High-Calorie Bomb Food and Drinks... "Clog Your Arteries" Know Before You Eat

High-Calorie Champion Chicken, Higher Calories with More Sauce
Burger Calorie King is 'Burger King'... Sometimes Topped with 4 Beef Patties

Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyewon Moon, Seungyoon Song, Chunhan Lim] As a cold wave begins nationwide, more people are seeking high-calorie foods and beverages such as Bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean), gyeran-ppang (egg bread), hot soups, and hotteok (sweet Korean pancakes). Winter stimulates our hunger and increases cravings for energy-dense, high-calorie foods and drinks. Because of this, people tend to consume more high-calorie, high-fat foods in winter, and reduced outdoor activity due to the cold weather raises concerns about rapid weight gain. Obesity, often called the "root of all diseases," requires special attention as it can lead to conditions such as stroke, diabetes, and varicose veins.

Let's find out which products have the highest calories, from representative high-calorie foods like chicken, burgers, and pizza to bread, beverages, snacks, and ramen. First, among high-calorie foods, chicken tends to have higher calories when seasoned rather than grilled or fried. According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 19th, among 10 domestic chicken franchise brands, the highest-calorie product is NeNe Chicken's "Shocking Hot Chicken," containing 3,103 kcal per whole chicken. Following are Cheogajip's "Supreme Gold Seasoned Chicken" (2,917 kcal), Genesis BBQ's "Hot Golden Olive Red Chakchak" (2,632 kcal), NeNe Chicken's "Cheese Snowing" (2,362 kcal), Cheogajip's "Spicy Fire Seasoned Chicken" (2,362 kcal), and NeNe Chicken's "Soy Garlic Chicken" (2,353 kcal).

For burgers, the higher the beef patty content, the higher the calories. Among six major domestic burger franchises (Burger King, McDonald's, Lotteria, Mom's Touch, KFC, No Brand Burger), Burger King sells the highest-calorie menu item: the "Peanut Butter Stacker 4," which contains four beef patties and has 1,715 kcal. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the recommended daily calorie intake for an average adult woman is about 2,000 kcal, so this burger alone nearly meets that amount. It has gained popularity, especially among people in their teens to thirties, earning the nickname "the taste that clogs your arteries."

Among beverages, the sweeter the taste, the higher the calories. Among over 140 menu items at Starbucks, the leading coffee company in Korea, the highest-calorie item is the Jeju Kkamang Cream Frappuccino, with 600 kcal.

Frequently consumed snacks also tend to be high in calories. Lotte Confectionery's "Salt Butter Hoppang," released this month at CU convenience stores, contains 253 kcal per piece (93g). The Yonsei Milk Fresh Cream Bread, launched at CU in February this year, has 397 kcal. This premium dessert bread is filled with soft and sweet cream made from Yonsei Milk, with fresh cream accounting for about 80% of the product's weight. The Fresh Strawberry Pastry Sandwich, released on the 1st of this month at CU, contains 466 kcal. It is filled with domestically grown Seolhyang strawberries with a sugar content above 12 brix and milk cream. GS25 renewed and relaunched its Breadique Milk Fresh Cream Bread last October, which contains 450 kcal. The overall weight was increased by 30-40%, and the amount of fresh cream was increased by about 50% compared to the previous product.

Hot dogs, a popular snack for children, are no exception. Harim's Pok?mon Cheese Hot Dog contains 250 kcal per piece (85g). Since they tend to be less filling, people often eat multiple pieces, and eating just two is equivalent to consuming two bowls of rice. Snacks containing chocolate or butter are typical calorie bombs. Orion's recently launched "Peanut Chip Cookie" contains 548 kcal per piece (104g).

Gopizza's side dish "Sweet and Salty Corn Fritters," released this year, contains 434 kcal per 140g. This is more than half the calories of the same brand's Super Combination Pizza serving size (345g), which contains 799 kcal, meaning that eating just the side dish is equivalent to eating more than half a pizza.

Jeon Hyejin, director of the Well-Aging Center at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, said, "As consumption of dining out and delivery food increases, the prevalence of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes is rising. Reducing salt intake and consuming low-calorie foods can help control blood pressure and prevent hypertension."