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Healthy Aging -
Most people probably think of aging as a gradual
physical decline from middle age onward, eventually
matched by a slowing down of the ability to learn or
perform intellectually. |
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Diet-Busting Foods That May
Surprise You
There are
many foods that seem like they're healthy but are actually
loaded with calories and fat.
By
Heather Hatfield
WebMD Feature
Beware of the counterfeit food, disguised as healthy and
seemingly good for your diet, but secretly packing quite a
calorie punch. There are plenty of suspects out there, ones that
might seem like they should be obvious, and others that sneak
past your lips without you even knowing it. Either way, they add
a significant number of calories to your diet. From soup to
nuts, here are the biggest culprits.
Soups
"We frequently think of soup as a filler, but not necessarily a
rich source of calories," says Susan Moores, a registered
dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
So for lunch, you have a nice light salad (Warning! See below!)
and a hearty soup complete with crackers, all the while patting
yourself on the back for sticking to your diet. The bad news is
that certain soups can be packed full of calories and fat,
especially favorites like New England clam chowder or cream of
broccoli.
"Broth soups are great, but cream or milk-based soups can be
fairly high in fat, with more than 300 calories for 8-12
ounces," says Moores.
Sugar Free Cookies
"Sugar-free cookies fall into the fat-free phenom," says Moores.
"When an ingredient considered bad -- such as fat or sugar -- is
removed, often people will think that means fewer calories or
even no calories."
In other words, they give themselves a license to eat and eat
and eat until the package is empty because, hey, no sugar means
no calories, right? Wrong -- sugar-free doesn't necessarily mean
good for your diet.
"Checking the package label will tell the true story," says
Moores. "It's not uncommon for a fat-free or even sugar-free
food to have nearly the same number of calories as its regular
counterpart, and taste- wise, there's no comparison to the real
deal."
Pork
Is it the other white meat?
"Some cuts or preparation techniques make pork great," Moores
tells WebMD. "Others don't."
Depending on the cut, the piece of pork in front of you can be
comparable to low-fat, low-calorie chicken, or as high in fat as
a hot dog. And even if it's a lean cut of meat, adding sauce or
cheese to a nice slice of pork can ruin its value to your
waistline.
"Loin cuts such as tenderloin and sirloin are lean," says Moores.
"Often it's preparation or sauces that make pork a boon or a
bust."
Coffee
You can't get your day started without a big cup of java, and as
a stand-alone, you'll be glad to hear it's OK for your diet.
"Coffee by itself is calorie free," says Moores.
But start adding on accessories and your seemingly innocent
morning coffee turns your diet in the wrong direction.
"Coffee drinks can be astronomically high in calories depending
on the ingredients and size of the drink one selects," says
Moores. "I've seen one coffee drink that contained more than
1,000 calories for 16 ounces. Ouch."
Salad Dressings
Salad dressings are notorious for sneaking loads of extra
calories and fat onto what might seem like a healthy meal.
"Some studies show that women who are high salad eaters get up
to 60% of their total fat each day from salad dressings," says
Rick Hall, a registered dietitian and advisory board member for
the Arizona Governor's Council on Health, Physical Fitness, and
Sports.
Throw on a little cheese, croutons, and bacon bits, and your
lunch is starting to look less healthy, more calorie packed, and
detrimental to your diet.
Breakfast Bars
Don't be fooled by the wrapping.
"Some breakfast bars look healthy and even have healthy looking
pictures on the box," Hall tells WebMD. "But if you look at the
actual calories and extra sugars in its ingredients, it's pretty
high."
The telltale trick, explains Hall, is to see what's listed first
on the ingredient list.
"When one of the first two or three ingredients is high-fructose
corn syrup, that's something to be very cautious of," says Hall.
"And that's what you see with a lot of the breakfast bars."
Dried Fruits and Granola
"Dried fruits don't contain any water, which makes them very
dense in calories," says David Levitsky, PhD, who is a professor
of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University.
Foods like raisins, dried apples, and apricots look healthy on
the outside, but on the inside, they're secretly carrying more
than their fair share of calories.
"A handful is OK," says Levitsky. "But if you sit down and eat
the whole package thinking they're low-calorie, you're wrong."
The same goes for granola.
"Granola sounds great, but it's very rich in fat, so you have to
watch how much you eat," says Levitsky.
Juice and Soda
"You might think it's just a drink, and not even notice the
calories, but they add up," says Levitsky.
You have a juice midmorning, and a soda midafternoon, and next
thing you know, you've consumed an extra 400 calories in
liquids.
"Don't get carried away with the idea that drinks other than
water are calorie-free," says Levitsky.
"You have that extra
snack or drink each day thinking it's not a lot, but you're not
thinking about the long-term consequences."
Low-Fat / Low-Cal Foods
"When these low-carb diets came out, people would look at a cake
and see that it was labeled as no fat and low calorie, and
they'd eat the whole thing," Levitsky tells WebMD.
Unfortunately, no fat and low calorie doesn't mean you can have
your cake and eat the whole thing, too.
"At the end you have to be careful because they still contain
calories," says Levitsky. "Low calorie does not mean no
calorie."
Nuts
"Nuts are generally healthy," says Levitsky. "They're a good
source of protein and vitamins."
But the tricky thing about nuts is that they're only healthy if
you can eat just one serving.
"The problem with peanuts is that most people don't eat half a
cup and walk away," says Levitsky. "Once you get started it's
hard to put a jar of peanuts down."
That's when your diet goes south.
"Nuts are extremely high in fat and calories," says Levitsky.
"And if you're sitting there with a bag or jar of peanuts, look
out."
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© 2006, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved. |
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