Are Oreos Bad For You?
Also Known As: chocolate sandwich cookies
Short answer
Oreo cookies are high in fat, sugar, and calories and excessive consumption of them can lead to many negative health effects, including weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
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Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Oreos are a popular brand of cookies which are sold in bulk packages at most grocery stores. While almost five hundred billion of these cookies have been sold since their introduction into the mass food market, their consumption can lead to many negative health effects.
One of the worst things about Oreos is their high calorie content. The recommended serving size of the treat is two cookies, which contain 140 combined calories. While this may not seem like an extreme amount of calories, many people who sit down with a package of Oreos end up eating much more than just two of the cookies, due to their easy availability and small size. Oreos can end up eating away a large percentage of your daily recommended calorie intake, which can lead to weight gain.
Oreos are also extremely high in fat and sugar. A serving size which, again, is much lower than the actual amount many people will consume, contains seven or more grams of fat. One cookie alone contains two teaspoons of sugar. This extreme amount of sugar and fat can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems. High fructose corn syrup, which is also present (as if plain ole' sugar wasn't enough), has been linked to many serious health complications such as increased triglyceride levels, metabolic syndrome, and once again, diabetes. Furthermore, Oreos contain the artificial flavor vanillin, a synthetic flavor that may be produced using petrochemicals and byproducts from the paper industry - as it is extracted from wood pulp.
Recent studies have even shown that Oreos might carry addictive qualities as well. Many scientists believe that Oreos, due to their high fat and high sugar content, can be as addictive as some dangerous drugs, such as cocaine. This explains why many people find it difficult to stop eating Oreo cookies and cannot resist consuming an entire sleeve from the package.
Possible long-term side effects
- type 2 diabetes
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heart disease
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weight gain
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addiction
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metabolic syndrome
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increased triglyceride levels
Ingredients to be aware of
Our Wellness Pick
(what is this?)
Glutino Creme Cookies
- Chocolate Vanilla Flavor
- Gluten-free Treat
- 10.5 oz. Packaging
- Sweet Tooth Satisfaction
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Written by Shaylie F
Published on: 01-09-2016
Last updated: 11-30-2023
Thank you for your feedback!
Written by Shaylie F
Published on: 01-09-2016
Last updated: 11-30-2023
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