Reduced Fat Very Berry Coffee Cake from Starbucks
I know a lot about overrated. Britney Spears‘ “comeback”, the hype of Drew Carey hosting The Price is Right, Criss Angel… man, I could go on for days 
I don’t know a lot about overrated health foods, but that’s why I have the internet: so I can read articles and basically paraphrase talk about them here.
Recently I stumbled across this article titled “Overrated Health Foods” by Joy Baur, who apparently knows what she is talking about because after her name there was all sorts of good stuff: M.S. (Masters of Science in Nutrition), R.D. (Registered Dietitian), C.D.N. (Certified Dialysis Nurse). Whoa, that’s a woman who loves nutrition and school!
Here’s a summary of the foods Joy said are “overrated” as health foods:
- Granola. Basically, granola means well but most of the time the companies that make it coat it in sugar and sweet syrups, therefore making the granola more like sugary cereal or candy than a health food. “A normal size bowl of granola and milk could easily have over 600 calories” meaning, eating granola like this could make it difficult to lose weight. (Solution: make your own!)
- Commercial Smoothies. Store bought smoothies use a lot of sugar, fruit juice and syrup which means high calorie and fat content. Some large smoothies have over 1000 calories which means you could have had a more satisfying meal at a restaurant and probably would’ve gotten more out of it! (Solution: make smoothies at home with the right ingredients or check out the light menu at places like Jamba Juice)
- Energy Bars. A lot of these bars are high in saturated fat, sugar, and contain things like partially hydrogenated oils and artificial ingredients. The ones you have to watch out for are the bars with the bad ingredients that ALSO contain the calorie equivalent of a candy bar. “If you’re not active enough to burn off their heavy calorie load, energy bars can actually sabotage your weight loss,” says Joy. She recommends getting the same amount of protein by “snacking on an apple with peanut butter or a few rice cakes with a low-fat string cheese.” (Another solution: check the ingredients on your bar before you buy!)
- Bran, Corn, and Blueberry Muffins. Coffee shop muffins are typically made with white refined flours, oil or butter, and loads of sugar. Also, the portion sizes are America size, not reality sized, which means you could eat half and be at a normal portion! Joy says: “Don’t be tricked by the word “muffin”—it’s basically a giant cupcake without the frosting.” (Solution: Weight Watchers Muffins or VitaMuffins)
- Pretzels. Just because these snacks are baked, not fried, doesn’t make them a better alternative to potato chips. The ingredients of most pretzels contain little to no nutritional value, thus you are eating empty calories! Also, refined carbs usually do not curb your hunger. (Solution: Whole Grain crackers)
- “Nutrient-Enhanced” Waters. Also known to Joy as liquid candy. The vitamins they do provide do not outweigh the sugar they are loaded with, says Joy. A good alternative? Regular water. And take a multivitamin if you’re concerned with your vitamin intake. (Another solution: adding lemon or lime to your water as flavor)
- Energy Drinks. They have the same amount of caffeine as one cup of coffee, with a lot of added crap that you don’t need! They may add B Vitamins but this does nothing for your “energy”! These things are expensive and your body would take just as much satisfaction from coffee. (Solution: Doubleshots from Starbucks, Coffee with Sweetener)
Wow. I have definitely been duped by granola in the past and that’s why I never buy any of it now. I’d rather crumple a healthy granola bar up then have a bag of candy-like granola lying around tempting me! Most of these things we think are obvious, but when the facts are laid out so simply (like with the “energy bars”) it just makes so much more sense.
Are there any “health foods” that you have been fooled by?
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