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 sugar and few nutrients.

Well, part of being wellthy is indulging in simple pleasures. Some people might want a Snickers bar or an ice-cold Classic Coke. Of course, after eating a King Size Snickers bar, you’ll be thirsty, so why not wash it down with a Coke? Be prepared for the sugar rush and crash soon to follow. Not every day, indeed not all the time but sparingly and once in a blue moon. If you had to choose between the two, which is the lesser of two evils?

I will use a 20-oz bottle of classic Coca-Cola because if you’re going to have a Coke, you might as well go for the 20-oz bottle instead of the 12-oz can. I will use a King Size Snickers bar because you know a regular size is just not enough. I know they have “fun size” Snickers, but who eats just one of those? By the way, it is much more fun to eat a King Size Snickers than a “fun size” Snickers anyway (unless you eat the whole bag of fun-size Snickers).