Last time I talked about calories in beer and I told you that some beers can have near 300 calories in them, about as much as a Dairy Queen sundae. If you missed that one, you can read it here. Staying firefighter fit requires maintaining a healthy weight so it’s key to understand which foods can have you unknowingly taking in tons of calories.

A great resource on this topic is a book called “Eat This, Not That.” It includes examples from popular restaurants and fast food chains as well as grocery store items such as cereals and breads.

One food that we tend to trip up on (probably because it is commonly marketed as a “health food”) is the smoothie. Some smoothies can have up to 600 calories in them. That’s more than the McDonalds McRib sandwich! Luckily smoothie places like Jamba Juice post their calories on the menu (or in a pamphlet).

Be wary of ingredients that add calories like ice cream/sherbert and peanut butter. And even while all-fruit smoothies with no added sugar can be an excellent way to get in your fruit servings for the day, remember that those calories still count! The healthy, all-fruit smoothies still pack in between 250 and 300 calories.

So, if you’re trying to lose weight (or not gain) the best way to eat a smoothie would be as a meal replacement (for breakfast) or in addition to something small, rather than simply eating one between normal sized meals. And if you’re really struggling to feel full, then forego the smoothie and just eat the fruits/vegetables whole!

Now I want to hear from you. Have you ever discovered that something was a real calorie trap? Share it with us so we can all benefit!

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