Foods you used to think were healthy before you learned more about nutrition!
Thought we might start a list of foods that we used to think were lower calorie/healthy before we learned more about nutrition. I thought this might be very helpful for people at all stages of the process!
I thought about this after seeing a similar post that asked a slightly different question. I thought they were asking the same as the above, but realized the question was actually a little different later. So...I thought, why not start something!
Mine is CHICKEN SALAD. There was a time where I would buy a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant, and then use that as an excuse that I had eaten such a healthy lunch that I could have a large apple fritter for dessert! Now I realize the sandwich was probably 800 calories and 50 or so grams of fat! Mayo is no joke! If I only knew...
Of course, "healthy" is highly objective--everything in moderation--but I do see where you're going with this...like foods you used to think were "better" choices but can actually be just as bad as the "bad" choices themselves!
How about restaurant entree salads? I used to go out and order a large salad instead of a regular meal because it was "healthier." Little did I know that between the cheese, heavy dressing, croutons, and whatever else might be hiding in there (depending on the salad), a big salad could be just as many calories as a cheeseburger (or even more )! A great example of this is Taco Bell's taco salad--it's actually one of the WORST items on their menu, fat- and calorie-wise.
For me it's those huge Jamba Juice smoothies. And they are sorta healthy, in that they're all fruit and stuff...but they're much higher-calorie than I thought! It's called meal replacement, or a large snack; not a dessert!
Ditto on the taco bell thing...When I used to go there in high school, it never occured to me that it might not be an average, somewhat healthy lunch...Afterall, it was a salad. That deep fried tortilla bowl was my favorite part! I wasn't trying to lose weight then, but I definitely didn't think that it was high calorie!
Along those lines: salad bars generally ... broccoli, cheese, and bacon salad and all. I used to think anything from the salad bar was free game since it was 'salad'.
Oh yeah... the Taco Salad is the classic example! And restaurant salads are killer... they easily hit 1000 to 1200 calories unless they are on the lite menu. Almost any restaurant food is a BAD choice unless they have a lite menu... and most of the lite menus are not that great. I have found that I can make MUCH better food at home that tastes better for the same calories.
Another example is a grilled chickent breast sandwhich... the mayo is always the killer! And if it also has a white bun and cheese and the chicken is made with oil... not the best choice. Tuna sald with regular mayo... bad choice. Stupid mayo! Smoothies are another dangerous one... those drinks can easily be 400-500 calories!
OH geez... muffins! How could I forget muffins! Those stupid things have 400-600 calories a pop. Bagels are another food you really have to watch out for calorie wise.
Jillybean: Yes you are on track for what I actually meant: I guess I could use the term "lower calorie" instead of healthy. I'll edit my initial post to reflect that.
Wow! - you know... ANY salad - which should be completely healthy! - but can be a big ol'fat NO-NO.... just by adding DRESSING! - I am one of those people who HATE "fat free" anything. Some things I can eat fat-free, but most things I've found just taste like snot~ ICK!!! Especially RANCH dressing... my favorite! - So I had to learn to NOT put the dressing ON my salad. I always have it on the side! - and I dip my fork in the dressing, then stab a bite of salad. I've saved MANY calories this way.
But I'll admit... I have grown quite fond of Kraft Free Zesty Italian! - only 15 calories per serving... but I STILL dip my fork! (and Ranch is STILL my favorite!)
Bread! Seriously, I was raised to think that white bread was good for you, because it's all "fortified" with vitamins and stuff. Um, it's fortified because the processing they do to the flour before baking it strips it of all the good things that grains do have. Ugh.
My blood sugar was a mess when I was a kid and teenager, and I put at least part of the blame on processed carbs.
Foods you used to think were healthy before you learned more about nutrition!
)! A great example of this is Taco Bell's taco salad--it's actually one of the WORST items on their menu, fat- and calorie-wise.
Almost any restaurant food is a BAD choice unless they have a lite menu... and most of the lite menus are not that great. I have found that I can make MUCH better food at home that tastes better for the same calories.
(and Ranch is STILL my favorite!)
