Some discoveries I'm making about food

PrincessTinyheart
PrincessTinyheart Posts: 679 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is more of a general observation than anything else... I'm discovering that a lot of my favorite foods are higher in sodium than I thought... A lot of them are higher in calories too. It's almost to the point where I have to anticipate where I'm going and what I'm going to eat. It's difficult at times.

Are any of you discovering any nasty surprises with food?

Replies

  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    When i started it startled me how high some of my regular foods were.

    Forward planning ftw. :)
  • Magisoft
    Magisoft Posts: 113
    Yep! All bets are off. It is astonishing the calories in say, a biscuit, or a square of chocolate - or god forbid a Large Meal in McDonalds! Total change required!
  • byahbee
    byahbee Posts: 19
    smoked mackerel for me. i can put it with anything like potatoes, rice or pasta but I've just discovered it's high in salt so i shouldn't be eating it more than twice a week. small biscuits in general can be 40-50 calories each, when i would eat 5 in a row without even thinking about it.
    it's really made me think more carefully about my snacking but it still makes me sad sometimes xD
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    On the subject of McDonalds, i was amazed how LOW chicken McNuggets are! But amazed at how much large fries are! So handy they have to put the cal count on the menu now...
  • Magisoft
    Magisoft Posts: 113
    Yes, Fries are like, 500 cals!! - don't tempt me on the nuggets - a dip in sweet curry sauce ...
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    But like 380 cals for 9....better than most things there!
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    buying a food scale and using measuring cups/spoons opened my eyes about portion servings. Definitely recommend it if you don't have one yet! I'm seriously missing mine :( Left it back home when I came overseas :(
  • PrincessTinyheart
    PrincessTinyheart Posts: 679 Member
    I was shocked at how high in sodium a BK Veggie was... It has 900 ml of sodium and 330 calories, both of which are higher than the bacon cheeseburger!!! WOW... I mean I know the BK Veggie isn't health food but I thought it would be a little better than a beef patty topped with bacon and cheese. :(
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    BK Veggie was... It has 900 ml of sodium and 330 calories, both of which are higher than the bacon cheeseburger!!!
    That's twice as much as a Whopper (500 calories, 460mg sodium) and four times as much as a Whopper Junior (220 calories, 240mg sodium)! The trick to low-sodium burgers is to minimize ketchup, mayo, and pickles. Also, for cheeseburgers, make sure they add only one slice of cheese and not two!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1297031-fast-food-burgers-sodium-wars

    I started this thread after being ambushed by a burger myself. ;)
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
    when i first started MFP i discovered how many calories i was eating at fast food places on my way to work.. i was disgusted with myself to say the least, i was eating in one stop more calories then i eat in an entire day now.
  • PrincessTinyheart
    PrincessTinyheart Posts: 679 Member
    Oh and it's not just fast food either. I went to Jason's Deli tonight for the salad bar and tried the black bean roasted corn salad. It seemed innocent enough... Black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion and cilantro. But then I find out later that one serving is 25o calories aNd 11 grams of fat! One of the main ingredients is olive oil!!!

    Now because of my crazy eating today I have to hit the elliptical for 40 minutes so I can be under my limit for the day. :grumble: I shouldn't have eaten that m&m check mix this morning :sad: I am still struggling with impulse control
  • killervogel5
    killervogel5 Posts: 24 Member
    I was shocked when I started. It was terrible. Now I know better.
  • dsb188
    dsb188 Posts: 121 Member
    I know when i first started I realized my judgement on portion sizes were completely wrong. I bought a scale and I was floored to realize that the amount of meat and snacks I thought i was having were 2 or three times greater. My scale really helped me understand that I was eating way too much or atleast underestimating what i was eating.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Yep. You gotta plan ahead to be prepared. Search the restaurants menu online and look up the calorie totals, macros, and then choose your item before you Even get there. Of coarse, it's just an estimate but it helps
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    I'm shocked sometimes how small a portion is of cereal or ice cream when I weigh it on my scale.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    Be careful with restaurant salads. Some salads, like Applebees, have 1000 calorie salads. They also just added one for only 370 cals, with shrimp and wonton strips. Be careful when eating out, because a salad is not always healthy!
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
    Eating out is the hardest for me. Most places do not include their calories, and trying to guess what's in what and how many calories you are eating is just soo tough. Now I try to log in advance. When I plan to go out and eat, I try to pre log to estimate what I'm going to eat and what the calories are going to be.

    As I go along, I learn to be much more careful about my choices and to make sure that I ask questions about how the food is prepared. I always start with a salad, dressing on the side if I even use it. Then I get grilled or baked fish or chicken and more veggies. If I eat crap, I feel crappy. So it's good to learn and have it all reinforced about what is right for me.
  • MrTolerable
    MrTolerable Posts: 1,593 Member
    This is more of a general observation than anything else... I'm discovering that a lot of my favorite foods are higher in sodium than I thought... A lot of them are higher in calories too. It's almost to the point where I have to anticipate where I'm going and what I'm going to eat. It's difficult at times.

    Are any of you discovering any nasty surprises with food?

    This is a great topic.. so bumping for that, and want to say +1 for the attractive lady that got the ball rolling on this.

    And I agree..being on a strict paleo diet, I caved and cheated when my company brought in beagles from Panera... sodium levels where insane... and sodium is basically adult acne disguised as wasted carbs.
  • MrTolerable
    MrTolerable Posts: 1,593 Member
    Be careful with restaurant salads. Some salads, like Applebees, have 1000 calorie salads. They also just added one for only 370 cals, with shrimp and wonton strips. Be careful when eating out, because a salad is not always healthy!

    ^ so true. I messed up my entire diet for a day because of a similar blunder..
  • sugarlemonpie
    sugarlemonpie Posts: 311 Member
    I definitely understand the knowing where you're going and what you're gonna eat thing. My parents love to eat out, and I really have to plan it out. It'd be so easy to get a burger and fries, but I don't want to regret it for a week.

    Usually I suggest a chain restaurant.. Even though they can have more sodium, they at least have a "light" menu most of the time, and nutrition facts are so much easier to find on my phone than having to guess and guessing wrong.

    I haven't really had any real surprises, just a lot of adaptation and loyalty to this new way of life!
  • jessherna25
    jessherna25 Posts: 19 Member
    had the shock of my life when i found out one small reeses cups is 80 calories!! i had eaten a huge bowl of delicious almond coconut chocolate oatmeal with maple greek yogurt and almond butter, and all that had less calories than 5 reese's :noway: :noway:
  • lorocks61
    lorocks61 Posts: 15
    Sodium levels of everything! Hubby had a heart attack, and now must consume under 2000 mg. He is having a hard time getting enough calories in without going over his limit. He's lost 10 pounds that he didn't need to lose. I spend a lot of time trying to find snacky foods that he can eat during the day. (Construction worker). It really eliminates a lot of junk food. He has a better understanding of what I go through to balance my day now. Good thing we both like to cook.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    For me, it was avocado and nuts. In college, I tried to eat healthier and I heard that avocado and nuts were good for you so I ate that and gained a good 7 pounds because of it. LOL. I know better now; moderate intake is best. But as for processed foods, I used to eat tons of frozen dinners when I was little. Now I read the nutrition labels for those same brands and I'm thinking, no wonder I was chubby and no wonder my stomach had hurt every single day. I used to think food is food but unfortunately, that is not the case. There is high quality food and then there's low quality food. I'm so glad I've changed my diet since college. :)
  • michab108
    michab108 Posts: 25 Member
    I think the trick to eating out is being that annoying, picky customer. If I eat out, I'll generally get a salad, but with grilled chicken, even if the salad comes with fried, dressing and cheese absolutely on the side (I usually actually sub salsa or slices of lemon for dressing and go without cheese), and no croutons. If I get a meal, I try to pack half of it away right off the bat, into a to-go box, sauces are always on the side. Sometimes I give in to the craving and eat everything and then regret it.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    buying a food scale and using measuring cups/spoons opened my eyes about portion servings. Definitely recommend it if you don't have one yet! I'm seriously missing mine :( Left it back home when I came overseas :(

    ^^This^^ is key to accurately count calories!
  • in_the_stars
    in_the_stars Posts: 1,395 Member
    This is more of a general observation than anything else... I'm discovering that a lot of my favorite foods are higher in sodium than I thought... A lot of them are higher in calories too. It's almost to the point where I have to anticipate where I'm going and what I'm going to eat. It's difficult at times.

    Are any of you discovering any nasty surprises with food?

    This is a great topic.. so bumping for that, and want to say +1 for the attractive lady that got the ball rolling on this.

    And I agree..being on a strict paleo diet, I caved and cheated when my company brought in beagles from Panera... sodium levels where insane... and sodium is basically adult acne disguised as wasted carbs.

    What's wrong with sodium?
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
    Like someone else said, the portion of cereal is sad and small. Same for pasta. In general, the serving size of all the carby starchy foods I love are obscenely small.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I got worried by the sodium I was eating a while ago.
    Then I researched it a bit.
    Checked my blood pressure was fine (it was around about ideal).
    Stopped worrying about it.

    Calories of course I certainly do worry about - when on a deficit some things I'll appreciate I can only justify if I've gone out for an hour's run or whatever.

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