'Healthy' foods that arent

cspong

As a chef, I refuse to eat "fake" or diet food. Things that are labelled low this and lite that are generally fluffed out with chemicals and who knows what to make them taste acceptable - that's not to say that they even taste good! One real chocolate chip cookie leaves a better aftertaste and feeling than 5 diet cookies any day!
I'm not one of those extremist "5 ingredients or less" people, but I try to make sure that at least 90% of what I'm using is real - no margarine, no lite/low/reduced/etc, nothing with added this or that, only olive oil or butter, etc. I'd rather use 1T of butter than 5T of margarine!
I hadn't had any kind of Helper (Hamburger, Tuna, etc) in over a year, and then one day it was on sale for $0.50/box, so I bought it, cuz my man loves it. I ate my share and the next day it was, well, let's just say I'll never do that again! So much sodium, preservatives, etc etc etc.

The Healthiest Food is REAL Food.

Amen sister!!

"We've discovered the secret to life... Butter."

It's the same with those 100 cal bags of little oreo imitators... When 1 oreo only has 55 cals! If you're gonna have it, go real!

Plus, real tastes better, fills you longer, and is much better by way of chemicals.

*Not to say Oreos are real food... Just as example of the way we get sucked in to "healthy alternatives"*

Umeboshi

Everything can be healthy in moderation. A huge plate of nothing but bacon and lard isn't going to be healthy, but one slice of bacon along with a balanced meal certainly can be.

AMEN. You are SO SO SO right.
Like, granola for example. It's all about moderation because while it does have a lot of calorie dense foods (oats, nuts, dried fruit), it can be very nutritious. (Maybe just try to find ones with lower sugar/ more natural granolas.)

And again, salad.
Just watch it on the dressing and toppings; make sure it's filled with lots of colorful veggies and you're good to go!

YES. Avocados are fatty and calorie-dense but they're great for ya.

I agree! Salads are soooo deceptive, especially when eating at a restaurant or fast food. Salads can end up with like 700-1000 calories. I think it tricks a lot of people who think they're eating a 'healthy' salad when it's covered in a high-cal dressing and all sorts of cheese and fried stuff. xD

PJ64

I know! I thought they were just wholesome goodness too

AzhureSnow

I had so many of these revelations that totally changed the way I order food and shop for groceries! I avoid anything that markets itself as "weight control" or "healthy", in general, because it's usually filled with crap that isn't healthy.
I always thought, "I'll be healthy and get a salad" until I saw that some restaurant salads can cost as much as 1,000 calories!!! Now, I just pile together lots of fresh, raw veggies and use a teeny bit of olive oil and vinegar dressing... it's around 250 calories and so nutritious!
"Whole grain" in those general mills cereals... there's so much sugar in them that the whole grain doesn't mean anything.

I never thought mayo was healthy, but I didn't realize how bad it was either. I'm mayo-phobic now. Same with cheese a lot of the time.

I have been so shocked at the sodium in ... everything. No wonder non-salted food tastes bland... we've become conditioned to eat salt in EVERYTHING!

jallen1955

bran muffins

callmecaptain

I just thought i'd start a thread about foods that you thought were healthy - but arent and foods that are better than you first thought.

I dont really have any specific examples but Subway surprised me - if you look at the nutritional content within their menus it is not particually comforting to know that this 'health' food bar is feeding up fat, salt and high calorie subs passing them off as healthy.

(Note - It does depend what you have on your sub but generally theyre not as good as you first think).

Well, considering 70% of the sandwhich is bread, lol, I wouldn't count it as healthy

mollydubs

"low fat" lots of things that shouldn't be low fat...

Seriously, the crap manufacturers have to put in to make it non-fat is disturbing. Mostly the sugar they add to it. Egads. Plus fats can be so good for you!

callmecaptain

Everything can be healthy in moderation. A huge plate of nothing but bacon and lard isn't going to be healthy, but one slice of bacon along with a balanced meal certainly can be.

AMEN. You are SO SO SO right.
Like, granola for example. It's all about moderation because while it does have a lot of calorie dense foods (oats, nuts, dried fruit), it can be very nutritious. (Maybe just try to find ones with lower sugar/ more natural granolas.)

And again, salad.
Just watch it on the dressing and toppings; make sure it's filled with lots of colorful veggies and you're good to go!

YES. Avocados are fatty and calorie-dense but they're great for ya.

I agree! Salads are soooo deceptive, especially when eating at a restaurant or fast food. Salads can end up with like 700-1000 calories. I think it tricks a lot of people who think they're eating a 'healthy' salad when it's covered in a high-cal dressing and all sorts of cheese and fried stuff. xD

You know what I hate about Avocados??? I like the taste and they are good for you but... I can't eat them, I am allergic!!

EvilPink

I think the granola purely depends on the brand; many people wouldn't know real granola because every thing you find in the stores is loaded with crap or it's mixed with dried fruits or has added sweeteners. But a good granola can actually be healthy. The one I have in my cabinet now is only 120 cals per half cup (that's actually a lot of granola) and low in sugar with no chemical sweeteners or fructoses in substitution. It's basically whole grain oats, almonds, and dry milk. I can make a killer desert out of half a cup of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of granola, and 1/4 fresh raspberries with a touch of Stevia and all for about 130 calories.

Yogurts would be my "healthy" food that isn't. Yoplaits and Dannons. They're loaded with chemical sweeteners and carbs and some flavors have a ton of calories for that little 6 oz cup. Funny how you always see it promoted as a healthy food though.

10acity

You know what I hate about Avocados??? I like the taste and they are good for you but... I can't eat them, I am allergic!!

I'm so sorry! That is so sad! I buy at least one avocado every grocery trip.

angelashay42

Fruit Smoothies!
Homemade smoothies, yeah, those can be healthy, depending on what you put in them.
However, those sugar-filled, processed, artificially flavored "fruit smoothies" these fast food places are serving up are awful and disgusting! People order them thinking it's better than a soda or a milkshake when it's really not. They have even more artificial sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

diemodemdie

Dunno if anyone said this yet or not, but SUN CHIPS. Yeesh.

Royaltvii

Nutella for one..I looked at the label before I bought it but they made it seem healthy, some granola bars,some protein bars and some shakes. And alot of low fat items as well.

Pebble321

I think a lot of this is about perspective - muesli (granola) can be healthy, especially if you make it yourself, or get one that isn't toasted or doesnt' have added sugar.
Mostly its about portion sizes and what is right for your diet - 1/4 cup of granola on top of fresh fruit and nautral yoghurt can make a fantastic breakfast. A giant bowl of muesli can too, but only if you have the calories available to eat so much.

But, it's even more about educating yourself and looking past the labels screaming "low fat", "no added sugar", "wholegrain" on the front of the pack and going to the ingredients list on the back.

I had this discussion with my dad a while ago - he deliberately went out to buy the "healthiest" yoghurt he could find and came home witb one that had artificial sweeteners, quite a bit of added sugar, not very much real fruit, and lots of extra fillers like gelatine etc.
I think what he really wanted was something made of milk and fruit, but he was sidetracked by the label that shouted: "high in calcium, no artificial flavours, real fruit". Of course this is true, but if he had read the label he would have learnt that it had about the same amount of calcium as all the other yoghurts, the "real fruit" was a very small portion of the product, and that it had "added flavours', just not artificial.

Kamikazeflutterby

Special K Red Berries cereal--62grams of cereal are half of my sugar allowance for the day. I still like the cereal, I just don't find it particularly healthy.

Msutch

Advacado.....I knew it was high in natural fats but 250 calories blew up my day!

etavi

granola. I used to eat fat free yogurt, granola, and fruit for break fast every morning. No wonder I wasn't loosing weight.

All natural peanut butter. The taste difference is huge, the calories, not so much, same with sugar free chocolate syrup. And chocolate milk just doesn't come out the right way with it.

I just focus on calories right now though, and that seems to be working for me.

Katwilkins

I made granola from a Weight Watcher's recipe and it was delicious, then I looked at calories, and it was about 100 calories per teaspoon! That was the end of that!

glennstoudt

Everything can be healthy in moderation. A huge plate of nothing but bacon and lard isn't going to be healthy, but one slice of bacon along with a balanced meal certainly can be.

NOT if you are concerned about nitrites and sodium. sorry. Bacon is yummy but it is never healthy

MadCheernGurl09

I was going to say anything general mills, including all types of special k and fiber one bars or any of brand of these items. ohhh and it turns out gatorade is really bad for you too unless your like sick and need the electrolights.

WanderingMe

Dunno if anyone said this yet or not, but SUN CHIPS. Yeesh.

Ditto...and I freakin love sun chips....sad day. I think they made a joke about that in a family guy episode...

The thing that turned out to be healthier than I thought would be was guacamole...IF you make it yourself and limit the salt.

jennifer52484

My fav peanut butter used to be Reduced Fat Jif. I switched over to Teddie's All natural organic chunky peanut butter. I ran out of my teddie brand so i used some Jif and it is not good at all. I taste the yuck they put in it. No good.

etavi

Everything can be healthy in moderation. A huge plate of nothing but bacon and lard isn't going to be healthy, but one slice of bacon along with a balanced meal certainly can be.

NOT if you are concerned about nitrites and sodium. sorry. Bacon is yummy but it is never healthy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAlZ3ktFC8g&feature=related
Sorry if its a bit off topic, but I always think of this when people tell me bacon is healthy XD

glennstoudt

I had so many of these revelations that totally changed the way I order food and shop for groceries! I avoid anything that markets itself as "weight control" or "healthy", in general, because it's usually filled with crap that isn't healthy.
I always thought, "I'll be healthy and get a salad" until I saw that some restaurant salads can cost as much as 1,000 calories!!! Now, I just pile together lots of fresh, raw veggies and use a teeny bit of olive oil and vinegar dressing... it's around 250 calories and so nutritious!
"Whole grain" in those general mills cereals... there's so much sugar in them that the whole grain doesn't mean anything.

I never thought mayo was healthy, but I didn't realize how bad it was either. I'm mayo-phobic now. Same with cheese a lot of the time.

I have been so shocked at the sodium in ... everything. No wonder non-salted food tastes bland... we've become conditioned to eat salt in EVERYTHING!

Salt is a low cost flavor enhancer. So food processors will use it with reckless abandon. Going low sodium is not so hard over time. I am very salt sensitive because it is my choice to not take sodium to excess. At home it is relatively easy to control. Away from home it is more of a challenge but possible. I suggest it is something worth paying attention to at any age. For mayo, get Canola oil based mayo and use it sparingly. It's good fats and is not a problem. Whole grains if you are eating grains are a leg up on non-complex carbs.

diemodemdie

Nutella for one..I looked at the label before I bought it but they made it seem healthy, some granola bars,some protein bars and some shakes. And alot of low fat items as well.

Well, but... it's Nutella. Isn't that exempt on principle or something?

diemodemdie

Also, I feel kind of odd reading through this thread, as my diet includes many foods that everyone is saying is awful for you. However, I had two recent doctor's appts, and my blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI went down significantly ever since I started dieting.

Example: Bacon.

shaynak112

- dried fruit
- nuts
- meat

I remember when I was a kid, my parents would encourage me to eat bread and cheese, yeah it's good for you. Ummm what?!?!? Ever since I have eliminated MOST of the cheese/bread from my diet, I have felt better and lost weight. Gah! I also used to think meat was good for you ... HAH ... now I don't eat any meat at all!

PhotographyChick

Ramen packets. High in sodium, lots of processed powders.

Granola bars. Really high in calories. Plus Monsanto grains are evil.

Ramen? Really? The topic was healthy foods that aren't actually healthy.... I would never classify anything about ramen healthy...

jonibeeps

Low fat peanut butter. Seems like a good idea, and it IS lower in calories, but the problem is that all the healthy good for you stuff is in the oil!

SuperVegan8

Salads. Especially from restuarants/fast food places. They can have as much fat and calories as a cheeseburger. I've heard coworkers say they are eating "healthy" by eating salads fromt fast food places. Wrong. If you aren't dieting and enjoys salads, then by all means eat one, but don't fool yourself into thinking they are healthy.

i've heard that alot about salad bars - many add really fat and creamy dressings to hide the salad taste which usually add 100's of calories.

i started this thread really to get people thinking - i've come across heaps of examples but i cant remember many.