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SALT LAKE CITY — New food fads come out of the woodwork what seems like every day, drawing in dieters and health-conscious foodies alike to try out the latest trends.
Many companies and food brands switch up their recipes to be low fat or substitute one meat for another, but at the end of the day the newer, "healthier" foods aren't that different from their unhealthier counterparts.
Whole grains
Multi-grain, whole grain, wheat and white flour varieties can be a tricky sea of options to navigate. Whole grains are a healthy option, but like many things, too much of a good thing could be harmful.
A recent study found whole-grain foods may not be as healthy as people think they are. While companies tout a fiber-rich product that could lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, a Scientific American article claims the words whole grain can be misleading.
One of the main proponents of the article is the growing mentality that more whole grains is synonymous with healthy, but in reality that’s not the case.
“We don’t want people to think that because a food has whole grains, they should eat more of it,” Joanne Slavin, a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, said in the article.
Light yogurt
While Greek yogurt has stolen the show for the last few years as it came out as a protein-packed alternative to regular yogurt, light yogurt is still seen by many as a healthier option, often with fewer calories and fat.
However, health experts are coming out against the light yogurt trend and recommending making room for creamier yogurt. When stacked side by side, light yogurt often contains more sugar than regular or greek varieties.
“Yogurt can contain tons of sugar … One small container of fat-free yogurt can have upwards of 28 to 31 grams of sugar,” nutritionist Kim Snyder told Time.
Reduced-fat peanut butter
The “healthier” version of peanut butter suffers the same complex as light yogurt — it takes away the fat, but it needs to be replaced with something to make it taste equally as good. Oftentimes that replacement is sugar, which then adds the saved calories back into the jar.
In a U.S. News column, nutritionist Tamara Duker Freuman simplified the nut butter issue and claimed reduced-fat peanut butter is all around less healthy than its counterpart;
“Reduced-fat peanut butter has few of peanuts’ heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and more of the refined carbs and sugar,” she wrote.
Prepared salads
If you’re trying be execute healthier food choices, resorting to a fast-food chain can be a dieter’s worst nightmare. Choosing between a loaded burger and a packaged salad can seem like a no-brainer, but salads loaded with toppings can quickly add up to about the nutritional and calorie value of a burger.
The Consumerist took to debunking fast-food salad myths and chose a few popular menu items, including salads and burgers, from common fast-food joints. In the examples they gave, the salads actually ended up having more calories, sugar, carbohydrates and often fat than their burger alternative.
Across the board it’s the add-ons and toppings that can add unwanted nutrients, so health experts recommend being conscious of dressings and not-so-fresh ingredients piled on top of the lettuce.
Turkey bacon
Put the word turkey in front of bacon or burger, and health-conscious consumers often jump to the alternative in hopes it’s a healthier option. In the case of bacon, the comparison between pork and turkey varieties are often more similar than advertisers lead on, with the exception of one thing: sodium.
Yahoo did a side-by-side comparison of a serving of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon and Oscar Mayer pork bacon. The calorie, fat and protein counts were the same while both the sodium and cholesterol counts were higher in turkey bacon than pork. Email: caorton@ksl.com
