Worst Healthy Foods?

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Created on 01, November, 2008

A list of “worst ‘healthy’ foods” includes yogurt with fruit on the bottom. 

If choosing between yogurt with fruit on the bottom and one with the fruit pre-mixed (“Swiss style”), the one with fruit on the bottom is much better. There is no requirement to use ALL the fruit sitting at the bottom. It is optional, and easy, to stir up only a small amount (or none) and leave the rest at the bottom, thereby limiting sugar content to 10 g or less for a healthy cup of yogurt when no fresh fruit is available. It is also possible to add your own toppings, such as ground flax seed, to increase the balance of nutrients. This should be obvious. Also, this list of “worst healthy foods” often does not compare “apples to apples,” but foods that are inherently not comparable to begin with, rather than offering options that are similar but better. For example: A cheese omelet is recommended over a bagel with cream cheese, rather than suggesting a whole grain bagel lightly spread with reduced fat or whipped cream cheese (or a thin spread of nut butter) and topped with sliced fruit. This would be lower in calories, total fat and saturated fat (and higher in fiber and other nutrients) than a typical omelet made with butter and cheese. The list authors also state that margarine was created to offer an alternative to butter without all the saturated fat. Actually, it was created over 100 years ago for its long shelf-life and cheaper price. We didn’t know about the health effects of saturated fat then. Butter was a luxury item, not a health concern.