The 600 calorie muffin

zeala

I actually would like it if the government or FDA would keep the companies more responsible of what ingredients they use to make the food. If you're of the mind set that it's a free country ( which is all relative), then the food industry might just as well be able to add legal pharmaceutical drugs into the food and just blame the shopper that they should have been more aware and read the label better if they get side effects from it.

Yes we need to be responsible enough ourselves not to over eat. At the same time when I go grocery shopping I have to spend so much time looking at labels for basic things like bread, or crushed tomatoes, to make sure it's made from simple ingredients.

jonnythan

I actually would like it if the government or FDA would keep the companies more responsible of what ingredients they use to make the food. If you're of the mind set that it's a free country ( which is all relative), then the food industry might just as well be able to add legal pharmaceutical drugs into the food and just blame the shopper that they should have been more aware and read the label better if they get side effects from it.

Yes we need to be responsible enough ourselves not to over eat. At the same time when I go grocery shopping I have to spend so much time looking at labels for basic things like bread, or crushed tomatoes, to make sure it's made from simple ingredients.

Oh? What ingredients do you think they shouldn't be allowed to use?

Athena53

Oh? What ingredients do you think they shouldn't be allowed to use?

I'm not the person whose post you answered, but I'd love to see high-fructose corn syrup banned. I almost never see it in Europe. Why is it so prevalent here?

jonnythan

Oh? What ingredients do you think they shouldn't be allowed to use?

I'm not the person whose post you answered, but I'd love to see high-fructose corn syrup banned. I almost never see it in Europe. Why is it so prevalent here?

It's not more prevalent here because of any government regulations in Europe.

It's because the US produces so much corn, and corn growers get government subsidies, that HFCS is much cheaper than cane sugar.

shannashannabobana

Honestly, I am not making this up: the nutrition label says each muffin is 600 calories!

A Muffin = Cake. Just remember that and you won't ever be surprised!

I'm not the person whose post you answered, but I'd love to see high-fructose corn syrup banned. I almost never see it in Europe. Why is it so prevalent here?

As mentioned it's cheaper because of corn subsidies and sugar tariffs. The government is encouraging companies to use HFCS. They don't have to ban it, they just have to stop subsidizing it.

sarajeanelles

The whole it's your choice to eat the muffin argument really ticks me off. I have been a teacher in the 5th poorest county in the USA for the past 6 years, where, of course, there's a Sams Club. If I had a dollar for every time parents buy these types of foods for their kids, thinking that they are healthy I would be rich. These 6-800 calorie muffins are bullcrap. They should throw some frosting on them and put the with their cupcakes, which have about half the calories and sugar! Most of my parents are illiterate and couldn't read a nutrition label if they wanted to, not to mention the fact that they are uneducated in the basics of nutrition as well, so it wouldn't matter if they read it anyway. I go to the farmers market and get muffins that are 151 calories apiece, so it's not about cooking them yourself or anything else, it's about places like Sams Club selling cheap garbage and calling it food and taking advantage of consumers. I'm sure if the OP was with her husband when he bought the muffins, they probably would have not made it into their cart in the first place, but he didn't care to look at the calories, and I'm sure thought "it's a muffin, I'm sure it's better than a cinnamon roll"....NOT. Same thing with the crap they feed the kids for lunch and breakfast in public schools in poor areas. My students get pre-packaged waffles that don't need syrup or butter for breakfast because it's already added in, at a whopping 210 calories, 8 grams of fat and 14 grams of sugar a piece, and my elementary school kids usually eat about three of these for breakfast, or the uncrustables they have twice a week for lunch, yummy!!!! So, explain how, if the school district is supposed to be providing 'healthy' meals for these kids when they're at school, are the parents supposed to know any better than to feed stuff like that to them when they're at home.

jonnythan

The whole it's your choice to eat the muffin argument really ticks me off. I have been a teacher in the 5th poorest county in the USA for the past 6 years, where, of course, there's a Sams Club. If I had a dollar for every time parents buy these types of foods for their kids, thinking that they are healthy I would be rich. These 6-800 calorie muffins are bullcrap. They should throw some frosting on them and put the with their cupcakes, which have about half the calories and sugar! Most of my parents are illiterate and couldn't read a nutrition label if they wanted to, not to mention the fact that they are uneducated in the basics of nutrition as well, so it wouldn't matter if they read it anyway. I go to the farmers market and get muffins that are 151 calories apiece, so it's not about cooking them yourself or anything else, it's about places like Sams Club selling cheap garbage and calling it food and taking advantage of consumers. I'm sure if the OP was with her husband when he bought the muffins, they probably would have not made it into their cart in the first place, but he didn't care to look at the calories, and I'm sure thought "it's a muffin, I'm sure it's better than a cinnamon roll"....NOT. Same thing with the crap they feed the kids for lunch and breakfast in public schools in poor areas. My students get pre-packaged waffles that don't need syrup or butter for breakfast because it's already added in, at a whopping 210 calories, 8 grams of fat and 14 grams of sugar a piece, and my elementary school kids usually eat about three of these for breakfast, or the uncrustables they have twice a week for lunch, yummy!!!! So, explain how, if the school district is supposed to be providing 'healthy' meals for these kids when they're at school, are the parents supposed to know any better than to feed stuff like that to them when they're at home.

You're blaming the people selling these items and not the people buying them.

People don't buy donuts and waffles with syrup already added because anyone forces them to. They buy those things because that's what they want to eat. People buy food they think tastes good.

shannashannabobana

My students get pre-packaged waffles that don't need syrup or butter for breakfast because it's already added in

I am totally confused by this concept!

When I was in college I used to get those big muffins at the hot dog stand (the chocolate chip ones were amazing!) and then someone told me that a muffin is just cake and it clicked. A muffin is not health food.

sarajeanelles

I didn't say anyone was buying the pre packaged waffles, I said they are getting that for breakfast at school. SCHOOL!!! Public School, where our tax dollars go, and I can assure you that in the school district in the next county over, which is one of the highest performing districts in the state, they are not feeding those kids anything like that. They just give it to the poor kids, whose parents won't complain about it because most of them don't know any better.

sarajeanelles

Exactly, I know that most pre made muffins are not healthy either, and just like you, I went to college. What I am saying is the people I am referring do not have an education and they are perpetually poor; their parents are poor, their grand parents are poor, and they don't know that Sams Club muffins are unhealthy. And when the schools are providing the kids with these kinds of pre made foods, why would they think they are unhealthy. They assume that if the schools are providing them for lunch and breakfast, they must be good for their kids.

emibrus1

Oooooooor maybe it's because bad food is cheap and let's them feed their kids with the biggest bang for their buck? If you want to play Big Brother why don't you walk up and smack that muffin off the poor kid's lunch tray? But maybe, just MAYBE you can take your disgruntled attitude and have a chat with your fellow administrators about applying more attention and funding toward better meal planning. You're a teacher. Educate. If you've already decided that there's nothing you can do then just keep giving those "fancy schools" more dirty looks. Or I don't know...simply learn to be happy those kids HAVE food? I came from a pretty backwoods town and I grew up with kids that didn't. Just sayin' that it sucks to share a Lunchable between 3 kids.

SurfyFriend

An unhealthy muffin? I don't believe you.

Athena53

My students get pre-packaged waffles that don't need syrup or butter for breakfast because it's already added in, at a whopping 210 calories, 8 grams of fat and 14 grams of sugar a piece, and my elementary school kids usually eat about three of these for breakfast, or the uncrustables they have twice a week for lunch, yummy!!!! So, explain how, if the school district is supposed to be providing 'healthy' meals for these kids when they're at school, are the parents supposed to know any better than to feed stuff like that to them when they're at home.

That's really sad. I've read things on school lunches and they're pretty disgusting. One teacher kept a blog (anonymously) with pictures of her school cafeteria lunch each day. I couldn't eat them. And it's all loaded with preservatives and packed in plastic, which many experts believe has dangerous chemicals that leach into the foods. I'm willing to bet the manufacturers provide this crap at a discount to the schools because the kids will get used to eating it and want their parents to buy it.

DH, who's 74, remembers when the cafeteria ladies made up their own recipes and cooked things like pasta and stews for the school lunches. We can't have that anymore. A piece of someone's hair could fall into the soup and that would be unhealthy.

Freefatty

Did you read the rest of the nutrition label, or just the calories?

This is a good point. I was wondering if the nutrition label even states the serving size is 1/2 a muffin. I've seen that on other packaging.

Freefatty

When I was in college I used to get those big muffins at the hot dog stand (the chocolate chip ones were amazing!) and then someone told me that a muffin is just cake and it clicked. A muffin is not health food.

This reminds me of something I saw recently...
"Lick the frosting off your cupcakes. Without frosting, a cupcake is just a muffin, and muffins are healthy, right?" Ha!

lose20lbs___

The packaged muffins/banana bread/cookies are the worst. They are anywhere from 500-600 calories. A regular baked muffin is 230 calories at most. I don't know what they put in those.

Also those hamburgers that come in a package are about 800 calories (more than a big mac). They were selling these types of food at a GYM.

Do not eat these.

http://i40.tinypic.com/5n25nl.jpg
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goodtimezzzz

so? that is not alot of calls

quiltlady77

I make my own and don't add nuts which are high in calories but put in real blueberries or apples or such. You can better control the sugar and salt content of your home made muffins, cookies etc. I never put all the salt in that is in a recipe and have the last few years, started to decrease the sugar or use agave nectar.

5n0wbal1

Ooohhh I love those muffins!!! I also love the cinnamon rolls that Pillsbury makes in the can that they try to make like Cinnabon rolls. I made a batch of those, and just ate half of a cinnamon roll. Much less calories, and when I ate its slowly, it helped me satisfy my craving for something not so good for me.

SoDamnHungry

Muffins are notoriously high in calories. Fortunately, in the USA, we have the option to see the nutritional information on every packaged product. How about that!