- Energy Bars: Before you eat them, flip over the label and check out the calorie/sugar count in that bar. Odds are they have just as many calories (if not) than a Snickers bar, so you might as well hit up the candy aisle!
- Salads: Don't get me wrong, I love salads and they CAN be really healthy for you, but you just really have to get it right w/r/t the ingredients and the dressing. In many instances, if you're getting a salad with a lot of cheese, nuts, bacon, avocado, etc... and then dumping over it a high fat/high sugar salad dressing, you'd actually be better off going to Mickey D's for a Cheeseburger! Check out this stat from MSN: Panera's Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (580 cal, 30g of fat) VS. McDonalds Double Cheeseburger (440 cal, 23g of fat) YIKES!
- Granola: Just flip over the label on boxes of granola and see for yourself. Granola is very high in sugar, fat and calories. Even if it's "low fat," odds are they hiked up the sugar count.
- Fruit Juice: This fools a lot of people, even if you think you're drinking "all natural/organic, etc..." Fruit juice is still just as bad as drinking pop, it's essentially "water and sugar." Check out this article from the CBS website: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/11/health/main673229.shtml
- Yogurt: Again, look at the label. There are some yogurts that actually are good for you, but even if they say they're "low fat," odds are, there is a ton of sugar in the jams or the flavoring. The best thing to do would be to get a low fat plain yogurt and mix in fresh fruit (or whatever other "items" you like in your yogurt)
Anything in moderation is ok, but odds are, if you're thinking you're "eating healthy" by consuming certain foods, odds are that you aren't treating them as a "fun little treat that you can eat once in a while," you're making them a daily habit.
Example? How many of you are thinking you're being really healthy by eating flavored yogurt with granola and a big tall glass of fruit juice for breakfast, and then saving that energy bar as a mid-day snack before you head to Panera for that salad? Yeah... that's what I thought ;)
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I would definitely still take a salad over a double cheeseburger b/c it has a much lower saturated fat content & is higher in fiber. Kind of the whole "not all calories are created equal" mentality, ya know? But, just getting the dressing on the side makes a huge difference. Another thing I always try to do is eat at least 10 grams of fiber with breakfast. It fills me up & helps me get a jump start on my fiber intake for the day.
ReplyDeleteYeah I would obviously do the same... (I actually really like that salad!)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it totally depends on the dressing and content situation. Getting dressing on the side is great for nutrition, but also so you don't feel like your salad is so drenched and goopy, that you can't take some home! :)