Numbers Game: Unlocking the Secret

A reduced-fat Oreo cookie contains _______ fewer calories than a regular Oreo cookie.

a) 3
b) 12
c) 26
d) 51

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Tuesday for the answer.

Numbers Game: Answer

In the United States, a McDonald's Big Mac and order of large fries adds up to 1,040 calories. In the United Kingdom, those same two items add up to 950 calories.

You would think all McDonald's items would be standardized, no matter what corner of the world you were ordering them in.

Not so.

Why the caloric difference? Simple -- a container of large fries is slightly smaller, as are the beef patties.

Mind you, McDonald's USA only recently lowered the calories in their large fries from 550 to 500. Two years ago, this combo would have added up to 1,090 on this side of the Atlantic.

Numbers Game: McCounting

In the United States, a McDonald's Big Mac and order of large fries adds up to 1,040 calories. In the United Kingdom, those same two items add up to __________ calories.

a) 1,125
b) 950
c) 800
d) 1,040

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Sunday for the answer.

Numbers Game: Answer

When comparing an Au Bon Pain double chocolate chunk muffin with a large order of McDonald's french fries, the muffin provides 70 MORE calories (570 calories vs. the large fries' 500 calories).

That's not all, folks.

This muffin also provides double the saturated fat of those large fries -- and 100 MORE milligrams of sodium!

Oh, and then there are those 11 teaspoons of added sugar.

These gigantic muffins truly irritate me because they suck away all the enjoyment from savoring a chocolatey baked good.

Why can't these simply be half the size (and calories)? A 285 calorie muffin sounds more reasonable -- and easier to justify as an occasional treat.

And anyone who says "just don't eat the whole thing!" needs to go up to their bedroom and read Brian Wansink's amazing book, Mindless Eating.

Numbers Game: Compare and Contrast

When comparing An Au Bon Pain double chocolate chunk muffin with a large order of McDonald's french fries, the muffin provides _____ ______ calories.

a) 70 MORE
b) 50 FEWER
c) THE SAME AMOUNT OF
d) 120 MORE

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Friday for the answer.

Numbers Game: Answer

According to a 2007 study published in Health Economics, the percentage of high schools in the United States offering physical education on a daily basis declined from 41.6 percent in 1991 to 28.4 percent in 2003.

In that same time period -- in which massive budget cuts caused many school districts to succumb to dire economic conditions -- the number of vending machines in high schools increased by almost 100 percent.

You don't need an 'A' in algebra to figure out that is a worrisome equation.

Numbers Game: Fleeting Fitness

According to a 2007 study published in Health Economics, the percentage of high schools in the United States offering physical education on a daily basis declined from 41.6 percent in 1991 to __________ percent in 2003.

a) 34.9
b) 38.2
c) 28.4
d) 30.7

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Tuesday for the answer.

Numbers Game: Answer

A 20 ounce bottle of Snapple Mixed-Up Berry Iced Tea contains 13 teaspoons of added sugar (in the form of high fructose corn syrup).

The truly frightening part is that sugar appears before tea in the ingredient list (meaning that, by weight, there is more sugar than tea.)

The Snapple website, meanwhile, devotes an entire section to the health benefits of tea. That's akin to talking about the healthful properties of broccoli and sweet potatoes only to deep fry them in tempura batter!

Thirteen teaspoons of high fructose corn syrup in tea? They might want to rethink the "made from the best stuff on Earth" slogan.

Numbers Game: Would You Like Some Tea With Your Sugar?

A 20 ounce bottle of Snapple Mixed-Up Berry Iced Tea contains ______ teaspoons of added sugar (in the form of high fructose corn syrup).

a) 13
b) 11.5
c) 15
d) 9

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Thursday for the answer.

Numbers Game: Answer

Vegetarians and vegans should aim to consume 50 percent more zinc than their meat-eating counterparts each day.

One of the problems with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) is that they make a few assumptions (for example, that everyone eats meat).

In all fairness, they kind of have to since these figures are meant as average daily intakes sufficient for 97% of the population.

The issue with vegetable sources of zinc, as with iron, is their low bioavailability.

Therefore, if you are over the age of 18 and do not eat meat (by "meat" I mean beef, poultry, pork, and seafood), your requirement increases from 8 milligrams a day to approximately 12 or 13.

Numbers Game: Getting In Zinc

Vegetarians and vegans should aim to consume _____ percent more zinc than their meat-eating counterparts each day.

a) 17
b) 25
c) 50
d) 0

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Friday for the answer -- and some little-known facts about this mineral.

Numbers Game: Answer

A single-serve 11-ounce bottle of ready-to-drink Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials contains 5.25 teaspoons of added sugar.

I never understood Carnation Instant Breakfast's reputation as a health product. It's nothing more than fortified chocolate milk (the second ingredient is sugar).

There is absolutely no difference between starting your day with Carnation Instant Breakfast and downing a multivitamin along with a glass of Nesquik.

In fact, if your breakfast consisted of an 11 ounce glass of non-fat milk with a tablespoon of chocolate syrup, you would be consuming half the amount of sugar in a bottle of ready-to-drink Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Depending on which way the wind is blowing, Carnation Instant Breakfast and rice cakes are at the top of my "nutritionally overrated foods" list.

Numbers Game: A Few Spoonfuls of Sugar Make The Taste of Synthetic Vitamins Go Down Easier

A single-serve 11-ounce bottle of ready-to-drink Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials contains _________ teaspoons of added sugar.

a) 4.5
b) 5.25
c) 6.75
d) 3.25

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Saturday for the answer -- and to find out why I think Carnation Instant Breakfast is terribly over hyped.

Numbers Game: Answer

A half cup of kidney beans contains 5 times more soluble fiber than a half cup of lentils.

(REMEMBER: Soluble fiber is helpful for achieving a feeling of fullness more quickly, while insoluble fiber helps speed up the transit of food in the digestive system).

A half cup of kidney beans provides 5.7 grams of fiber, of which 2.9 grams are soluble.

That same amount of lentils, meanwhile, offers a total of 7.8 grams of fiber, of which 0.6 grams are soluble.

Don't cast lentils aside, though. A mere half cup of them packs 7.2 grams of insoluble fiber -- significantly higher than kidney beans' 2.8 grams.

Although both types of fiber are beneficial and part of a healthy diet, it's wise to become familiar with foods that are good sources of each one.

Therefore, if you're looking to fill yourself up more quickly with fewer calories, add kidney beans -- rather than lentils -- to salads, wraps, and chili recipes.

When you want to speed up movement in your digestive system, though, you are certainly better off with lentil-based dishes.

Numbers Game: Legume Lowdown

A half cup of kidney beans contains ____ times more soluble fiber than a half cup of lentils.

(REMEMBER: Soluble fiber is helpful for achieving a feeling of fullness more quickly, while insoluble fiber helps speed up the transit of food in the digestive system)

a) 2.5
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Sunday for the answer!

Numbers Game: Answer

According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 79 percent of adults living in the United States do not meet the required daily intake of magnesium.

Although these intake levels are not low enough to result in clinical deficiencies, they are worrying when you look at calcium-to-magnesium ratios in the United States.

High calcium to magnesium ratios have been linked with higher risks of colorectal cancer and, in some studies, heart disease.

This is largely due to the fact that calcium and magnesium compete for absorption (high ratios don't allow magnesium to do its job properly).

Diets with high calcium:magnesium ratio put individuals at a higher risk for oxidative damage (one of the most significant causes behind the development many diseases).

The ratio should ideally be approximately 2:1 (hence the calcium DRI of 1,000 milligrams and the magnesium DRI of 500 milligrams).

Nuts, beans, potatoes, whole grains, and spinach are the best sources of magnesium.

Numbers Game: A New Low

According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, ______ percent of adults living in the United States do not meet the required daily intake of magnesium.

a) 79
b) 41
c) 62
d) 58

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Sunday for the answer -- and what it means for your health.

Numbers Game: Critical Point

____ percent of peak bone mass (the period by which all bone formation occurs) is achieved by age 20.

a) 73 - 79
b) 92 - 98
c) 81 - 87
d) 100

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Saturday for the answer (and to find out how this ties into osteoporosis and fracture risk).

Numbers Game: Answer

Apple skins contain approximately 65 percent of the fruit's fiber content.

They also contain 100 percent of an apple's quercetin content.

Quercetin is a phytochemical that has been linked with tumor cell inhibition, lower rates of cell proliferation in some cancers, and decreased levels of platelet aggregation (one of the factors behind heart disease.)

This is why I shed a silent tear whenever I see someone peel an apple and only eat the flesh.

FYI: When buying fruits with edible skins, my personal preference is to purchase organic varieties if possible.

Although quercetin can be purchased as a supplement by itself, remember that isolated phytonutrients are nowhere near as effective as when they work in tandem with other phytonutrients and antioxidants.

A medium-sized apple, for example, contains approximately 2,000 phytonutrients!

Numbers Game: Skintastic

Apple skins contain approximately _______ percent of the fruit's fiber content.

a) 24
b) 39
c) 50
d) 65

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Saturday for the answer.