Fun With Carbs

Photo by Diana Guay / ctnow.com

On Monday I helped orchestrate a KFC Double Down taste-test in the Courant newsroom, enlisting about 12 reporters, editors and producers to try the ridiculous sandwich. (If you’ve been living under a rock, it’s the monstrosity created with two fried chicken breasts, cheese and bacon.)

Here’s a link to our recap and another link to the photo gallery shot by Diana Guay, a very, VERY brave vegetarian.

A little background after the jump…

Knowing how newsrooms love free food, I decided I’d order 10 of the sandwiches: eight of the fried variety and two of the grilled version. First, I called the KFC location in my town. “No, we didn’t get the shipment of stuff to make that sandwich,” the employee told me. Okaaaaay. So much for the 11-day advance press blowout.

I called Hartford’s Farmington Avenue store and placed my order more than an hour before I arrived. When I got to the store, the employees hadn’t even started working on it. Might I mention the store was practically dead, despite the lunchtime hour and the release of this crazy sandwich. Forty minutes later, my 10 Double Downs were ready, and the manager lovingly packed them in boxes for me. At that point,  I was so hungry I was ready to eat my own arm.

Although several of my coworkers scarfed whole Double Downs (I won’t name names) many only wanted a bite. I managed two good-sized bites, which probably added up to half a sandwich. And in full disclosure: it tasted good. Meaty and moist, yes. Nice kick from the 11 herbs and spices. The creation was mostly chicken – the cheese and sauce were far from overpowering, and the bacon presence was minimal. Had I eaten one fresh from the fryer, it would have been even better.

But it wasn’t the fat content that staggered me – it was the pure, evil sodium. Within 15 or so minutes of digestion, I swore I could feel my veins pounding as my blood pressure rose and rose. (Did I mention that one Double Down has 1380 mg of sodium?) I’ve got a track record of unhealthy favorites, but I’ve never felt this disgusting.

I made a beeline for the water cooler, but a gallon wouldn’t have been enough. I felt sluggish, listless, useless, like pure garbage. That continued for the rest of the day. On the way home, I stopped at Price Chopper and bought more than $50 worth of fresh produce.

The good news? I’ve probably eaten close to eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day since. Salads, green smoothies; egg white omelettes with spinach and tomatoes; peppers, apples, mangoes. And I sweated out more toxins at an hour-long Zumba class last night.

So I suppose I have the KFC Double Down to thank for propelling me toward this week’s healthy eating kick. Negative reinforcement and all. The things I do for page views.