Health and Wellness : For All You Taco Bell Fans Out There!

[Istari]

This is one of the reason why my family and I are vegans..... You have no idea what you are putting into your body when you eat out and don't prepare the food yourself!




Published January 25, 2011 | FoxNews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/01/25/wheres-beef-taco-bell-sued-ingredients/

Taco Bell Sued Over Meat That's Just 35 Percent Beef


You'll have to pardon the puns, but...

Taco Bell might want to change it's "Think Outside the Bun" campaign to "What's Really in That Taco?" after a class-action lawsuit filed against the fast-food giant claimed its taco filler doesn't, um, "meat" federal standards.

The suit against the YUM-brands chain also has a "beef" with the company's advertising, charging its claims of using "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" in its food products is false.

According to the suit filed by the Alabama law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, the YUM-brands owned chain is using a meat mixture that contains binders and extenders, and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as "beef.”

Attorney Dee Miles said the meat mixture contained just 35 percent beef, with the remaining 65 percent containing water, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent and modified corn starch.

The suit was filed on behalf of Taco Bell customer and California resident Amanda Obney, who is not seek monetary damages, but instead wants a court to order Taco Bell to be honest in its advertising.

"We are asking that they stop saying that they are selling beef," Miles said.

Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said the company denies that its advertising is misleading and said the company would "vigorously defend the suit."

While the company does list its ingredients on its website — and indicates whether they are allergens — registered dietitian and Fox News contributor Tanya Zuckerbrot said the fillers could be a danger for some consumers.

“Wheat oats, soy lecithin and maltodrextrin are common allergens that are often added to processed foods as fillers because they are much less expensive than meat,” she said. “Aside from being misleading, this form of false advertising puts the consumer at risk as well.”

Zuckerbrot said according to the USDA, “ground beef can have seasonings, but no water, phosphates, extenders, or binders added.” The meat from Taco Bell does not meet the minimum requirements set by the USDA, she said.

“Rather than Taco Bell calling the meat ‘seasoned ground beef’ they should refer to it as ‘mixed meat’ and list the additional ingredients so consumers can know what they are putting into their mouths,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

 

[TXDiamond]

I saw this on the news. I am not surprised at this. The last time I ate at Taco "Stale", I almost threw up. It was like eating oil. Yuck!

 

[Amnat77]

Good article, and while we are on the subject of death disguised as food:

Worst Sandwiches In America

In comic books, it’s easy to tell which masked marauder is the hero (Spiderman, Batman, Aquaman, most everyone else whose name ends in “man”) and which one’s the villain (Green Goblin, The Joker, The Riddler, and most everyone else who wears green). But sometimes, the hero is the villain. Like when you walk into a restaurant, and order one of the hero sandwiches we’ve listed below.

A sandwich is just about the easiest meal in the world to make: You take two pieces of bread, and put something delicious in the middle. Done. With a smart mix of high fiber carbs (like whole-wheat bread), lean protein (like roast beef or turkey), produce (lettuce, tomatoes, or whatever floats your boat), and healthy topping (mustard, relish, or even a modest schmear of mayo), a sandwich is a complete meal you can eat with one hand while dueling Two-Face with the other. Yet America’s chain restaurants seem determined to create a Bizzaro world, where everything good is bad, and a simple, nutritious hero becomes a duplicitous dietary demon.

Fortunately, the world is changing. When we began the Eat This, Not That! movement four years ago, nutritional information was almost impossible to come by. Today, thanks to the book series, most chains post their info for customers to see. Still, it helps to be forewarned and forearmed. Steer clear of the breaded beasts below, and you’ll be eating healthy faster than you can say “Mister Mxyzptlk!”

Bonus Tip: We've got your no-diet weight loss solution for 2011 right here! Step 1: Avoid the 20 Worst Foods in America and the 20 Worst Drinks in America. Step 2: Watch the pounds melt away. Step 3: Look—and feel—like a million bucks!


Panera Italian Combo#7: Panera Full Italian Combo on Ciabatta
1,040 calories
45 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,080 mg sodium
95 g carbohydrates

Panera is a classic example of a restaurant where it’s crucial to do your homework. Decently healthy options exist, but you’d better know what you’re looking for. Here's a shortcut: Stick to the “Café” category of the menu. If you swap the very reasonable Tuna Salad sandwich for the Italian Combo, you'll cut the calories nearly in half and the sodium by almost two-thirds.

Eat This Instead!
Full Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat
590 calories
28 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,160 mg sodium
67 g carbohydrates

Bonus Tip: I'm on a mission to find the very best places for you to eat, and the often surprising places where hidden calories lurk. Get instant weight-loss, health and fitness secrets every day by following me right here on Twitter or by signing up for the FREE Eat This, Not That! newsletter.

#6: Blimpie BLT 12” Super Stacked
1,270 calories
82 g fat (18 g saturated fat)
2,870 mg sodium
84 g carbohydrates

BLT, indeed! Eat this and you'll be Bigger, Larger, and Tubbier. You’ll ingest more sodium in one sandwich than you should eat in an entire 24-hour period, not to mention a day's worth of saturated fat--the equivalent of 18 strips of bacon! Swap in the smaller BLT and drop the “Super,” and you’ve got a sandwich your belly will thank you for. There's another lesson here: Don't assume that if you double the size of a meal, you're doubling the nutritional qualities (or lack thereof). In this case, the 12-incher is overstuffed, so you're actually tripling the calorie, fat, and sodium counts! Yikes!

Eat This Instead!
BLT 6”
430 calories
22 g fat (5 g saturated)
960 mg sodium
43 g carbohydrates

Red Robin Patty Melt#5: Red Robin All-American Patty Melt
1,315 calories
98 g fat
2,064 mg sodium
60 g carbohydrates

Ominously enough, Red Robin doesn’t report saturated fat levels—and this is an extremely fatty concoction, with a full day and a half’s worth of total fat. The only thing American about this sandwich is, sadly, the reality of our nation’s obesity epidemic. Avoid this caloric calamity and try the Natural Burger instead: You’ll cut the calories, fat, and sodium by more than half.

Eat This Instead!
Natural Burger
569 calories
24 g fat
989 mg sodium
51 g carbohydrates

Bonus Tip: Want to hear a secret? You'll eat 35 percent less if you keep the serving dishes off your dinner table! Amazing, right? You'll discover more awesome tips just like this one in our must-have list of the 25 Best Nutrition Secrets

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/worst-sandwiches-america