The world’s most dangerous drink?
The PB&C milkshake may look harmless enough but it has caused outrage amongst some people including UK TV chef, Jamie Oliver. Not because of its taste, which by all accounts sounds delicious (the PB&C stands for its main constituents-peanut butter and chocolate) but because this drink packs a whopping 2010 calories per serving. This is the equivalent of 30 chocolate chip cookies, or 3 roast beef dinners with all the trimmings! Not exactly a great snack if you’re aiming for a balanced diet.
But it does mean that it is perfect for an interesting addition to a lesson on nutrition. I’ve put some details about the nutritional content of the PB&C on this PowerPoint, including the recommended daily amounts of each nutrient for a teenager. Students can study this and explain why you shouldn’t drink too many of these. This will lead them to talk about the effects of too much saturated fat and sugar in the diet.
I highly recommend that you let your students loose on the smoothie operator game found on Planet Science’s website. Here they can have a go at creating their own smoothie, and have a look at its nutritional value. They can try and create a perfect smoothie that gives them the right balance of food groups, print out the details, and peer-assess each other’s efforts. Or, they can go mad and see if they can create a milkshake that is even worse for you than the PB&C.
By the way, I tried to recreate the PB&C on the smoothie operator but there is no peanut butter. However, you can show your students my version of the PB&C: the B&C (butter and chocolate). I suspect butter is not too far off peanut butter when it comes to calories. Here is my recipe for a super-size serving of B&C which has more or less the same nutritional value as its muse (and I urge you not to try this one at home):
Ingredients:
200g chocolate (10 squares)
360g ice-cream (9 scoops)
30g butter (1 serving)
30g double cream (1 spoonful)
100ml semi-skimmed milk (a nod to healthy living)
Method:
Whiz up, enjoy and then don’t eat for the rest of the day.
I can’t believe that people would drink something like this. 2010 calories in a single drink is not just gross, it’s dangerous.
You’re right though, it provides a great teaching resource for students to discover topics in nutrition.
I enjoyed the post!
I totally agree. People who drink this stuff don’t realise what is in the shake. The makers – Cold Stone Creamery, have published the nutritional information on their website but you have to navigate several pages before you find it – not exactly displayed proudly on the home-page!
I guess that is the problem with all food that you don’t make yourself. I read in a newspaper the other day that some supermarket salads have more fat than 6 creme eggs! And you automatically think that salad is healthy.