coffee instead."
Soft pretzels
You know that intoxicating scent that wafts through the air every time you walk past Auntie
Anne's Pretzels?
Those buttery little snacks are just divine, right?
One problem, though: while a pretzel might seem like a little snack, they can contain
as much fat and as many calories as a whole meal.
For example, an Auntie Anne's pepperoni pretzel dipped in their hot salsa cheese dip adds
up to 570 calories with 23 grams of fat!
And since it is just a small snack, you're going to get hungry again soon anyway.
Better to just eat a healthy meal in the first place.
After all, remember what happens when you ask for a pretzel.
"You said you wanted pretzel."
"OK, I'm good!"
Fresh juice
A nice fresh juice seems like a safe option.
You can bring your blood sugar back up for more shopping energy, then eat some real food
at home.
However, it's not as safe a choice as you'd think.
It's true that your fresh juice is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants — but
it's also full of sugar.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA, said "When you juice,
you remove this healthy nutrient, [fiber], leaving the sugar behind.
Sugar in the absence of fiber will promote a higher more rapid rise in blood sugar in
place of the more favorable steady rise in blood sugar when eating the whole fruit."
A better bet?
Just eat your veggies and cut out the middle-man.
Creamy pasta
Everyone knows pizza isn't exactly the healthiest meal you can have.
But in some cases, it actually seems better than the other options.
At Sbarro, for instance, you might be tempted to get something like chicken vesuvio with
ziti in the mistaken belief that it's healthier than pizza.
But that dish actually contains an incredible 1510 calories and 93 grams of fat for just
one serving!
Better to just get a slice of thin crust pizza with veggies instead.
"What the heck is that?"
"Who puts broccoli on pizza?"
"That's it.
I'm done."
"Congratulations San Francisco, you ruined pizza!"
Chinese food
If you find yourself craving some salty and savory Chinese food at the food court, be
very picky with your choices.
Look for grilled chicken breast with fresh vegetables and add some brown rice.
Most of the Chinese cuisine options at the food court are deep fried and have so much
batter that it's hard to find the actual food inside.
According to SheFinds, some of the worst offenders are crab rangoon, fried egg rolls, lo mein,
and General Tso's chicken.
Up-sized meals
Any time a food court employee asks if you'd like to up-size or try the value meal, just
say no.
It may sound like a way to save money, but you're actually paying the price with your
health.
According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, when healthy young adults ate a high-fat meal,
the next time they were exposed to stress, their blood pressures rose more than normal.
After a low-fat meal, their blood pressures remained stable.
This shows us that just one meal high in saturated fat puts more stress on our hearts!
So that extra large fries doesn't sound like such a great deal anymore, does it?
"large or super-sized?
I think I'm going to have to go super size!"
"I'm dying."
Those delicious desserts
Once you've managed to find something healthy to eat at the mall, you might be tempted to
celebrate your good decision by having just a little bit of dessert.
What harm could one tiny dessert do, right?
"Sugar.
It's a block of sugar"
Simply put, not all desserts are created equal.
A Dairy Queen large brownie cookie dough blizzard will not only give you a stomachache, but
also 1500 calories and 63 grams of fat.
And that caramel pecan-bun from Cinnabon is nearly as bad, packing in 1080 calories, 51
grams of fat, and 75 grams of sugar.
Instead, maybe just try a simple cookie or something.
Your waistline will thank you later.
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