Potato salad
Getty Images
This one can be a diet disaster. Traditional potato salad with full fat mayo and eggs delivers 358 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 170 mg of cholesterol (300 mg per day is the max limit for healthy people; 200 for those with high cholesterol) per 1-cup serving.
But there's a better way. This Two-Potato Salad With Mustard-Chive Dressing has 154 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 3 mg of cholesterol per 3/4 cup serving.
Also try using purple potatoes, which are richer in antioxidants. "That's also a way to make it a little bit healthier, and fun too," says Carolyn Brown, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at FoodTrainers in New York City. "It looks cool."
I think most people know that eating a loaded burger with mounds of potato salad, etc., etc., on a regular basis isn't very healthy.
But I am NOT going to stop eating hamburgers entirely for the rest of my life. And, I'm sorry, but all of the "whole wheat" pasta I've been able to find around here tastes like cardboard. Not to mention that "whole wheat" isn't really all that much healthier (if at all) than white bread or pasta. It's whole GRAIN you should be looking for.
And I'm not going to try to make a Memorial Day picnic a big exercise in "healthy living." Just forget about the "turkey burgers."
If you make it a point to eat healthier (less saturated fats and more fruits, veggies and whole grains) and get off your butt and get some exercise on a regular basis, then you can "splurge" on special occasions by eating a hamburger (or a hot dog, or even a piece of KFC), a modest portion of potato salad, etc.
I mean, this piece even ends with calling S'mores "best." Which suggests to me that even the authors of this piece of nonsense understand that sometimes you gotta just eat what you want.