Cast your ballot at the polls yet? Which of the following will you elect to drop into your supermarket cart? Vote true or false as part of your personal campaign for smart eating.
□ Sugar-free cookies are calorie-free.
□ Baked chips have a lot fewer calories than regular chips.
□ A frozen vegetarian entrée is always better for you.
□ Low-fat foods offer better nutrition.
□ Fruit drinks count as fruit servings.
All the statements are false! Sugar-free cookies don’t have sucrose, but get their calories from other carbs, fats, and proteins. The difference in chips usually isn’t that much: 150 calories per ounce of regular chips compared to 120 calories for baked chips. “Vegetarian” means no meat, poultry, or fish; a vegetarian entrée may have cheese or high-fat sauces that bring up the calories and fat. Low-fat foods don’t necessarily offer better nutrition, and the calories (from more carbohydrates) may equal that of full-fat versions. Fruit drinks are basically flavored, sweetened water; although they might be fortified with vitamin C, they don’t have all the nutrients that juice does.
Be informed today as you “vote with your dollars” for good nutrition.
- Be skeptical about your own “healthy food” assumptions.
- Read the fine print. Compare products, using the Nutrition Facts on the labels, before you buy.
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