Not So Healthy Alternatives -A Cracked Photoplasty

Momepro

http://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-722-15-foods-that-are-even-less-healthy-than-you-realize/

stevencloser

Those have a bunch of half truths and unnecessary fear mongering.

Momepro

Some. Some are actually interesing tidbits. Always do your own research before accepting ANYTHING as 100%. This also highlights the facts that A. Not everything marketed as the healthy alternative is.
And B. "Healthy" options are not about one measurement only. Lower calorie/ nonfat/all natural... Does not always mean better for you.

And yes, Cracked is not a scientific research company, lol. It is a humor site that does alot of list based nonsense. No, this isn't 100% accurate, but it IS a reminder to pay attention to whole diet rather than marketing.

L1zardQueen

It's click bait. None of those foods is bad for you, unless your diet consisted of only those foods. I couldn't get past the first four. Sorry.

lporter229

I am not sure that ANYBODY knows what is healthy and what isn't. It is damn near impossible to escape the influences of marketing, advertising and what is often passed off as journalism in our society. I just eat what makes me feel god and don't eat what doesn't. And, yes, I am aware that some of what "makes me feel good" is impacted by marketing and advertising. Like I said, can't escape it.

WinoGelato

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

It's click bait. None of those foods is bad for you, unless your diet consisted of only those foods. I couldn't get past the first four. Sorry.

Cosigned.

diannethegeek

WinoGelato wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

It's click bait. None of those foods is bad for you, unless your diet consisted of only those foods. I couldn't get past the first four. Sorry.

Cosigned.

Here's the full list with their reasons.

Chicken pot pie from KFC (saturated fat & sodium)
Quinoa (more calories than brown rice)
Sugar-free candy (diarrhea)
turkey deli meat (nitrates and sodium)
fat-free salad dressing (sodium and sugar, lacking vitamin E)
muffins (as much sugar and fat as doughnuts or cupcakes)
spinach and tomato pasta (identical to regular pasta)
wrap instead of a sandwich (worse than bread, trans fat & sodium, more fillings than a sandwich)
sweet potato fries (nutritional benefits lost when fried in hot oil)
salted nuts (100mg of sodium/ounce)
frozen yogurt (sugar)
McDonald's oatmeal (sugar)
banana chips (more calorie dense than a banana + fat if fried)
KFC coleslaw (fat)
ketchup (more sugar than a cookie, apparently)

I think it's a good explanation of why you can't call foods healthy or unhealthy. When you hold two completely random foods up to each other, you get nonsensical answers.

cwolfman13

Do people really eat Quinoa because they think it's lower calories than rice? I eat it because 1) my wife and I enjoyed eating it when we visited Peru, long before it became cool...and 2) it has a better macro profile than rice...but I also eat rice.

Also, a lot of these seem to be conflating nutrition and calories...i.e. something higher in calories is inherently therefore bad for you...there are many high calorie foods that are very good for you; one has nothing to do with the other. And it's not like we don't need calories...we kinda need energy.

Momepro

diannethegeek wrote: »

WinoGelato wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

It's click bait. None of those foods is bad for you, unless your diet consisted of only those foods. I couldn't get past the first four. Sorry.

Cosigned.

Here's the full list with their reasons.

Chicken pot pie from KFC (saturated fat & sodium)
Quinoa (more calories than brown rice)
Sugar-free candy (diarrhea)
turkey deli meat (nitrates and sodium)
fat-free salad dressing (sodium and sugar, lacking vitamin E)
muffins (as much sugar and fat as doughnuts or cupcakes)
spinach and tomato pasta (identical to regular pasta)
wrap instead of a sandwich (worse than bread, trans fat & sodium, more fillings than a sandwich)
sweet potato fries (nutritional benefits lost when fried in hot oil)
salted nuts (100mg of sodium/ounce)
frozen yogurt (sugar)
McDonald's oatmeal (sugar)
banana chips (more calorie dense than a banana + fat if fried)
KFC coleslaw (fat)
ketchup (more sugar than a cookie, apparently)

I think it's a good explanation of why you can't call foods healthy or unhealthy. When you hold two completely random foods up to each other, you get nonsensical answers.

Exactly

Momepro

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Do people really eat Quinoa because they think it's lower calories than rice? I eat it because 1) my wife and I enjoyed eating it when we visited Peru, long before it became cool...and 2) it has a better macro profile than rice...but I also eat rice.

Also, a lot of these seem to be conflating nutrition and calories...i.e. something higher in calories is inherently therefore bad for you...there are many high calorie foods that are very good for you; one has nothing to do with the other. And it's not like we don't need calories...we kinda need energy.

Unfortunately there are too many people who can't figure out that less calories does not always equal healthier. One friend on my Facebook feed was told by her Dr. that she needed go lose weight and lower sodium. Her posts for the last several days have been pictures of salads and whlole grain pasta and how sad and yucky her meals are now. It's depressing.

lemurcat12

Of those foods, the only ones that are likely assumed to be "healthy" (of course I agree that healthy in reality should relate to overall diet) are:

Quinoa (more calories than brown rice)
spinach and tomato pasta (identical to regular pasta)
wrap instead of a sandwich (worse than bread, trans fat & sodium, more fillings than a sandwich)
sweet potato fries (nutritional benefits lost when fried in hot oil)
salted nuts (100mg of sodium/ounce)

Personally, I think it's dumb that some seem to think quinoa is a super food or extremely high in protein, but having as many calories (or slightly more) than other similar foods doesn't make it unhealthy. Spinach and tomato pasta is maybe considered by some to be more healthful than regular, I dunno, but it's hardly unhealthy. A wrap likely varies depending on the specific, but with the right choice of wrap can be a decent way to save some calories. It's odd that some people think sweet potato fries are more healthful than fries, but they are fine in moderation. Salted nuts are fine, having some salt won't hurt you.

Special mention for the ketchup point, as I admit I'm biased in that I hate ketchup, but anyone who eats so much ketchup on something that it even approaches the sugar in a cookie (total -- unless it's a very small cookie) or, say, an apple is loading on ketchup to a bizarre and barbaric degree and should not be assumed to be representative of anyone. A serving of ketchup (again, I say this despite disliking it) is not high cal (USDA has 15 g per tbsp) and does not have all that much sugar.

cwolfman13

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Of those foods, the only ones that are likely assumed to be "healthy" (of course I agree that healthy in reality should relate to overall diet) are:

Quinoa (more calories than brown rice)
spinach and tomato pasta (identical to regular pasta)
wrap instead of a sandwich (worse than bread, trans fat & sodium, more fillings than a sandwich)
sweet potato fries (nutritional benefits lost when fried in hot oil)
salted nuts (100mg of sodium/ounce)

Personally, I think it's dumb that some seem to think quinoa is a super food or extremely high in protein, but having as many calories (or slightly more) than other similar foods doesn't make it unhealthy. Spinach and tomato pasta is maybe considered by some to be more healthful than regular, I dunno, but it's hardly unhealthy. A wrap likely varies depending on the specific, but with the right choice of wrap can be a decent way to save some calories. It's odd that some people think sweet potato fries are more healthful than fries, but they are fine in moderation. Salted nuts are fine, having some salt won't hurt you.

Special mention for the ketchup point, as I admit I'm biased in that I hate ketchup, but anyone who eats so much ketchup on something that it even approaches the sugar in a cookie (total -- unless it's a very small cookie) or, say, an apple is loading on ketchup to a bizarre and barbaric degree and should not be assumed to be representative of anyone. A serving of ketchup (again, I say this despite disliking it) is not high cal (USDA has 15 g per tbsp) and does not have all that much sugar.

You should meet my 7 year old...I think left to his own devices he would go through a bottle of ketchup daily...Lol

But yeah, it's a pretty crappy comparison...

Momepro

cwolfman13 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Of those foods, the only ones that are likely assumed to be "healthy" (of course I agree that healthy in reality should relate to overall diet) are:

Quinoa (more calories than brown rice)
spinach and tomato pasta (identical to regular pasta)
wrap instead of a sandwich (worse than bread, trans fat & sodium, more fillings than a sandwich)
sweet potato fries (nutritional benefits lost when fried in hot oil)
salted nuts (100mg of sodium/ounce)

Personally, I think it's dumb that some seem to think quinoa is a super food or extremely high in protein, but having as many calories (or slightly more) than other similar foods doesn't make it unhealthy. Spinach and tomato pasta is maybe considered by some to be more healthful than regular, I dunno, but it's hardly unhealthy. A wrap likely varies depending on the specific, but with the right choice of wrap can be a decent way to save some calories. It's odd that some people think sweet potato fries are more healthful than fries, but they are fine in moderation. Salted nuts are fine, having some salt won't hurt you.

Special mention for the ketchup point, as I admit I'm biased in that I hate ketchup, but anyone who eats so much ketchup on something that it even approaches the sugar in a cookie (total -- unless it's a very small cookie) or, say, an apple is loading on ketchup to a bizarre and barbaric degree and should not be assumed to be representative of anyone. A serving of ketchup (again, I say this despite disliking it) is not high cal (USDA has 15 g per tbsp) and does not have all that much sugar.

You should meet my 7 year old...I think left to his own devices he would go through a bottle of ketchup daily...Lol

But yeah, it's a pretty crappy comparison...

Lol, that reminded me of the time my then 2 year d nephew poured himself a bowl of ketchup and ate it before Mom caught him. His babysitter FREAKED the next morning when he had a VERY red diaper! She was ready to rush him to hospital, exceot mty sister in law started laughing so hard!

mom2kateRH

I. Love. Ketchup. I used to put it on everything, including Mac and cheese. I don't anymore, because adulting now. Except every once in awhile, will have Kraft Mac and cheese with ketchup

AliceDark

grmrsan wrote: »

Some. Some are actually interesing tidbits. Always do your own research before accepting ANYTHING as 100%. This also highlights the facts that A. Not everything marketed as the healthy alternative is.
And B. "Healthy" options are not about one measurement only. Lower calorie/ nonfat/all natural... Does not always mean better for you.

And yes, Cracked is not a scientific research company, lol. It is a humor site that does alot of list based nonsense. No, this isn't 100% accurate, but it IS a reminder to pay attention to whole diet rather than marketing.

And Cracked isn't trying to market anything?

Of course they are; they're being deliberately sensational in order to drive traffic to their site. I actually like their site quite a bit, but I don't take nutritional advice from them. If they wrote an article stating "you should be on the lookout for hidden sources of calories and products that benefit from an artificial health halo," it would be more informative but they wouldn't get the clicks.