Ice-cream cones sold by convenience stores contain as much calories as nearly two tablespoons of oil or six cubes of sugar, a report by Common Health Magazine has found.
The magazine said that it had sent a range of samples from 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, I-Mei Foods, Matsusei Supermarket, Wellcome Supermarket, Costco, Burger King, IKEA and McDonald’s to a laboratory for testing.
Test results showed that in 7-Eleven’s cones, 126g of ice cream contained 196kcal, and a full cone totaled nearly 250kcal, which meant that 7-Eleven easily claimed first place on the calorie chart.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
An adult weighing 60kg would need nearly an hour to burn those calories through fast walking, the report said.
The report said the smooth, creamy taste of ice cream comes primarily from the fat content, and 7-Eleven’s ice cream again takes the lead in fat content with 41 percent, which equates to nearly 2 spoonfuls of oil. Cones from I-Mei, FamilyMart and Matsusei were also high in fat.
The report found the ice cream had a sugar content of between 10 percent and 20 percent.
Common Health editor-in-chief Huang Hui-ju (黃惠如) said refined sugar is known to cause a rapid rise in blood-glucose levels and is detrimental to weight-loss efforts. Proteins that become glycated after exposure to sugars can also mean an increased rate of degeneration in the body, or aging, Huang added.
Matsusei Supermarket’s ice-cream cones were the sweetest of the nine samples, with 15g of sugar for every 100g of ice cream. Costco would take first place if the unit were converted to servings. About six cubes of sugar, or 28g, was found in each of its servings.
“We suggest that consumers exercise self-restraint, and we also ask stores to label their products with nutritional information,” he said.
Family Mart said it plans to label its products with calorie counts.
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