Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Here is just a fun followup to my article earlier about the caloric content of hot dogs and hamburgers. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut consumed 68 hot dogs and buns within a span of 10 minutes.

According to Calorie Count (a service offered by about.com) each hot dog and bun contain:

Calories - 309
Total Fat - 20g
Sat. Fat -8g
Cholesterol - 35mg
Sodium - 684mg
Total Carbs - 23g

Multiply that by 68 and you get:

Calories - 21,012
Total Fat - 1360g
Sat. Fat - 544g
Cholesterol - 2380mg
Sodium - 46,512mg
Total Carbs - 1564g

If those facts are correct, then Joey Chestnut consumed more calories in ten minutes than some people do in a week.

4th of July and YOU!

4th of July, and you know what that means. That's right, grilling. You'll see the whole array of hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst, ribs, and more. Unfortunately, most foods that you'll find on the grill are particularly unhealthy. Let's take a look at the basic nutritional facts of a hot dog and a hamburger (facts are taken from nutritiondata.com):

Oscar Mayer Beef Frank:

Calories - 147
Total Fat - 14g
Sat. Fat - 6g
Cholesterol - 25mg
Sodium - 461mg
Total Carbs - 1g
Sugar - 1g
Protein 5g

And that's without the bun.

Hamburger 85% lean (1 oz):

Calories - 70
Total Fat - 4g
Sat. Fat - 2g
Cholesterol - 25mg
Sodium - 20mg
Total Carbs - 0g
Protein 7g

This is just for one ounce. A typical hamburger is 4-8 oz. You'd probably be around 4 oz. So that would be 280 calories before the bun.

As you can see, these foods are definitely not healthy. This is just your basic hot dog or hamburger. Imagine how many calories ribs must have. Don't forget the beverages either. Add a couple of beers or sodas and expect to easily be consuming 1000 calories and probably closer to 1500-2000. If you are trying to lose weight or trying to be health conscious, definitely watch what you eat at your Independence Day cookout. Happy 4th, everyone.

The breakdown of calories

Calories: the word that everyone seems to fear these days. Add in fats and carbohydrates, and you are bound to see someone in the fetal position. So what are calories? In one word: energy. Calories are a unit of heat and are the source of energy for the human body. Really, we mean to say kilogram calories. That is why sometimes you see kcal (kilocalorie) on food labels. However, most refer to it as just calories. They are essential for survival. The three main sources of calories are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. These are all essential for proper body function. All carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are equal in terms of calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Each gram of carbohydrate or protein equals 4 calories. Thus, the reason for people being so scared of fat. Plus, the association with the word. Dietary fats are not the same as body fat (adipose tissue.) I will write a follow-up to this article on types of dietary fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Lastly, people generally do not get enough proteins in their diets. This could because of more emphasis being placed upon carbohydrates and fats, along with the fact that carbohydrates are in nearly every food. The daily amount for intake of carbohydrates is the highest between the three because it is the first thing used for energy meaning it is less likely to store as fat. The bottom line:

1 gram of fat - 9 calories
1 gram of carbohyrdrate - 4 calories
1 gram of protein - 4 calories