Take Care Of Your Health Check this out -A large McDonald's French fries have 5 times more artery-clogging fat than a baked potato with a tablespoon of sour cream. Some drinks pack the calories of a whole meal. A Double Gulp at 7-Eleven has 800 calories. A medium chocolate shake at Burger King can have 500 calories. McDonalds spends 1,000 times more on advertising and promotions than the government spends to promote eating fruits and vegetables through its 5 A Day program. Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day. With all that cheese topping, no wonder heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country. Did you know that it takes more than 1 1/2 hours of gymnastics or competitive volleyball to burn off just one chocolate chip cookie from Mrs. Fields? A serving of Pringles, Ruffles, or Lay's potato chips has about 10 times as much fat as a serving of pretzels. Eating beef, pork, and other red meat is a major cause of heart disease in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. American kids drink twice as much soda pop as milk. Because their donuts are fried in vegetable shortening, a Dunkin' Donuts Glazed Donut has as much artery-clogging fat as a McDonald's cheeseburger. Generally, your body can keep track of how many calories you've eaten. Eat too many at lunch, and you'll probably eat less at dinner - except when your calories come from drinks. When you drink in calories (from soda, fruit drinks, or anything else) your body is less able to make up for it later. The result: you'll probably take in more total calories. A handful of baby carrots (about 10 carrots) makes a great snack and has just 40 calories Want to know what companies are doing to try to get you to buy their products? One advertising executive said, "Advertising at its best is making people feel that without their product, you're a loser. Kids are very sensitive to that. If you tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But if you tell them that they'll be a dork if they don't, you've got their attention." If you don't like your veggies cooked, try 'em raw, dipped in low-fat ranch dressing. Try washing and freezing seedless grapes. They make a great snack when you want something cold and sweet. Many people think of French fries as a side dish. But get this -- a large order of fries at McDonald's has more calories and fat than a Quarter Pounder. Half of the artery-clogging saturated fat that kids and teens eat comes from just 4 types of food -- milk, cheese, beef, and baked goods (like cakes, cookies, and donuts). One cup of 2% milk has as much artery-clogging fat as three strips of bacon. 1% milk has half as much fat as 2%. Blind taste tests show that almost no one can taste the difference between 2% and 1% milk. Restaurants often serve 2-3 times as much food as Nutrition Facts labels list as a serving. Bigger portions mean bigger calorie numbers -- and bigger waistlines. A can of cola has 10 teaspoons of sugar. It uses up three-quarters of your whole day's budget for refined sugars. When's the last time you ate 11 strips of greasy bacon? How about 2 slices of Pizza Hut's Pan Cheese Pizza? Believe it or not, they have the same amount of artery-clogging fat. To cut down, order your pizza with half the usual amount of cheese.