CBS News/ March 23, 2011, 8:12 AM

Foods that only seem healthy: Don't be fooled

There are certain foods we all know to avoid when trying to lose weight or eat healthy. But there are others we may believe are the right way to go that actually aren't as good for us as commonly thought.

And on "The Early Show" Wednesday, registered dietician Cynthia Sass, author of "Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches," spotlighted several such choices.

Pretzels

The label may shout "fat free" and seem like a better alternative to chips, but most pretzels are made with refined white flour stripped of its vitamins and antioxidants. They're also dense so they pack a ton of carb calories for a very small amount and they're not filling. Think of it this way - one 15 oz bag contains the equivalent of 24 slices of white bread. If you really want pretzels, look for ones made from whole grains like 100% whole wheat or oat or choose popcorn instead - 3 cups popped counts as a serving of whole grains and provides less than 100 calories.

Energy bars

Many energy bars enjoy a health food halo but are actually are loaded with added sugar and artificial ingredients. And in terms of carbs, protein and fat most pack the equivalent of turkey sandwich with mayo, which most people don't realize. Unless you're using them as a meal replacement and choosing bars with all natural ingredients this addiction can easily be keeping you a size or two heavier than you want to be. If you do choose to go with an energy bar, look for bars made only with fruit and nuts without added sugar or artificial ingredients or pack an Altoids tin with almonds and dried fruit.

Sushi

Traditional sushi rolls made with steamed rice, ultra lean fish and veggies provide about 200 calories per roll, but "new wave" sushis are being made with high fat, high calorie ingredients, including, creamy sauces, fatty meats, fried items, and even cheeses. Many rolls easily pack 500 or more calories. One tempura roll packs 542 calories and a dragon roll contains 520. That's more than a quarter pound with cheese burger, and calorie-wise, the max for what most of us need per meal (just for one roll!). Instead of rolls order a combo of appetizers and sides like seared tuna, edamame, seaweed salad, and steamed brown rice.

Turkey Club sandwich

It seems like a healthier choice than a burger, but the cheese, bacon and mayo are a recipe for weight gain, packing up to 800 calories - without the side of chips. That's the calorie equivalent of 2 McDonald's hamburgers and a 6 piece chicken nuggets. For a healthy alternative, instead of a turkey club, order grilled chicken breast on a whole wheat bun but ditch the cheese, creamy sauce and bacon and load it up with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado.

Sugar-free candy

5 sugar free mini Peanut Butter Cups have 180 cals, 13 g fat and 27 g carbs. 5 regular minis contain 210 calories, 12 g fat and 22 g of carbs. And, 1 sugared cocoa Dunkin Donut is 200 cals, 11 g fat and 23 g carbs! Going sugar-free, you save a mere 30 calories, but take in more fat and about as many carbs as 2 slices of bread! And that's not all -- the sugar alcohols used in place of sugar can cause bloating and diarrhea! Bottom line: Sugar-free isn't calorie free and doesn't mean a green light to eating more. Instead go for the dark chocolate and savor it -- it's antioxidant rich and research shows it can reduce cravings for both sweet and salty foods.

Frozen yogurt

It may be lower in calories and fat than hard ice cream, but just a cup (8 oz) of fat free soft serve frozen yogurt packs 40 grams of sugar, the amount in 4 (single stick) frozen popsicles. It also tends to be less satisfying, which means you may eat twice as much or more - a half cup of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia is 250 calories but a cup of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt has 340 calories. Instead of getting frozen yogurt, go for an all natural ice cream but make it a "reverse sundae" - a bowl loaded up with fresh fruit with a small 1/2 cup scoop of ice cream on top.

9 Comments Add a Comment

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steve6183 says:: its up to parents to instill healthy eating habits to their kids at a young age. http://www.howtoeathealthey.info/ also has some great health food tips!; reply

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RedWings_ninety_one says:

Sorry, but no. You can eat almost anything that you want if you are off of your a** doing something. Back when the majority of people lived on farms there were next to no weight problems...because they were active..and they even ate things like eggs, and bacon...every morning. They didn't eat healthy, but they didn't have very many weight problems either


Nate650 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; You attribute the obesity problem we're seeing today to lack of exercise, and state that when people lived on farms and used to eat eggs and bacon every day, the obesity epidemic didn't exist. Well, since today far fewer people are eating eggs and bacon every day and instead are eating mainly industrial foods containing chemicals, preservatives, trans fats, hormones, antibiotics, etc., it seems reasonable to conclude that industrial food is the problem, not lack of exercise, especially since our food has changed more in the last 50 years than it has in the previous 10,000. Eggs and bacon are only deemed as unhealthy due to conventional wisdom, which, if you're so inclined to read about the theory, is based on much flawed research. Granted, it's very possible we've converted a once nutritious product, like beef from cattle raised on grass, to an unhealthy product, like beef from cattle confined to a feedlot and fed corn. This is the root of the current organic/natural food movement, to seek foods as close to their state 100 years ago.

Needless to say, one cannot eat almost anything they want because food has undergone such a drastic change. You can't simply "burn off" trans fat, chemicals, or antiobiotics by exercising.

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m0u5y says:

The only thing that is bad in sushi is the carbohydrates from the rice. Carbs from sugar and pasta/rice/noodles etc... cause your fat cells to take in all of the calories starving your body of the nutrients it would otherwise need. This makes it impossible for people who eat a lot of carbs to lose weight even with exercise. You could eat a McDonalds meal three times a day for a month and as long as you eliminate anything fried in vegetable oil and most of the carbs you will lose weight and your cholesterol levels will normalize. A bit of rice won't hurt you but you will definitely feel the effects of it (fatigue, digestion problems, bladder infections and eventually diabetes) but sashimi would instead be an excellent meal. Of course you can't eat too much fish because it contains mercury, but that's why you need to balance it out with other kinds of animal protein. The human body does need a certain amount of carbs which can be found in fruits and vegetables. Cholesterol is also an important part of the human diet. Our body's organs rely on cholesterol to function (especially our brains) in fact, low cholesterol diets cause depression and strain the body. Hair loss is also a result. In fact, children with seizures benefit from a diet high in animal fat because their brains lack those nutrients.
For so long I had no idea why I had so many health problems. Some people considered me to be a vegetarian because I ate a lot of pasta, rice, vegetables and tofu. I had no idea why I kept getting bladder infections and why I kept sleeping almost 12 hours a day. Then, about a month ago I did research on what humans ate before the FDA pushed people to eat more grains and vegetable oils (and that's when Americans started to become fat and get diabetes) and realized that it was mostly animal protein, vegetables and fruits, roots, nuts etc.... the human body has not changed much since our hunting and gathering days and because of this our bodies can only handle what they were meant to handle. No mammal has been able to prosper on grains other than a few vermin. After adjusting my diet to exclude all pasta, rice, noodles (which was hard since I was raised in Italy), bread, sweets, etc... I realized I felt 100 times better. Instead of eating cake I would eat an apple and all of my 'allergies' went away. I no longer have IBS, I no longer fall asleep in the middle of the day like an old woman, I no longer had trouble concentrating and I feel like a new person. Unfortunately I had just recently started baking, mostly out of boredom, and had baked a bunch of cookies. I ate way more than I should have and nearly ended up with kidney failure from another bladder infection. Also, drinking a few cocktails didn't help. Luckily I was able to clear it out on my own by drinking water constantly and going back to my diet. Something that would have taken me to the hospital otherwise was easily resolved with a simple diet change. I don't keep track of fat content but eat balanced meals and stop eating when I'm full which is a lot less food than what I used to eat. In 2 days I managed to lose 10 pounds and am able to build muscle up with exercise. My energy comes from fruits and vegetables (unlike people on the Atkins diet who aren't allowed to have those either and end up in acidosis). So if you want a healthy alternative to sushi, have sashimi. I prefer it because you can concentrate on the taste of the fish instead of being filled up with cheap rice. I know rice is a big staple in Japan, but their lifestyle is completely different. When I lived there I ended up underweight because I had to ride my bike everywhere all of the time even to do grocery shopping (which required me to ride up two kills for two hours) but I also kept suffering from asthma no matter how much exercise I got.


gruven13777 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; The only thing that is bad in sushi is the carbohydrates from the rice.
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...and the radiation, if it comes out of the Pacific Ocean.

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eewrites says:: This could have been a better article but it was poorly written. First of all, the author isn't actually talking about sushi, but some fast food fish concoction (I'm a vegetarian so I don't even eat the stuff - but it's misleading to say real sushi isn't healthy.) Then the author compared the sugar and calories in a half cup of ice cream to a full cup of frozen yogurt. That's misleading.
It could have been a much more informative article.; reply

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Nate650 says:: I like the first two and last two items, but for the sushi and turkey club sandwich, it really depends on the quality of ingredients used. Naturally raised meat is very different from its industrially raised counterpart. Raw milk from grass-fed cows is very different from ultrapasteurized nonfat milk from confined grain-fed cows.

High fat doesn't necessarily mean bad. For example, virgin coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat, is known to promote a host of health benefits, including, rather ironically, weight loss. Studies also show that choosing full fat dairy products aid in weight loss and provides other benefits such as more efficient absorption of nutrients.; reply

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cktirumalai says:

In food, as in other matters, things are not always what they seem to be. There are interested parties out there who want to sway you into thinking that you can indulge yourself with impunity.
Candadai Tirumalai


Barrett13 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; In my opinion, such things should be shared by the mainstream media. A crack down on many of the foods that are always posted in our local <a href="http://memphiscashsaver.com/our-specials/">weekly grocery ads memphis</a> for example. There's a lot more foods out there that are not actually healthy that people need to know about.