Today's Health Food

The 10 Best Hangover Foods

 

Have a Hangover-Free New Year

You've decided to ring in 2012 with a cocktail in your hand but want to avoid the brain-pounding hangover the next morning. (Who doesn't?) Good news! Enjoying a few drinks this New Year's Eve doesn't mean you're destined to spend Jan. 1 sloth-like on the couch or hunched over a toilet. In fact, researchers are finding that your alcoholic choices and what you eat before, during, and after you drink could drastically reduce your risk of a morning hangover.

In the event that you do overindulge and find yourself feeling queasy and awful the morning after, reach for natural hangover food and drinks instead of the medicine cabinet and you'll be feeling refreshed and back to your good old self in no time. And remember to choose organic foods when stocking up on foods to fight hangovers; your night out on the town has already given your liver enough to process, it shouldn't have to deal with breaking down toxic pesticides, too.

Asparagus
Eating asparagus before you go out, or while you're drinking, can help prevent or ease a next-day hangover, according to 2009 research out of Korea. Scientists found that extracts taken from the leaves and shoots of asparagus boosted levels of important enzymes that break down alcohol after heavy drinking. (Maybe bars should start putting this super veggie on the menu!) A researcher involved with the study says eating asparagus the next day can help tame hangovers, too.

Whether you choose an asparagus dish or not, be sure to eat before you drink, warns Aaron White, PhD, director of the Underage and College Drinking Prevention Research program at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Eating allows more of the alcohol to break down in the stomach before your body absorbs it. "Having food in the stomach while drinking results in a slow trickle of alcohol into the bloodstream versus a rapid rise when one drinks on an empty stomach," White explains. "This means a smaller impact on the brain, less of a buildup of toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism and, presumably, a more tolerable hangover." 

Prickly Pear
This cactus fruit possesses mega anti-inflammatory agents that can help offset the damage done by drinking alcohol. Researchers at Tulane University discovered that drinkers who took prickly pear cactus extract 5 hours before drinking had 50 percent fewer hangover symptoms compared to drinkers who went without the extract. You can eat prickly pear as a fruit, take an extract capsule, or drink prickly pear tea to help prevent a hangover.

Clear Liquids, including Cocktails
To prevent a horrible hangover, it's important to focus on clear liquids not just the day after, but while you're drinking, too. (This includes the actual cocktail.) Stick with rum, vodka, and gin—spirits lower in hangover-causing congeners, a fermentation byproduct. Avoid more congener-rich spirits like brandy, champagne, bourbon, cognac, whiskey, red wine, and tequila.

Since alcohol blocks the release of vasopressin, a hormone that signals the kidneys to conserve water, it's easy to become dehydrated while drinking. White recommends drinking water in between cocktails to stay hydrated and dilute the alcohol already in your stomach.

The morning after, reach for some clear organic broth to help replace the salt and potassium lost through drinking.

Coconut Water
Most people are conditioned to reach for a sports drink when they wake up with a grueling hangover. While those electrolyte-rich drinks do help bring your body's chemistry back into balance, they often contain nasty ingredients like fake food dyes that are toxic to brain cells. Worse yet, some Powerade and Gatorade flavors contain a toxic flame retardant chemical. Coconut water is a natural electrolyte-boosting option that can help A ConsumerLab.com analysis released earlier this year found that Zico Natural Pure Premium Coconut Water contained electrolyte levels on par with Gatorade, while some other coconut water brands did not live up to the hype.

Pastured Eggs
Eggs provide protein to help stabilize blood sugar, while the cystine in protein may help break down toxins, according to The Big Doctors Book of Home Remedies. Look for organic pastured eggs, meaning they come from hens raised on grass and supplemented with organic feed. This type of egg can quickly help replenish your body with B vitamins drained from drinking alcohol.

Bananas
Ever feel physically weak after a night of drinking? You're not imagining it—your muscles really pay the price when you overdo it in the drinking department. If you're feeling a little shaky after a night of drinking, reach for a banana to help restore your body's potassium levels and improve muscle function.



 

Crackers & Honey
If you can't stomach eating raw honey the day after drinking, use a cracker as the delivery system. Real honey is loaded with antioxidants and concentrated fructose, which will help flush any remaining alcohol out of your system more quickly.

Quinoa
Quinoa is a South American grain growing in popularity in the states, and it can also come in mighty handy during a hangover situation. Drinking depletes your body's amino acids—the building blocks of protein—but quinoa's well-balanced amino acid profile can help repair the damage done.

Toast
There's something extremely comforting about toast. Whether you're hugging the porcelain throne due to the flu or a hangover, it seems like toast is always there to help you get back on your feet. Your liver is also grateful for a few slices of toast after a night of drinking. Under normal conditions, your liver automatically produces more glucose from stored carbs when your blood sugar dips. But when you drink, your liver is busy metabolizing your alcohol and can't always regulate your blood sugar, leaving you moody and drained of energy. Toast is also easy on the tummy, making it a perfect hangover food for queasy mornings.

Tomato Juice

Organic tomato juice can send a natural jolt of vitamins and minerals into your alcohol-ravaged body, but that's not it's only perk. Tomato juice hydrates, and just like honey, the fructose in the juice will help flush out lingering alcohol.

My new year wishes for you

Today's Life Lessons

 My new year wishes for you
 

BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) 

By Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star) 

Updated December 31, 2011 

Husband and wife were having this conversation a few days before the end of the year.

Husband: “Did you make a New Year’s resolution for the 2012, dear?”

Wife: “Yes. I promise that, starting the first of January, I’ll spend less money at the mall.”

Husband: “That’s wonderful! Now, how would you like to spend New Year’s Eve?”

Wife: “I want to go to the mall and shop like crazy until midnight.”

I didn’t know there’s such a thing as “Last Supper shopping”!

Well, the year is about to end. Allow me to greet with you with this greeting I got last year from an anonymous source:

Have a safe and happy New Year!

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber, and the BIR.

May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere during rush hour in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space.

May this evening, Dec. 31, find you seated around the dinner table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the New Year ahead. You will find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May what you see in the mirror delight you and what others see in you delight them.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner. May your checkbook and your budget balance, and may they include generous amounts for your church and charities.

May you remember to say “I love you” at least once a day to your spouse, your child and your parent(s). You can say it to your secretary, your nurse, your butcher, your photographer, your masseuse, your seamstress, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor, but not with a “twinkle” in your eye.

May we live as intended, in a world at peace with the awareness of the beauty in every sunset, every flower’s unfolding petals, every baby’s smile and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

Bless you with every happiness, great health, peace, and much love during the next year and all those that follow.

The New Year brings in a different set of challenges. But still, we need to live life one day at a time. And still, we ought to live thankful to God, for the grace and mercy He showers upon us every day.

Let me end this year with the following greeting:

May you have

Enough success to keep you eager,

Enough failure to keep you humble,

Enough joy to share with others,

Enough trials to keep you strong,

Enough hope to keep you happy,

Enough faith to banish depression,

Enough friends to give you comfort,

Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday.

And may you grow more in love and grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ the Savior every day in the year to come.

World's Worst Holiday Foods

                                    

                                 

Healthy Living

World's Worst Holiday Foods

These 12 dishes are deep-fried, gravy-layered, and guaranteed to wreck your diet

By Mara Betsch

Give the Gift of Girth

Just when you thought Grandma’s Christmas sugar cookies and hot buttered rum were the worst waistline wreckers out there, these 12 holiday foods from around the world may, er, take the cake. Full of butter, sugar, and notoriously fatty ingredients, the only thing these international foods are giving this holiday season is the gift of girth. See what deep-fried, gravy-layered dish takes first prize for the worst holiday food in the world.

1. Germany: Schäufele

It’s no secret that Germans love their meat, and Schäufele, a southern German dish, does this country proud. This fatty, often cured, pork shoulder dish is made at least two different ways: In Franconia, it's seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices, put in a casserole dish, and covered with root vegetables, onions, and beer. Afterward, it’s smothered with gravy and served with potato dumplings and cabbage. In Baden, it’s simmered in a bath of wine, water, vinegar, onions, and herbs for hours, then served with potato salad. Six ounces of roasted pork shoulder contain more than 450 calories and 14 grams of saturated fat, so this dish starts off with a high artery-clogging factor, but then add gravy and potato dumplings (a mere 300 calories per serving), and you’re looking at a Christmas calorie bomb. 

2. Greece: Loukoumades

Though the Greeks are known for their heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, they seem to make an exception for the holidays. Loukoumades are pastries made of fried dough, soaked in sugary syrup or honey, then covered with cinnamon, and sometimes powdered sugar. According to authentic recipes, just one of these Greek doughnuts will cost you between 200 to 300 calories and more than 30 grams of sugar! 

 3. Finland: Karjalanpaisti, or Karelian Hot Pot

This meaty dish combines beef, pork, and sometimes lamb, plus salt, water, onions, and bay leaves. The result is a hearty meat dish that will set you back about 450 calories per serving, not to mention hefty doses of saturated fat from the not-so-lean stew meat! Often served with potatoes, this dish could easily put a dent in your calorie intake for the day. Be sure to save room for reindeer, another popular Finnish dish! 

4. Cuba: Crema de Vie

Forget buttered rum! Cubans have their own form of eggnog, made with condensed milk, rum, sugar, cinnamon or vanilla, lemon rind, and egg yolk. This frothy drink is like Christmas in a cup, but it will also cost you in calories. Some of the richest versions contain up to 500 calories per glass, plus two cups of sugar per recipe! 

5. China: Peking Duck

Even though it’s not a public holiday, some regions in China celebrate Christmas-like traditions. One of the unhealthiest: Eating Peking duck. A Beijing specialty, Peking duck is a rich roasted duck dish that is covered in a tangy mixture of honey, ginger, and sometimes Hoisin sauce. Just six ounces of duck alone contains 354 calories and almost 10 grams of saturated fat! Add in the sodium-filled sauce and the common side dish of Mandarin pancakes, and you have a meal that won’t go swimmingly with your diet. 

6. Venezuela: Pan de Jamon

South Americans don’t mess around when it comes to indulging throughout the holidays. The pan de jamon is simple enough--it’s a sandwich made of ham, bacon, raisins, and pimento-stuffed olives wrapped up in sweet, flaky dough. With about 1,000 mg of sodium in just three ounces of cured ham, your blood pressure will spike just looking at it! The nearly 500 calories in a small sandwich won’t help you look svelte come New Year’s Eve, either. 

7. New Zealand: Christmas Mince Pies

As if ground beef wasn’t fatty enough, New Zealanders added gravy and baked it in pie dough to make a truly gut-busting holiday feast. Two mini pies contain at least 370 calories, plus a hefty chunk of sodium from the broth used in the filling and fat from the butter used to make the pastry exterior. 

8. Phillipines: Bibingka

Filipinos make use of natural ingredients like coconut milk to make rich desserts. Bibingka is a type of rice cake made with sweet rice flour, sugar, clarified butter, and coconut milk, as well as eggs and vanilla extract, depending on the recipe. It’s then baked and topped with butter and sugar. One serving will cost you more than 600 calories and 33 grams of fat! 

9. Portugal: Bolo Rei

This Portuguese fruitcake is typically eaten from Christmastime until the Dia Dos Reis—Day of Kings—on January 6. But don’t let the fruit fool you—it’s crystallized, meaning it’s covered in sugary syrup. Certain versions, like the bolo rei de chocolate, up the calorie count with the addition of chocolate chips. A serving of traditional bolo rei is 1/20 of a cake, and this miniscule portion will cost you close to 300 calories! Just be sure you don’t get the slice with the raw broad bean, or you’ll have to buy the bolo rei next year. 

10. France: Goose

Dating back several centuries, roast goose is a Christmas Eve tradition in France, as well as other parts of Europe (and even America!). A goose is all dark meat, meaning it’s significantly fattier than other holiday birds like turkey. Just six ounces of roasted goose with the skin on contains more than 300 calories and 22 grams of fat--and that’s without the stuffing or gravy. Tack on those two and you’ll be the one who’s stuffed. 

11. South Africa: Malvapoeding (Marshmallow Pudding)

Settled by Europeans, it’s no surprise that South Africans kept up the tradition of serving deliciously creamy pudding as a Christmas dessert. Malvapoeding, or marshmallow pudding, combines sugar, butter, milk, and flour to make a pudding, then smothers it with a heavy cream and sugar-filled sauce, creating the spongy texture that gives it its name. One cup of this dessert contains a not-unusual 400 calories, but what’ll wreck your diet are the whopping 13 grams of saturated fat and 30 grams of sugar. 

12. Japan: Kentucky Fried Chicken

An old fashioned bucket of KFC is Japan’s Christmas “specialty.” Though Christmas is not a national holiday, and a very small percentage of the population is Christian, the Japanese join Americans in setting up Christmas trees, hosting parties, and feasting on fattening foods! The KFC craze started because Japanese citizens couldn’t find whole turkeys or chickens at other markets. With some strategic marketing, Kentucky Fried Chicken launched its first Christmas meal in 1974, and last year, the company estimates they sold 240,000 Christmas party barrels--which include fried chicken, a salad, and chocolate cake. They’re so popular, in fact, people often have to order them months in advance! With 510 calories, 7 grams of saturated fat, and more than 1,000 mg of sodium in an extra crispy chicken breast, this meal is a heart attack in a bucket.

The Word

Today's Reflections

 

Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

1 Jn 2:18-21
Ps 96
Jn 1:1-18

The Word

¹In the beginning was the Word,/ and the Word was with God,/ and the Word was God./ ²He was in the beginning with God./ ³All things came to be through him,/ and without him nothing came to be./ What came to be ⁴through him was life,/ and this life was the light of the human race;/ ⁵the light shines in the darkness,/ and the darkness has not overcome it. ...

⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world,/ and the world came to be through him,/ but the world did not know him./ ¹¹He came to what was his own,/ but his own people did not accept him.

¹²But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, ¹³who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh/ and made his dwelling among us,/ and we saw his glory,/ the glory as of the Father’s only Son,/ full of grace and truth. ...

Reflection:

In the beginning was the Word. The New Year’s eve is full of memories, nostalgia, and hope. Let us also fill it with Jesus. For us who believe, everything ends and begins with and through Jesus. “In the beginning was the Word.” Liturgical prayer begins with the “Lord” and ends “in the name of Jesus the Lord.” “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” Thank the Lord for this year and trust him for the coming one.

As we prepare our New Year’s resolutions, let us begin our list by thanking Jesus and end it by calling on Jesus. Let us make Jesus our partner for the next 12 months of the New Year!

Let the coming New Year catch you not counting the seconds but counting your blessings.

Hug tight and lift up your whole family!

"In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. " John 1:1-18

Today's Readings

"In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. "

 

John 1:1-18

 

¹ In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.

² He was with God in the beginning.

³ Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.

⁴ What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men;

⁵ and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.

⁶ A man came, sent by God. His name was John.

⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him.

⁸ He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light.

⁹ The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him.

¹¹ He came to his own and his own people did not accept him.

¹² But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name

¹³ who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵ John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.'

¹⁶ Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received -- one gift replacing another,

¹⁷ for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

"Auld Lang Syne"Version from Funny Cats

Today's Funny New Year's Song

                          
   

"Auld Lang Syne"Version from Funny Cats

Kenny G's "Auld Lang Syne"

Today's Song

Kenny G's   "Auld Lang Syne"

The song may be "old ", literally and figuratively, but it still is a beautiful song !

Here's Kenny G's version for your New Year listening...

 

"20 Shockingly Healthy Restaurant Food"

  Healthy  Living

 

 

"20 Shockingly Healthy Restaurant Food"

20. Guilty Pleasure at Arby's: Super Roast Beef Sandwich

440 calories, 20 g fat (6 g saturated, 1 g trans), 1,060 mg sodium
Just like a hamburger, this sandwich is piled with lettuce, tomato, and onion. The difference is that Arby's replaces the beef patty with roast beef, which clears off enough excessive fat to make room for indulgent sides or dessert. (Arby's small Chocolate Shake is an acceptable 369 calories.) If this were a burger, you could expect it to weigh in with at least 600 calories.

19. Guilty Pleasure at Atlanta Bread Company: New England Clam Chowder (1 1/4 cup)

190 calories, 9 g fat (6 g saturated), 1,240 mg sodium
This isn't an endorsement of clam chowder in general, just ABC's better-than-average bowl. The recipe they use has very little cream, relying instead on milk as the base. It's not the best soup on their menu, but it's probably the least fattening bowl of clam chowder you're likely to come across in any restaurant.

18. Guilty Pleasure at Ben & Jerry's: Half Baked Frozen Yogurt (1/2 cup)

160 calories, 2.5 g fat (1 g saturated), 20 g sugars
Frozen yogurt shops are all the rage right now, but Ben & Jerry's has been quietly pumping out low-fat fro-yo for close to 2 decades. Skip the restaurant dessert and swing by here instead. Top a cup with chopped nuts and fresh fruit for one of the finest desserts you'll ever encounter.

17. Guilty Pleasure at Blimpie: Pasta Fagioli with Sausage Soup

150 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated), 910 mg sodium
It's usually best to avoid meals that center on sausage—the most dubious meat in a restaurant's arsenal. See, most chefs haven't learned to use rich ingredients in moderation. Let this sausage soup be an example to them: It delivers moderate numbers in every nutritional category. Pair with a 6" Club sub for a sub-600 calorie lunch.

16. Guilty Pleasure at Bojangles': Macaroni & Cheese

290 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated; 2 g trans), 660 mg sodium
By no means is this the leanest side on the menu, but you won't find a lighter serving of macaroni and cheese anywhere else in the country. Balance it out by picking up the 25-calorie green beans for your second side.

15. Guilty Pleasure at California Pizza Kitchen: Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings

465 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 1,801 mg sodium
There's not a whole lot to this appetizer, just a couple of wonton chicken dumplings, ginger dipping sauce, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds and green onions. That's exactly what makes it one of the lightest appetizers on the menu, and eating it before your meal arrives can do a number on your appetite.

14. Guilty Pleasure at Burger King: BK Single Stacker

380 calories, 22 g fat (8 g saturated; 0.5 g trans), 700 mg sodium
Healthier items like to hide in the less-publicized areas of fast food menus. Burger King's Whopper lineup is almost entirely worrisome; The Flame Broiled Burgers are much safer. Bacon cheeseburgers routinely top 1,000 calories—this one is harmless by comparison.

13. Guilty Pleasure at Culver's: Oreo Chocolate Frozen Custard Sandwich

284 calories, 14 g fat (6 g saturated), 22 g sugars
It's a massive Oreo cookie made with chocolate custard filling, yet somehow it manages to have only 20 calories more than five real Oreos.

12. Guilty Pleasure at Dairy Queen: All Beef Chili Dog

330 calories, 20 g fat (8 g saturated; 0.5 g trans), 1,050 mg sodium
Chili and a hot dog is to the cookout what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is to the lunch box. Too bad the former doesn't have much to offer nutritionally. But at least DQ's isn't too terrible—especially not when you compare it to the rest of the menu. In fact, propped up next to the GrillBurgers—which average 716 calories—this indulgent lunch looks a lot like health food.

11. Guilty Pleasure at Del Taco: Del Beef Burrito

470 calories, 19 g fat (8 g saturated), 1,060 mg sodium
Burritos that won't balloon your belly are the exception rather than the rule, but this surprising Mexican wrap-up from Del Taco makes the grade. As usual, fewer ingredients is the recipe for healthfulness: wrap, beef, sauce, cheese. Don't be tempted by their "Macho" burrito lineup, all of which contain at least 900 calories and 2,000 milligrams of sodium.

10. Guilty Pleasure at Papa John's: The Works (2 slices, original crust)

460 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated), 1,300 mg sodium
As pies topped with "everything" go, this is as good as you're going to get. While the Works is touch too sodium-heavy, Papa John's restraint with fatty cheese is admirable. (As a counter-example, cheesy abandon sinks many new Domino's offerings.) The equivalent pair of slices at Pizza Hut would cost you an additional 120 calories.

9. Guilty Pleasure at El Pollo Loco: Salsa Bar

Salsa is now America's most popular condiment (take that, ketchup). Good thing El Pollo Loco lets you ladle on as much of the topping as you want. The restaurant offers four varieties, and only the Spicy Avocado surpasses 15 calories per a 1.5-ounce serving. The rest are tomato-based, which means that they're loaded with vitamins C and A, as well as the antioxidant lycopene, a carotenoid that has been shown to fight many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and lung.

8. Guilty Pleasure at Haagen-Dazs: Five Milk Chocolate (1/2 cup)

220 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 20 g sugars
It's not necessarily the fact that you're eating ice cream that's healthy—it's the fact that you're avoiding other, less-wholesome frozen treats. With its "Five" series, Haagen-Dazs scores marketing points—and legitimate nutritional boons—with a core principle of sound eating: The fewer ingredients, the better.

7. Guilty Pleasure at IHOP: Two x Two x Two

560 calories, 31 g fat (11 g saturated; 0.5 g trans), 1,280 mg sodium
The "Two x Two x Two" is practically the only breakfast on IHOP's regular menu that wouldn't give a nutritionist a panic attack. Two eggs, two pancakes, and two strips of bacon or sausage links: All your breakfast bases are covered for a reasonable 560 calories. Just take care to watch your saturated fat for the rest of the day.

6. Guilty Pleasure at Jack in the Box: Grilled Chicken Strips (4) with Zesty Marinara Sauce

255 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 1,260 mg sodium
This nonfried finger food isn't on the sides menu, but order it anyway to avoid a glut of trans fat. These chicken strips are loaded with 43 grams of protein, so your belly will stay full long after you stop eating. That's a claim French fries can't make.

5. Guilty Pleasure at Wendy's: Original Frosty (small)

250 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated), 35 g sugars
When you crave a chocolate shake, remember that they don't get leaner than this. The smallest chocolate shake at Baskin-Robbins, by comparison, has twice as many calories as the Wendy's classic. Beware newer models however; There's now a teeming family of Frosty variations, from Floats to Frosty-cinos, and every single one is worse than the original.

4. Guilty Pleasure at Long John Silver's: Chocolate Cream Pie

280 calories, 17 g fat (10 g saturated), 19 g sugars
Many restaurants treat dessert as an opportunity to stuff as many calories as possible into your belly. A rational indulgence, this refreshing slice from Long John Silver's is the exception that proves the rule. Fellow nautical chain Red Lobster, on the other hand, deviates from their usual nutritional virtue with a crime against your body for dessert: Their Chocolate Wave cake contains a gargantuan 1,490 calories.

3. Guilty Pleasure at McDonald's: McDouble

390 calories, 19 g fat (8 g saturated; 1 g trans), 920 mg sodium
Seeing the word "double" anywhere near a menu item is usually a clear warning sign—McD's own 740-calorie Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a perfect example. The McDouble, though, is a low-profile winner. You'd be hard pressed to find a lighter double-patty cheeseburger.

2. Guilty Pleasure at Olive Garden: Steak Toscano

590 calories, 20 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 1,460 mg sodium
The Olive Garden menu, land of 1,000-calorie pastas, is hiding a surprisingly lean steak entrée. Dodge flabby bullets by choosing the Toscano over nearby menu losers like the 1,510-calorie Pork Milanese.

1. Guilty Pleasure at Pizza Hut: Hand Tossed Spicy Sicilian Pizza, 12" (2 slices)

480 calories, 22 g fat (9 g saturated), 1,460 mg sodium

Beef and sausage are far from the leanest pie toppers, but the Spicy Sicilian recipe employs both meats alongside sweet red onions and spicy jalapenos. Surprisingly, the outcome is leaner than any other multimeat pie on the Pizza Hut menu. That's not to say that this should be your everyday pie, just that it earns its place as an occasional indulgence.