Which is worse, a Coke or a Snickers?

Years ago, I sought the advice of a personal trainer. His name was Roland, and he was from Croatia. Roland was not very big or muscular. Nevertheless, he demonstrated his prowess by standing a few feet away from me and administering a Van Damme-style kick where his foot stopped one inch from my face. He had an accent that reminded me of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition to giving me advice for physical training, he also gave me diet advice. Here is a memorable conversation we had.

Roland: “You need to walk more at work.”

BW: “Sure, I do that every day when I walk down to Burger King for lunch.”

Roland: “What?! No more Burger King.” This sounded like “buhrgur keeng”

BW: “Okay fine, but what about Subway?”

Roland: “Subway maybe but it depends what you get. I went to Subway for a sandwich, and they ask me if I want a ‘value meal.’ I ask, ‘what is this?’ They say, ‘chips and a soda.’ I say, ‘Where is the extra value in that?’”

If you ask a doctor, personal trainer, dietician, or health coach which is better between a Coke and a Snickers, they will likely snicker and say both are bad and stay away from them. As a general rule, we know that sugary drinks and candy are both the wrong fuel for our bodies. These items have “empty calories,” which means lots of…