Is "health" Food Making You Fat?

SOME GOOD-FOR YOU SNACKS ARE LOADED WITH CALORIES. SEVEN TO WATCH OUT FOR.


1. Stix vs. Chips
Good Health Veggie Stix Mixed Vegetables - 140 calories, 7 g fat
Glenny's Original Potato Chips - 120 calories, 2 g fat

At First Glance:
Veggie Stix look like puffed carrot and celery sticks. Could they be just as good for you?
On Second Thought: A closer look at the ingredients reveals that these snacks are made from potato flour, not whole vegetables, which actually makes them less nutritious than full-fat potato chips. Eek.
A HEALTHIER BET: Lower-calorie, lower-fat Glenny's Original Potato Chips. Glenny's even provides you with six grams of protein. Crunch on!

2. Carob vs. Chocolate
Goldie's Natural Raisin Almond Carob Bar - 75 calories, 4.5 g fat
Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Extra Fine Dark Chocolate - 55 calories, 4 g fat

At First Glance:
The carob bar contains no refined sugar or caffeine but does have almonds and raisins.
On Second Thought: Carob itself isn't any healthier than chocolate, which some studies do show may have heart health benefits. Plus, have you tasted carob recently?
A HEALTHIER BET: One square of Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Extra Fine Dark Chocolate is lower in calories and bigger on satisfaction. Extra Fine stands for "extra indulgent."

3. Fresh vs. Canned
Kettle Cuisine Vegetarian Lentil Soup - 350 calories, 13 g fat
Health Valley Organic Lentil Soup - 100 calories, 1 g fat

At First Glance:
Because it's fresh, the first listed soup must have more nutrients.
On Second Thought: Make that more fat and calories. As for nutrients, the fresh soup has half as much vitamin A and less vitamin C than the canned. Worse, it packs 920 milligrams of sodium per serving. Ouch.
A HEALTHIER BET: Health Valley's Organic Lentil Soup offers more nutrients and just 25 mg sodium per serving.

4. Organic Raspberry Juice vs. O.J.
Mountain Sun Organic Mountain Raspberry Juice - 130 calories, 0 g fat
Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice - 110 calories, 0 g fat

At First Glance:
Raspberries contain more fiber than oranges, so the juice listed first must be better for you.
On Second Thought:
Raspberries may be high in fiber, but their juice isn't. What's left after you remove the seeds is almost pure sugar-almost 29 grams of the sweet stuff per eight-ounce glass. (Even Coca-Cola has fewer calories and less sugar per serving.) Worse, this juice doesn't contain enough vitamins or minerals to merit mention. An inspection of the ingredients yields an explanation: This is really just apple juice with a little raspberry puree added. Although apple juice is certainly a better choice than soda, it's not a nutritional superstar by any stretch.
A HEALTHIER BET: One hundred percent orange juice is by far the most nutrient-packed fruit juice you can buy, especially if it has added calcium.

5. Toaster Pastries vs. Strawberries
Amy's Organic Strawberry Toaster Pastries - 140 calories, 2.5 g fat
Strawberries - 25 calories, 0 g fat

At First Glance:
The pastries listed first seem like a good-for-the-planet breakfast on the run.
On Second Thought:With fewer calories, fat and sugar than Pop-Tarts. Amy's looks positively virtuous. But don't be fooled. The key word on the label is pastry, which is a dessert, not a breakfast. With little fiber to speak of, these pastries won't do much to fill you up. It may be an environmentally sound purchase, but there are better things you could be eating for your first meal of the day.
A HEALTHIER BET: Half a cup of sliced strawberries (25 calories, 0 g fat, 5 sugar) and a slice of whole-grain toast--such as Pepperidge Farm Crunch Grains bread (90 calories, 3 g fiber, 2 g sugar)--will give you a more energizing morning send-off.

6. Organic Pasta & Cheese vs. Frozen
Annie's Organic Shells and Real Aged Wisconsin Cheddar - 360 calories, 5 g fat
Lean Cuisine Macaroni & Cheese - 290 calories, 7 g fat

At First Glance:
The boxed mac 'n' cheese may have more calories, but it's lower in fat. Besides, it's organic!
On Second Thought: There are three servings in a box of Annie's. Finish the box (and really, who doesn't?) and your total calorie damage is a frightening 1,080 calories and 39 grams of fat. Fast food would be healthier.
A HEALTHIER BET: Lean Cuisine Macaroni & Cheese.
The controlled portion size means you'll stop eating at a respectable 290 calories and 7 g fat.


7. Chocolate vs. Fruit-Sweetened Soy
Soy Delicious Chocolate Obsession Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert - 210 calories, 9 g fat
Soy Delicious Fruit Sweetened Frozen Dessert - 160 calories, 6 g fat


At First Glance:
The product listed first seems to have everything going for it: the healthfulness of soy plus the undeniable delectability of chocolate.
On Second Thought:
At 210 calories and nine grams of fat per serving the chocolate soy is worse for your waist-line than some ice creams. And this dessert contains just 2 g soy protein-not enough to provide much benefit. (A product must contain 6.25 g soy protein in order to legally claim it can reduce the risk of heart disease.)
A HEALTHIER BET: Soy milk (10 g soy protein per eight-ounce serving) or edamame (6.5 g soy protein per three-ounce serving) will give you a more substantial health benefit. As for satisfying your sweet tooth, Soy Delicious's Fruit Sweetened Frozen Dessert won't break your calorie and fat budget but will give more vitamin C, Iron and calcium than the traditionally sweetened variety.


Cheers,

Eve

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