Health & Fitness Blog for Men

The Hall of Shame honors the worst of our guilty pleasures -- unhealthy food. Here are this week's nominees:

Father-in-law had a nauseating treat
My father-in-law had the most disgusting treat, he would take white bread and drizzle warmed bacon grease over it and eat it with a fork. So nasty! He even started my husband eating it; I, of course, had to break him from this coronary on a plate. And now I actually have him eating healthier these days. So long to the bacon grease sandwich!
--Cynthia Edwards

Burger Kings offers a Whopper of a sandwich
I used to work at Burger King, and I found that there are worse foods than triple Whoppers. One guy ordered a Triple Chicken Whopper (that's three tendercrisps) with three slices of cheese, extra mayo, bacon and BBQ sauce. I was disgusted! I know that sandwich had to be more than 1,500 calories! I don't know if this man had a death wish, but I hope he made it out of the parking lot without going into cardiac arrest.
--Jasmine J.

Family cookies packed with fat
My mom would make Hungarian cookies for the Christmas holidays. The recipe calls for lard, cream cheese, nuts and about a dozen eggs. Could this be why no one in our family has a gallbladder?
--Karin

Scrambled eggs with tuna
I open a can of tuna, drain off the water. Then I saute it in a skillet with margarine. Add three eggs and scramble. After that I put this on a plate then add barbecue sauce. You can add onions and cheese for a different taste treat.
--Michael S.

Poor eating habits have consequences
I've got one for you! You've heard of biscuits and gravy? My aunt and cousin had a different twist on that yummy concoction: biscuits and CHOCOLATE gravy! I tried it once when I was a kid and I'll admit it was pretty tasty. It tastes a lot like chocolate pudding but the consistency is more like gravy than pudding. I ladled a little over my biscuit, and I guess that's not too bad if it's not something you eat often, but my aunt and cousin took this to the next level. You'll never believe this...on the table they had a large tub of soft margarine that they would spoon into, then take that CHUNK of margarine, drop it into a bowl of chocolate "gravy" and then eat the chunk of chocolate covered margarine! I don't think that was a once-in-a-while thing either. And of course I can't tell this story without mentioning that my cousin has had lap-band surgery and I lost my aunt to a heart attack last summer. And she was too young to leave us.
--Barbara L.

Mmmmm -- jowl bacon
This "treat" should be in the hall of shame: In the summer, we cook fresh green beans with a slab of jowl bacon for seasoning (the really fatty kind, cut up in chunks). Who cares about the beans? After the beans were done, I'd slip out the bacon and eat all of that blubbery stuff. Nasty! I get ill now just thinking about it!
--BK

Bird skin is the best
I have my own fatty addiction. I like the skin of chicken, turkey, Cornish hen, duck and any other poultry better than the meat. In fact at times I will go to the grocery store and pick up a warm whole rotisserie chicken. Although when I bring it back, I pull all the skin off, add a layer of salt, and eat the whole thing... and, oh yeah, maybe a few bites of chicken meat as well. If I go to a restaurant and get a roasted chicken meal, then I save all the skin to the side, and eat the best for last!
--BW

Grandfather's bacon-and-butter sandwiches
One of grandfather's specialties was French fries made in an electric frying pan with a block of butter and a few strips of bacon to taste. He would then put the greasy medley between two slices of white bread with even more butter!
--Jennifer R.

When in Canada...
While in Ottawa for the Winterlude in February, I was tempted to try the "poutine" that the Canadians seem to love. This is a pile of French fries, covered with melted cheese curd and some type of gravy. I settled for my other favorite, a "beaver tail," which is a piece of thin, deep-fried dough with maple syrup and chocolate syrup drizzled on top.
--Karen P.

Mother's creamed corn on bread
I just read the Hall of Shame and had to write. When my siblings and I were growing up, my mother used to feed us creamed corn on bread. We always used white store-bought bread, slathered in margarine, and we poured warm, canned creamed corn over the top, then salt and pepper to taste. It was delicious. My brother and I often say we would like to eat it again, but our spouses say that they will kick us out if we do. Oh, the memories! Thanks for the great column!
--Joan

Labels: bacon, butter, calories, candy, cheese, food, hall-of-shame, weight-loss, worst-foods