If you're going to eat Y you might as well eat Z

[florida-again]

A while back someone said to me, when I ordered a baked potato instead of fries, that if I was going to smother the potato in butter, I may has well have just got the fries instead.

Likewise yesterday I bought some dried fruit instead of candy and when I looked at the packet, it had so much sugar in it I might as well have bought the candy!

Does anyone else know any other examples of this? Where something seems like a healthy choice but isn't...and if you're thinking of eating it, you may as well just go for the 'unhealthy' option?

[laurietg]

many restaurant salads.

[johde]

A glass of orange juice has as many calories as a glass of soda pop. That's why diet's recommend you not drink fruit juices but to eat the whole fruit instead where you will get the fiber to keep you full.

[Rhonda]

Many people eat pasta, thinking it's low-fat so it won't make you gain weight. But, pasta is full of carbs that turn into sugar in your body, which in turn makes fat! So, try substituting veggies instead of the pasta, with your favorite low-sugar sauce poured over it. (Alfredo sauce is great!)

[QT Pooh]

A glass of orange juice has as many calories as a glass of soda pop. That's why diet's recommend you not drink fruit juices but to eat the whole fruit instead where you will get the fiber to keep you full.

All fruit has naturally occuring sugar in them - it's called fructose. That's why you're not allowed to eat fruit on the Atkins diet. The problem with fruit juice is that most 'fruit juices' don't contain much actual fruit. There's no health benefit to that! 100% fruit juices are good to drink! (Good carbs!) They provide vitamins! Soda, on the other hand, doesn't provide anything...

[pearlieq]

The problem with juice, even 100% juice, is that you don't get a very good bang for your buck, calorie and nutrition wise. An 8 ounce glass of orange juice that could be gone in seconds and doesn't fill you up, has 120 calories. Yes, you would get vitamin C and folate, but you'd get the same thing if you ate an orange. Plus, the orange is only going to have 60-80 calories, will take longer and be more satisfying to eat, and will fill you up with about 3g of fiber. Most other juices (apple, grape, fruit blends) don't have much in the way of nutrients--usually some added vitamin C, but that's all. Juice is a bad deal if you're trying to lose weight.

That being said, the thing I discovered this week is that the baked tortilla chips at my store have the exact same number of calories per ounce as the regular and only one less gram of fat. Why bother?!?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Calorie and fat and sugar wise--the mantra may be true....BUUUUUUUUT!!!

You've got a whole, but with additives food...versus a processed/preserved/added crapola food.

The whole food would be better utilized by your body.

So a salad with dressing---much much better than no veggies at all if that is the other option.

You just have to weigh what is important and b/c even though the numbers look the same--one is actually a more healthy choice and feeds your body better.

Don't know about those tortilla chips pearlieq...I would guess not eat them at all, or just choose what is better tasting. I didn't realize they were that close.