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Popular Eats Mistaken as Healthy

Posted Fri, Mar 13, 2009, 3:04 pm PDT

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You think you're eating good stuff, huh? Think again. Some of your favorite healthy-looking foods can be deceiving. Check out these food fakers, courtesy of Hungry Girl...

Calbee Snack Salad Snapea Crisps (Original)
1 serving = 150 calories, 8g fat, 14g carbs, 2g fiber

We know we're not the only ones who've spotted these things. Sometimes they're with the snacks, sometimes with the veggies, but there's something very intriguing about them. That is, until you turn around the bag and see that a serving has about as much fat as a serving of Doritos. Craziness! You're WAY better off snacking on some real fresh peapods.

Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing
2 tbsp. = 150 calories, 16g fat, 1g carb, 0g fiber

We love Newman's Own dressings, but look how much oil is in this dressing to realize WHY it's so high in fat. We do enjoy the benefits of olive oil... just in smaller doses. Check out the Newman's Own Lighten Up! line of dressings, especially the Light Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil (50 calories and 4.5g fat) -- a good swap.

The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt in Honey
1 serving = 250 calories, 14g fat, 23g carbs, 0g fiber

We love Greek yogurt. BUT (and that's a big "BUT"), you have to be careful with the full-fat stuff. It has a lot of good qualities but, frankly, so does the Greek yogurt with way less/no fat in it. The flavored ones can be particularly enticing. (Honey-flavored yogurt? YUM!) Be strong, be smart, and grab the fat-free kind -- then add your own stuff (frozen strawberries, Fiber One, or even a squeeze of honey). Weeee!

Jamba Juice's Peanut Butter Moo'd
16 oz. = 490 calories, 11g fat, 85g carbs, 3g fiber

We don't care what kind of mood you're in, you do not need 75 GRAMS of sugar to cheer you up. That's just plain crazy. Jamba Juice actually has some pretty good options these days, so choose wisely. We recommend you "om" your way to a better state of mind with a 16-oz. Strawberry Nirvana, kicked up with a Flax and Fiber Boost for a total of 200 calories and 1.5g fat (not to mention 45 fewer grams of sugar). But remember that it's not just a drink, it's a snack, too!

And finally, the granddaddy of all things nutritionally deceptive...

Romano's Macaroni Grill's Parmesan-Crusted Sole
1 dinner portion - 2,190 calories, 141g fat, 145g carbs, 9g fiber

How is this fish dish one of the worst choices on Macaroni Grill's already dangerous menu?! The description, touting "filets lightly hand-breaded with Parmesan cheese and garlic, sautéed and topped with lemon butter sauce and capers," sounds light and pretty acceptable. Just HOW MUCH butter and cheese is in there? You could eat MG's Layers of Lasagna dinner, chase it with a Brick Oven Meatball Sandwich, and STILL not have eaten as many grams of fat as are in the Parmesan-Crusted Sole. If you're stuck at Macaroni Grill for dinner, stick to the Pollo Magro "Skinny Chicken," which has a reasonable 320 calories and 5g fat.

For more info on hidden calories, check out the Attack of the 1,000+-Calorie Meals.

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76 Comments

1. Posted by Jenni on Fri, Mar 13, 2009, 7:09 pm PDT

I'm shocked that those little Snapeas Crisps things have so much fat in them. And they look so innocent too!! I've never seen them in any stores around me, though.
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2. Posted by roseanya@att.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:09 pm PDT

I'd like to see meals with enough veggies to fill you up--you know in the prepackaged meals for one at least. 1/4 cup veggies is just not enough. How about 3/4 cup green beans and cut back on the sauce a bit.
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3. Posted by pam1313@sbcglobal.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:13 pm PDT

I KNEW they were not so good for you -- they taste curiously delicious, but they leave a lot of grease on your fingers and on the napkin!!! Too bad!
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4. Posted by TheNewCC on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:16 pm PDT

Some of these foods may not be as healthy as they appear, but your article is misleading because it fails to mention the protein content of these foods and you don't specify the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats. Not all fat is bad for you.
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5. Posted by mason r on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:18 pm PDT

that greek god yogurt is really good and i add my stuff in it anyways like i tried bananas and even blackberry its really good
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6. Posted by Jess on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:24 pm PDT

I thought Jamba Juice was better for you than that. Guess not.
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7. Posted by x_urface_x on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:24 pm PDT

I really, really don't get why everyone's so paranoid about eating fat and calories. You can eat anything you want, just some things need to be eaten in moderation.
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8. Posted by Kanlee on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:25 pm PDT

I have never heard of any of these products,and they do not sound that good anyway!
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9. Posted by austin_dt@sbcglobal.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:26 pm PDT

i wish they made foods that were like junk food but were healthy so you could still taste the yumminess, but still be non-fat!!! : )
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10. Posted by jessica c on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:28 pm PDT

wow... thoz snap pea crisps are my sisters favorite snax. my parents let her eat em as an afternoon snak... not nemore i guess... i guess shes goin back to ol' skool status- veggies and fruits.
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11. Posted by eczajko@att.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:30 pm PDT

i realy don't care
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12. Posted by frogkickfrolic on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:35 pm PDT

LOL... snacking on baked pea pods? Seriously? How about an APPLE... or a banana?... or any other fruit, which, by the way, will still have almost as many calories as a serving of those pea pod things.
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13. Posted by frogkickfrolic on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:38 pm PDT

LOL... snacking on pea pods? Seriously? How about an APPLE... or a banana?... or any other kind of fruit, which, by the way, will have almost as many calories as a serving of those pea pod things.
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14. Posted by RCM Sports House on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:41 pm PDT

I love it all!
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15. Posted by PurpleTheCrescentMoon on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:43 pm PDT

Wow! What a breakthrough [insert sarcasm here]. Most of these are no brainers. Also; why not give us the serving size? If the Snapea Crisps are 150 calories for 1 cup, one could easily cut that in half. If it's 150 for like three of them, then it's a bit much. And for Jamba Juice...you basically picked the fattiest thing on their menu. It has Bananas, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. Of course it's not healthy!
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16. Posted by the informed consumer on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:45 pm PDT

I can't believe anyone is shocked by this information. Don't you people read the nutrition and ingredient labels before you buy??? If you truly are concerned about what you eat, then read the labels before you stuff your face, and, as someone else said, eat in moderation. Anyone heard of common sense?
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17. Posted by Carnage on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:50 pm PDT

Well DUH. What idiot would actually believe that Jamba Juice is healthy?
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18. Posted by Sooz on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:50 pm PDT

x_urface_x , I think you missed the point of the list. It was "Hey, these things are deceptive, take a 2nd look." Not, "Don't eat fat and calories!!!" You need some fat in your diet, of course - no one's saying you don't. And calories! Cut them out entirely and you die.
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19. Posted by Blue on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:51 pm PDT

Only goes to show you have to read everything. Listen to no one, and trust your gut instinct!
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20. Posted by I have dozens! on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:52 pm PDT

eczajko@att.net, you say " i realy don't care" Then really -- why post? And misspelling "really" -- How hard is it to spell really -- REALLY?
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21. Posted by Sooz on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 2:54 pm PDT

JR....."Mancha"? You meant "mangia," right? As in Italian for "eat."
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22. Posted by accprof@att.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:16 pm PDT

As an English teacher, I get steamed (as in angry, not as in steamed veggies) by people who confuse the words "healthy" and "healthful." Food is HEALTHFUL and thus makes people "HEALTHY." For example, carrots can't be healthy; they're dead! But eating them makes us healthy. Be careful with your English, please!
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23. Posted by amiee on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:21 pm PDT

come on ladies use common sense-NO breadings are lowfat-no breads or pastries-no creams NOT REALLY-it's all moderation and exercise. FRESH VEGGIES are best especially home grown-SPRING IS COMING do a garden or buy from local farmers. Store food is all designed to get attention it's filled with perseratives-THINK and EAT. Just a little at a time.
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24. Posted by a/c man on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:32 pm PDT

I have never seen any of these on the Mc Donalds menu,they must be on their dollar menu,I don't eat that cheap stuff anyway just the Combos,cause they're healthy for you.
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25. Posted by laura e on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:36 pm PDT

they taste so bad you won't eat even a whole one, so you won't be eating too much fat. they were giving out samples at the store the most horrible tasting things ever, I'll bet they didn't sell a single bag.
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26. Posted by PurpleTheCrescentMoon on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:50 pm PDT

"Healthy" and "healthful" are synonymous: Healthy- –adjective, health⋅i⋅er, health⋅i⋅est. 1. possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality: a healthy body; a healthy mind. 2. pertaining to or characteristic of good health, or a sound and vigorous mind: a healthy appearance; healthy attitudes. 3. conducive to good health; healthful: healthy recreations. 4. prosperous or sound: a healthy business. 5. Informal. fairly large: I bought a healthy number of books. I would like to direct your attention to number 3 "accprof@att.net". It's used it this context all the time. Be careful with your pretentiousness, please!
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27. Posted by Lainey on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:39 pm PDT

WHY DOES YAHOO always feature articles that bash healthfood? A few weeks ago it was an article that multi vitamins don't do any good. (Wrong! And the Dr. had no supporting evidence!) And then a few days after that, there was a picture of a boy eating cooked carrots with a headline saying something to the effect, "Vegetables may not be as good for us as we think . . " And now this article. Why aren't there articles about the junk in all that fruit juice we give our kids - some of it even boasting "with real juice!" What about this GMO (if you don't know what it is, search it on Google. It's CREEPY! And still being kept hush, hush.) America and Russia are the only countries that don't have labeling laws if food has been genetically modified. Everywhere else, they can read if it's in the food and how much GMO is in it. I'd rather know if my food has GMO (and believe me, you would too!) in it than what the calories are. Going back to this article, olive oil is so good for you! Look how young Rachael Ray looks at 40! Even some of these thin Hollywood girls take tablespoons of oil for their complexion. And about the yogurt, your body processes yogurt differently without the fat. It takes some fat to digest protein! I say, just take it the way nature intended to give it to us. No, something is strange about all these articles bashing healthy foods and vitamins. There's a lot worse we could be running down than Greek yogurt!
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28. Posted by pep on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 3:54 pm PDT

ive seen the Snappea snacks around and it looks innocent with "Baked "on the front of course it is" vegie" .. also people think if it is sold in a place where you expect healthy food to be sold at .. like Whole Foods or Trader Joes people just asume .. Trader Joes has this Bacon Salad they sell ... again people asume that cause it is a salad and sold at Joes it must be healthy but it has well over 400 calories as i recall in this one serving salad !!! and as i remember the people at Joes say it is the best selling salad they have ... of course !! Bacon should of tipped them off that it might be iffy .. READ THE LABLE PEOPLE !!!
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29. Posted by jkumarfj on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 4:02 pm PDT

Are you serious?
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30. Posted by tracyt42@sbcglobal.net on Sun, Mar 15, 2009, 5:20 pm PDT

These snacks are healthy in that they don't contain random chemicals, hydrogenated fats, growth hormones, artificial dyes etc...etc... - The portion controls are still up to the person who is doing the eating. We are all responsible for what we eat - they are not unhealthy - they are just TREATS - not to be confused with the food that should make up the basic daily diet. And about the oil in the salad dressing -it seem ridiculous to be surprised that something called "Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing" has a lot of olive oil in it! It is right there in the name.
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