So much for healthy!

saratague
saratague Posts: 49 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I perhaps MAY have mispoke when originally typing this up - I've edited it a bit. Sorry to those that read it! :)

If I could change the title, I would - I'm more talking about a snack vs. a meal and people thinking that they can eat however much they want of things because they are "healthy".

One of the guys from work frequently brings in bread and other items from local stores that is about to be past its expiration date. They have to take it off the shelves and he belongs to one of a few local co-op type groups that collects and donates this food. After he gets some for his family and the local donation, he brings some for us at work – I haven’t bought bread since I’ve been here thanks to him!

Anyway…

Today he brings in these awesome looking granola rounds. They are about the size of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie (told you I was fat!) and look good. They LOOK healthy – Oats, almonds, raisins, things like that.

Although FULL of healthy things, at 427 calories, 24 grams of fat, 5 grams dietary fiber, and only 9 grams of protein, this is hardly a snack (for me).

Just for a little comparison, an Oatmeal Crème Pie is 430 calories, 21 grams of fat, 1 gram dietary fiber, and 3 grams of protein.

Now, I’m not a big “clean” eater, but I do eat a lot cleanER than I have been.

Every morning I have a juice – I end up drinking half of it for breakfast, half of it for lunch. I’m not 100% sure how to accurately calculate juice calories, so I just based it on the fruits and veggies. My juice has JUST over 400 calories in it – If I take all the veggies and fruits and add them up, it comes to 416 calories. I ESTIMATE just the juice is about 300 calories.

What this means:

This “snack” is more than I eat for breakfast AND lunch EVERY DAY. My “snack” is typically 10oz of grapes and later in the day, I have some veggie straws. Those TOGETHER total 230 – And that’s for TWO snacks.

This is just one snack.

People assume because they see “clean”, “protein”, “granola”, etc that it means they are healthy and/or low calorie. Don’t go by what is SUPPOSEDLY healthy – Read the labels and know what they mean.

SIDE NOTE: I recently had Subway for dinner and the local chain is now selling “gluten free” brownies. I, of course, didn’t read the label and decided it must be healthy because it was gluten free. Nope: 350 calories and 16 grams of fat. That’s more calories than a 6” Sweet Onion Teryaki sub (without cheese) and less fat than an ENTIRE 12” Sweet Onion Teryaki sub (without cheese). Needless to say, I’ll be reading my labels.

I’m not perfect, but considering I try REALLY hard to stay under 35 grams of fat a day, this “snack” is more of a meal to me, and I guarantee it won’t fill me up. If I want a higher-calorie, more filling “snack”, I think I’ll stick with my cup of Greek Yogurt with a bit of almond butter in it – It tastes as close to cookie dough as healthy can get and is SUPER filling.

Just thought I’d share my findings…
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Replies

  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    How does.. calories + fat = unhealthy?
    There is anywhere from 300 - 600 calories in an avacado, and they're good for you.
    529 calories in a cup of almonds
    300 calories in a cup of oatmeal
    500 calories in a cup of raisins.

    Theres a lot worse things out there.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    How does a calorie # determine what is or isn't healthy? :huh:
  • saratague
    saratague Posts: 49 Member
    I just thought I'd share because FOR ME, 427 calories is a meal, not a "snack", no matter how healthy it is.

    It's almost the exact same as the Little Debbie treat, but I doubt that anyone would argue that the Little Debbie is better for you.

    I agree that there are DEFINITELY worse things out there, but it would hardly be a snack.

    I apolgoize for using "unhealthy" to describe it - I was perhaps a bit mistaken on that note. It's probably pretty healthy considering, but not an option (for me) for a snack.
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
    You can't just look at the calorie count. There is a positive difference if it has 5x the fiber and 3x the protein for roughly the same calorie count. This means quality calories that your body can put to better use than whatever crap is in the other product
  • saratague
    saratague Posts: 49 Member
    Yeahhhhhhhh...I read the other people's replies too and realize I MAY have posted this a bit too quickly, and without thinking about it. :)

    I just edited it a bit.

    I guess for me, the more surprising thing was that it was a "snack" - My snacks are typically half that in calories and just as high in protein and fiber.

    I definitely agree there are worse things out there, but was disappointed that this snack had 1/4 of the calories I've given myself in one day.
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    Granola has always been a heavy snack.

    Gluten free doesn't mean low calorie or healthy. It just means the poor folk who can't digest gluten have to eat that instead.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    How does a calorie # determine what is or isn't healthy? :huh:

    Because people are so focused on the numbers that they think things are unhealthy when that is clearly not the case.

    I don't count calories. I track my food for nutrient content, not some arbitrary number.

    Quality over Quantity everyday, all day
  • saratague
    saratague Posts: 49 Member
    I, apparently, am one of those people. :)

    I DO realize that 430 for a granola bar with almonds and raisins IS a little different than 430 for a Little Debbie snack, but that's still a LOT of calories.

    I know that calories are not the ONLY measure of healthy vs. unhealthy but counting calories works best for me because otherwise I eat too many calories - There's a reason I'm fat: No self control. Counting calories helps with that.

    Thank you all for all your replies! I will definitely take a lot of them into consideration! :)
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    35g fat probably isn't enough. You're supposed to eat .35-4g fat a day. Fat is not the enemy.
  • saratague
    saratague Posts: 49 Member
    But there are good fats and bad fats, correct?

    Fat in fish I'm assuming is good, fat in a Little Debbie, bad? :)
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    But there are good fats and bad fats, correct?

    Fat in fish I'm assuming is good, fat in a Little Debbie, bad? :)
    Trans fats = bad. Everything else = good.

    I'm eating an ice cream cone (Ben and Jerry's milk and cookies) right now, good fats. I'm healthier than I've ever been.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    35g fat probably isn't enough. You're supposed to eat .35-4g fat a day. Fat is not the enemy.
    Oops, meants .35-.4g per pound of body weight a day.

    That's what I get for typing while talking on the phone :grumble:
  • LonLB
    LonLB Posts: 1,126 Member
    Sorry band wagon posters are lame.


    430 Cals with that little protein and fiber is a ****ty "snack".
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
    Some of us do go by calories and not macros, doesn't make one right or wrong. If I eat something thinking it is going to be low cal and find out later it is not, it is kind of depressing so I feel what your saying OP!! If a snack is going to be 1/4 of my calorie allotment it had better fill me up for a while!!

    Doing this is a great learning opportunity though and helps me remember to look before devouring. :happy:
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    mmm snacks.


    why do you think snacks have to be a certain amount of calories?
  • Jen800
    Jen800 Posts: 548 Member
    I agree with what you're saying completely. People also assume subway is a healthy option - it's not. Almost everything there is so sodium laden, and the "whole grain" bread is a joke. I have NO problem eating subway -or any other delicious snack- as a treat, but I'd never eat it claiming I was healthy for doing so. And I always work it into my macros.

    I always read the ingredients first, then the nutrition label.

    Edited to add: I make my own super healthy granola bars, but I can usually not fit them in my macros. They're always very high calorie, and even with 1300-1500 it's hard to get it in, so I get what you're saying about the calories being more like a meals-worth than a snack. They do fill you up though!
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    Sorry band wagon posters are lame.


    430 Cals with that little protein and fiber is a ****ty "snack".

    Unless you're eating it to meet your carb or fat macro goals, in which case, it would be a good snack.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    I think the point is, healthy doesn't necessarily mean low calorie. Or low fat. So for those of us who have to watch calories and fat closely, it can be misleading to see "healthy" on the label.

    I've learned the hard way to ALWAYS check the nutritional values on something before eating.

    Plus, you just have to be educated about things.

    I love trail mix, and there is no doubt that it is a better snack than a Twinkie. But I still have to account for the fats and sugars in the trail mix ( and of course the calories). Before I paid attention to calories, I might eat a whole cup of trail mix, telling myself that it was nuts and fruits. That's how I ended up fat.

    Lets all remember that there's no "free lunch" in anything!
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    But there are good fats and bad fats, correct?

    Fat in fish I'm assuming is good, fat in a Little Debbie, bad? :)
    Trans fats = bad. Everything else = good.

    I'm eating an ice cream cone (Ben and Jerry's milk and cookies) right now, good fats. I'm healthier than I've ever been.

    Yes, trans fats are definitely bad. But there are those of us whose bodies will make cholesterol out of any excess fats, and so we have to steer away from high fat foods, even healthy ones. Within those parameters, I still try to get mostly healthy fats, but for me and other people with a genetic tendency for high cholesterol, too much of any fat can be very bad.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    High calories doesn't mean unhealthy necessarily.. but it also doesnt' mean filling... I know people love thier graonla.. but it doesnt' fill me.. and at 210 calories for 1/4 cup.. i'll look elsewhere for a snack.. I still eat it occasionally because I do like how it tastes.. but it's a treat, not a go to.

    I love avocados.. having a bunch of it with dinner tonight actually. I love organic whole milk.. at 160 calories per cup. It's really good for you :~)

    I strive to eat clean.. and I do well until I go out to eat.

    But i have to agree.. 427 calories for something that sounds more like a dessert then a snack is a bit much. I eat that much for breakfast when I have my smoothie.. but that's got whole milk, protein powder, fruit and chai seeds in it. and I'm barely hungry even for lunch after having it. lol. Much better way to spend 400 calories.

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