If ever you've taken a road trip across America, you've likely made your fair share of pit
stops at the many gas stations that dot the edges of every major highway.
They have a lot more to offer than just gasoline and a restroom: there's also shelf after shelf
full of tempting junk food.
But it's important to be careful about your impulse decisions in order to stay healthy
on the road - after all, nothing ruins a trip like a nasty bout of food poisoning.
So let's talk gas station foods you should never eat.
Nacho cheese
Easily the scariest news on the food front in 2017 was that of some fatal nacho cheese
sauce that was served at a gas station outside of Sacramento, California.
One person died of botulism after making the seemingly harmless choice of opting for the
cheese, and several others were hospitalized with symptoms including slurred speech, blurred
vision, respiratory failure, and paralysis.
Botulism usually happens when food is not correctly stored or processed, and while it's
a risk you take anytime you let someone else cook your food, it's easy to see why gas stations
might be particularly dangerous.
Even though it's undeniably delicious, it might be prudent to avoid the nacho cheese
sauce at any gas station after this, especially considering even jarred, commercially-produced,
and packaged Taco Bell nacho cheese has been recalled for the same concerns.
Hot dogs
Few things are more American than hot dogs, and while they might be a convenient food,
most hot dogs are not the healthiest option out there.
They can often be packed with preservatives, a ton of sodium and saturated fat, and you
probably already know that.
But the kicker is that gas station dog is likely made of mechanically separated meat.
That's the stuff left after bones are fed through a sieve at a high temperature, pulling
off any residual meat and shaping it into a tube form.
There are hot dogs that aren't made using these methods, but they tend to be the more
expensive brands… probably not what's on offer at most gas stations.
So, if you're invested in wanting to know exactly what you're eating, skip those gas
station dogs.
Beef sticks
Meat in stick form is never a good idea, but it's easy to think you might be making a smart
choice by not grabbing something filled with sugar and calories.
But consider, for example, the Classic Slim Jim.
It clocks in at a modest 160 calories, but 110 of those calories are from fat.
It also has 550 milligrams of sodium, which is almost a quarter of what you should be
eating in an entire day.
Beef sticks often come in jumbo sizes, and are sometimes even paired with a stick of
cheese, which isn't helping matters.
If you want to feel your best while you're on the road, it's best to avoid these fat-filled
sodium bombs.
Sandwiches and burgers
Many gas stations offer a wide variety of perishable foods like sandwiches and burgers
that are either pre-packaged or assembled on-site, then wrapped or packaged for reheating.
And while some of these items can tend toward the unhealthy, that's not the major concern
here.
The real issue is food safety, as these products must be stored and refrigerated properly,
ensuring they are kept either sufficiently hot or adequately chilled.
You're basically at the mercy of their refrigeration system or the employee's commitment to safety
standards.
And even if their intentions are good, some nasty stuff can happen when sandwiches are
stacked on top of each other.
They might not be as cooled at the top as they are on the bottom, which makes them potential
incubation beds for bacteria and viruses that can ruin your whole trip.
Energy drinks
You're driving along and need a quick pick-me-up, but energy drinks aren't the way to get it.
There's been numerous lawsuits filed against manufacturers for the health problems that
have been associated with them, including caffeine addiction, heart attacks, digestive
problems, and insomnia.
Even worse, they can turn deadly when consumed in excess or in combination with other caffeinated
products.
And for adolescents between 12 and 18, anything more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day
is too much.
Other additives like taurine can have a negative impact on the body as well, and most frightening
of all is that they're still so new we're not sure what the long-term effects can be.
It's probably best to just stick with coffee.
"Half-caf.
We're gonna have a half-caf."
"We're gonna have half-caf."
"Yay."
Potato chips
Every gas station has at least a few kinds of salty, bagged snacks like potato chips.
And while they're tempting, they're one of the worst items you can get at a convenience
store, nutritionally speaking.
Take a 1-ounce bag of Lay's Classic Potato Chips: it has 160 calories, which isn't too
terrible by itself, but more than half of those are from fat.
That little bag also has 170 milligrams of sodium, and that's just a 1-ounce bag.
Be honest: when you're snacking mindlessly — like you do on the open road — how many
chips are you really going to eat?
You can see how this one gets pretty terrible pretty fast.