But some healthy-sounding foods are imposters, implying they offer more than they really do. Most of us are aware that just because a bread says it is seven grain or whole wheat, doesn’t mean it is. But there are many more deceptive tricks to avoid. Registered dietitian Elizabeth Somer blows the whistle on some of foods that fool us. ";
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Cocoa Puffs or Select Cranberry Almond Crunch?
Many of those sophisticated cereals aimed at adults have as much or more sugar as the kid’s junk. In this case, Cocoa Puffs has slightly less, 12 grams vs 13 grams in the healthy-sounding Crunch. Granted the Crunch has a bit more fiber, but it also has 80% more calories. Both are made with whole grains, but no one would venture to say a chocolate cereal is healthy for you. Well, guess what? Many of those cereals aimed at adults are not much better.
Healthier options
Choose cereals that contain only whole grain or bran, have at least 5 grams of fiber, and no more than 8 grams of sugar. Some good examples are: Kashi GoLean, Spoon-size Shredded Wheat ‘n Bran, General Mills, Post, or Kellogg’s Raisin Bran; GrapeNuts, or Weetabix Organic.";
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Potato chips or Flat Earth's Baked Fruit Crisps?
It’s a wash. Check the label and you’ll notice that the first two ingredients in the crisps are rice flour and potato flakes. That’s right, this incredibly deceptive chip, which often is found in the canned fruit aisle, is just potato chips.
Healthier options
If you want something crunchy, try snacking on raw Chinese pea pods or apple slices. If you want something closer to a chip, cut corn tortillas into wedges, dust them with salt or seasonings and bake until crispy.
";
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Regular Oreo's or Reduced-fat?
They both have about the same calories -- 160 vs. 150 calories for three cookies. The manufacturer just makes up for the loss of fat by adding more sugar. Also, watch out in the cookie aisle for companies playing the shell game with servings sizes. Bottom line: Check the serving size before you buy!!
Healthier options
Choose a 100-calorie pack of Oreo Thin Crisps or Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps. They cost more but they'll help you limit the time your fingers linger in the cookie jar. There's also 100% whole grain Fig Newtons. These are good because they supplie some real fruit and are made with only whole grain.";
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Wheatsworth Stoneground Wheat Crackers or Triscuits?
Seems like any cracker that say’s “wheat” twice and mentions that the wheat is stoneground must pack a hefty nutritional punch. However, the deceptive word here -- wheat -- just means it is made with refined wheat flour, the first ingredient listed. Five crackers packs almost a teaspoon of fat (3.5 grams), too. So watch out for brand deception, always read the label and assume nothing!
Healthier options
Check the ingredient list and know the code words. Refined white flour is often called wheat flour or enriched flour. If you don’t see the word “whole,” “cracked wheat,” “oats,” or “whole grain”, it probably isn’t. Also, the nutrition panel may say “trans free”, but if you see hydrogenated vegetable oil in the ingredient list, you have a product that has trans fats, just not enough per serving to qualify for a listing. Eat more than the serving size and you could be eating more than your allotment of trans fats. Try Reduced-Fat Triscuits, or their Roasted Garlic or Garden Herb varieties -- they are whole grain, high-fiber, and hydrogenated fat-free. ";
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Trail mix or a full meal?
Newton’s Naturals Trail Mix is a tasty blend of fruit, nuts, and seeds. It is also rich in heart-healthy fats, fiber and a few trace minerals but at a price. A 12-ounce bag has 12 servings (3 tablespoons) for 130 calories and a teaspoon of saturated fat. Nibble even a quarter of the bag and you’ve served up 800 calories. That's more calories than you would consume in a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with mayo, lettuce, three cups of side salad with two tablespoons of dressing, a glass of low-fat milk and a big apple.
Healthier options
If you must have a bagged, crunchy snack have 2/3 cup of Newton’s Naturals Oriental Mix for a mere 100 calories and no fat. ";
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Turkey, beef or pork hot dogs?
Compared with typical full-fat beef hot dogs, you would rightfully guess that turkey hot dogs must be lower in calories and fat and a better choice for weight loss. Well, surprise! Many contain the skin and fat of the bird, so it can range from 10 to 17 grams of fat and 100 to 185 calories each just like the beef or pork hot dogs. Both are over the top when it comes to sodium (one turkey hot dog supplies 22% of your total day’s upper limit for sodium). Also, when it comes to ground turkey, choose only ground turkey breast otherwise, you have a meat that closely resembles a hamburger.
Healthier options
Choose Oscar Mayer’s fat-free hot dogs have as little as 39 calories each and Healthy Choice has a low-fat beef frank with only 60 calories and 1.5 grams fat";
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Fruit juice with acai, pomegranate, mangosteen or passion fruit?
While some of the new juices contain fruits known to be high in antioxidants, such as blueberries, acai, and pomegranate it is a huge misconception to think these are better than tomato juice or orange juice. If a high-priced fruit drink contains either high-fructose corn syrup, concentrated apple, white grape, or pear in the first three ingredients -- what you have is a lot of sugar water mixed with some fruit. Some of these bottled juices are only 5% fruit juice.
Healthier options
If you’re choosing between juice or a soda, many juices win hands down. However, if you are truly serious about eating healthy and managing your weight, then a piece of fruit, such as an orange, and a glass of water is your best choice. The tried-and-true juices with research to back them up include: 100% orange, grapefruit, prune, tomato, V8, and pineapple.";
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Reduced-fat or regular peanut butter?
They both have about the same calories. The reduced-fat makes up for the calories by adding more sugar in the form of corn syrup solids. When it comes to your weight, a calorie is a calorie whether it comes from sugar or fat.
Healthier options
I love peanut butter, just watch your serving size. Keep it to 2 tablespoons when using as a dip, in a sandwich, Thai sauces, or in smoothies. You can add also partially defatted peanut butter powder to smoothies for taste with fewer calories.
All fruit jam or regular jam?
They are the same, and some all-fruit jams even have more calories. Both list whole fruit as the first ingredient. The only difference is that regular jam uses corn syrup while all-fruit uses sweetener, which is just highly refined sugar extracted from fruit.
Healthier options
Choose whichever jam you like the best just watch the serving size. Or if you want schmeer a bit of peanut butter on bread and top with fresh fruit, such as thinly sliced apples or chunks of banana. ";
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Salad kit or bagged lettuce?
Dole’s Garlic Caesar Salad kit says that there are 3 servings in a bag. Each little serving (1.5 cups) is 170 calories and 15 grams of fat! Use the entire salad dressing pouch and croutons on your salad and you are consuming more calories than you would get in a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Hillshire Farm has a new line of Entree Salads where all you add is the lettuce to the meat. If you eat that you will add half a day’s saturated fat and a full day’s of sodium. In fact, you’ll be gobbling the nutritional equivalent of a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg, plus 700mg more sodium.
Healthier options
Choose a bagged baby spinach or romaine lettuces, then drizzle a smidgeon of your own favorite low-fat dressing. Better yet, try Wish Bone’s Salad Spritzers, which coats the greens with only one calorie’s worth of dressing. ";
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Juice Plus or broccoli?
Juice Plus may be touted as the “next best thing to fruits and vegetables,” but don’t be fooled. It still would take 15 capsules to supply the equivalent of a half cup serving of broccoli and Juice Plus recommends four capsules a day. Yes, the company adds some extra vitamin C, beta carotene, and other nutrients to make up the difference, but you’ll still be missing out on the fiber and 12,000 health-enhancing phytochemicals.
Healthier options
Just bite the bullet and make a pack with yourself to include at least two servings of real fruits and vegetables at every meal and at least one at every snack. Period. ";
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Bran muffins or apple croissant?
Bran muffins are right up there with soymilk as a symbol of health food, while everyone knows that croissants are just sinful, period. However the only advantage the bran muffin holds over the croissant is that it is higher in fiber. The croissant wins on being lower in calories, fat, and sugar. Most coffee shop or bakery muffins average about four to six ounces, 350 to 500 calories, and 15 to 20 grams of fat, with a hefty dose of artery-clogging bad fat throw in for good measure. For example, Dunkin Doughnuts Honey Bran Muffin has 490 calories and a teaspoon of bad fat. A tell-tale sign if a muffin is particularly high in fat is if it leaves a grease slick on your fingers or an oily feel in your mouth.
Healthier options
This doesn’t give you license to eat croissants. Instead, choose Au Bon Pain's Low-fat Triple Berry Muffin (290 calories and 2 grams fat)or Panera's Low-fat Triple berry Muffin (300 calories, 3 grams fat), or Panera's Banana Nut Muffin (260 calories, 2 grams sat. fat). Still want to cut calories? Share that bran muffin with two other friends!";
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Pepper seasoning or salt?
If you're trying to cut back on salt you may have seen a few alternative seasonings in the spice aisle like: McCormick’s Garlic Pepper. But look a bit further and you’ll find that salt is the second ingredient. So if you use a dusting of this seasoning you’ve added 105mg of sodium to your plate. Granted, that’s much less than you would have gotten from salt but at least with the salt you’re calling it what it is. Thinking it’s low-salt, might cause you to add more harm.
Healthier options
The taste for salt is learned, and can be easily unlearned. If you want to curtail your salt intake, check labels on any seasoning to make sure it is low in sodium. Mrs. Dash makes several seasoning mixes that are sodium-free. Start by adding more herbs (dried or fresh) to your meals to replace the salty taste with a world of new flavors. ";
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Frozen yogurt or ice cream?
Yogurt is hot right now with all the buzz about probiotics and their benefits to health. However, it's unlikely the healthy bacteria will survive in sub-zero temperatures. Plus many frozen yogurts are just as high, or higher, in fat, sugar, calories, as ice cream. For example, Haagen-Dazs frozen coffee yogurt has 400 calories in a cup, while Breyers Double Churn Free Caramel Swirl ice cream has half the calories and no fat in the same amount.
Healthier options
Read labels and choose frozen yogurts or ice cream that supply no more than 150 calories and 2 grams fat/ half cup. To ensure you’re getting those healthy probiotics, choose plain, nonfat yogurt and top it with fresh fruit or a little jam. ";
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Dannon Vanilla Yogurt or Dannon Frusion Smoothie?
The yogurt has about seven grams of protein and 25% of your day’s requirement for calcium for about 150 calories. The smoothie has roughly the same protein and calcium for almost twice the calories or 270 calories. Actually, many smoothies on the market that are made with milk or yogurt are loaded with sugar.
Healthier options
Make your own smoothie! It doesn’t get much easier than tossing a piece of fruit and some nonfat plain yogurt in a blender! Or you can choose Dannon’s Light‘n Fit Smoothie sweetened with Splenda. It has the the same protein and calcium but only 80 calories. ";
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Honey or sugar?
Nutrition-wise, it’s roughly equal between the two. Honey has some minerals in it, such as calcium and iron, but it would take 15 cups (15,450 calories) of honey to supply the calcium in one cup of milk and 3 cups to get the iron you get in a small serving of lean meat.
Healthier options
Americans are averaging about 150 pounds of sugar each year, so have a little of whatever sweetener you like, just cut way back.";
// END editorial data