Mall food courts can be tempting, especially after hours of exhausting shopping. While there are plenty of things that will make for a satisfying meal before you continue your shopping, there are others that you should just avoid outright. No matter how good some of the food smells, it will likely ruin the rest of your day, or at least your calorie count for the day. If you want coffee, you should just have regular coffee, because the fancy drinks have way too much sugar, and steer clear of those desserts too. Let's take a look at some things you should never order from the food court.
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00:00We've all been there.
00:02You're running through the mall for a quick errand, and that's when it hits you.
00:05You're starving, and your only option is the bright neon lights of the food court.
00:10It's scary enough to drive even the steadiest person a little crazy.
00:13But not anymore, because you can turn any trip to the food court into your own dance
00:23party if you follow our guide to things you should never order at a food court.
00:27Fancy coffee drinks
00:29Grabbing a nice cold coffee drink seems like a fun treat while running around the mall.
00:33But just how much sugar and cream are being poured into that little cup?
00:37Dr. Stephen J. Hausman says, while the health benefits of coffee are manifold, people have
00:42come to love to have fancy lattes and other sorts of flavored coffees.
00:46The problem with these concoctions is that they can contain huge amounts of sugar and
00:50fat.
00:51Stick with black coffee instead.
00:53Soft pretzels
00:54You know that intoxicating scent that wafts through the air every time you walk past Auntie
00:59Anne's pretzels?
01:00Those buttery little snacks are just divine, right?
01:03One problem, though.
01:05While a pretzel might seem like a little snack, they can contain as much fat and as many calories
01:10as a whole meal.
01:11For example, an Auntie Anne's pepperoni pretzel dipped in their hot salsa cheese dip adds
01:16up to 570 calories, with 23 grams of fat.
01:20And since it's just a small snack, you're going to get hungry again soon anyway.
01:25Better to just eat a healthy meal in the first place.
01:28After all, remember what happens when you ask for a pretzel.
01:31You said you wanted pretzel?
01:33Okay, I'm good.
01:38Fresh juice
01:39A nice fresh juice seems like a safe option.
01:42You can bring your blood sugar back up for more shopping energy, then eat some real food
01:46at home.
01:47However, it's not as safe a choice as you'd think.
01:50It's true that your fresh juice is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but
01:55it's also full of sugar.
01:57Dr. Adrian Udim, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA, said,
02:02"...when you juice, you remove this healthy nutrient, fiber, leaving the sugar behind.
02:07Sugar in the absence of fiber will promote a higher, more rapid rise in blood sugar in
02:12place of the more favorable steady rise in blood sugar when eating the whole fruit."
02:16A better bet?
02:17Just eat your veggies and cut out the middleman.
02:21Creamy pasta
02:22Everyone knows pizza isn't exactly the healthiest meal you can have, but in some cases, it actually
02:27seems better than the other options.
02:30At Sbarro, for instance, you might be tempted to get something like Chicken Vesuvio, with
02:34Ziti in the mistaken belief that it's healthier than pizza.
02:38But that dish actually contains an incredible 1,510 calories and 93 grams of fat for just
02:46one serving.
02:48It's better to just get a slice of thin-crust pizza with veggies instead.
02:51"...what the heck is that?"
02:53"...who puts broccoli on pizza?"
02:54"...that's it, I'm done."
02:55"...congratulations San Francisco, you've ruined pizza!"
02:59Chinese food
03:01If you find yourself craving some salty and savory Chinese food at the food court, be
03:06very picky with your choices.
03:08Look for grilled chicken breast with fresh vegetables and add some brown rice.
03:12Most of the Chinese cuisine options at the food court are deep-fried and have so much
03:16batter that it's hard to find the actual food inside.
03:20According to SheFinds, some of the worst offenders are crab rangoon, fried egg rolls, lo mein,
03:25and General Tso's chicken.
03:28Upsized meals
03:30Anytime a food court employee asks you if you'd like to upsize or try the value meal,
03:35just say no.
03:36It may sound like a way to save money, but you're actually paying the price with your
03:40health.
03:41According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, when healthy young adults ate a high-fat meal,
03:46the next time they were exposed to stress, their blood pressures rose more than normal.
03:51After a low-fat meal, their blood pressures remained stable.
03:54This shows us that just one meal in high-saturated fat puts more stress on our hearts.
03:59So that extra large fries doesn't sound like such a great deal anymore, does it?
04:04"...why'd you go supersized?"
04:06"...I think I'm gonna have to go supersized.
04:09I'm dying."
04:16Tso's delicious desserts
04:18Once you've managed to find something healthy to eat at the mall, you might be tempted to
04:22celebrate your good decision by having just a little bit of dessert.
04:26What harm could one tiny dessert do, right?
04:29"...sugar.
04:30It's a block of sugar."
04:31Simply put, not all desserts are created equal.
04:35A Dairy Queen large brownie cookie dough blizzard will not only give you a stomachache, but
04:39also 1,500 calories and 63 grams of fat.
04:44And that caramel pecan bun from Cinnabon is nearly as bad, packing 1,080 calories, 51
04:50grams of fat, and 75 grams of sugar.
04:53Instead, maybe just try a simple cookie or something.
04:57Your waistline will thank you later.