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SHAPE UP |
When you're thinking about what to eat, you need to ask yourself, "Will it keep me satisfied, or will I be hungry again in 30 minutes?" and "Am I getting the vitamins and minerals I need, or am I just entertaining my mouth (and mind)?" Here are a few food comparisons that will help you focus a bit more on the total profile of the foods you eat, instead of just the calories.
MCDONALD'S HAMBURGER VS. PREMIUM CAESAR SALAD WITH GRILLED CHICKEN
The burger (at 100 grams) is only 250 calories, but it isn't as filling as the Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (311 grams) at 220 calories. Pair the salad with Newman's Own Low-Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette and you have 260 calories. You get more than three times the volume for only 10 extra calories. And, believe it or not, the salad packs more protein: It has 30 grams vs. only 12 grams for the burger — wow. The salad also offers 130 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin A (0 for the burger), 50 percent for vitamin C (2 percent for the burger), and 20 percent of your recommended calcium allowance (compared with 10 percent for the burger). The only problem with the salad and the dressing is the sodium — it's off the charts. The burger is also high, but the salad and dressing have more than twice as much.
POST SHREDDED WHEAT VS. WHEATIES
Post Shredded Wheat is 170 calories for one serving (1.75 ounces), and it's just plain whole-grain wheat — nothing else. One serving of Wheaties (about an ounce) is 100 calories; however, it has only 3 grams of fiber, compared with 6 grams in Shredded Wheat. The Shredded Wheat also has twice the protein (6 grams), and the Wheaties has 4 grams of added sugar. Keep in mind, if you compare the cereals gram for gram, they are similar in calories. However, if you look at the ingredients, the Shredded Wheat is much "cleaner." Wheaties' ingredients: whole wheat, sugar, salt, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, brown sugar syrup, natural flavor, trisodium phosphate — not exactly a wholesome cereal when compared with the Shredded Wheat.
HUMMUS VS. KRAFT FRENCH ONION DIP
One tablespoon of the french onion dip is about 30 calories, whereas hummus — a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas, tahini (ground sesame seeds), roasted garlic and olive oil — has about 35 calories per tablespoon. However, the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are high in fiber, folate, manganese (a trace mineral that helps energy production from proteins) and protein. Chickpeas also have phosphorous, vitamin C and iron.
If you want to make your own hummus, here is a great recipe that yields 10 ounces:
HUMMUS
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, and you're done.
OLIVE OIL AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR VS. WISH-BONE FAT FREE ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING
The Wish-Bone Fat Free dressing is only 20 calories for 2 tablespoons. If you were to use 2 teaspoons of olive oil (however, try using a salad mister, not a spoon) that would be 80 calories, plus 14 more calories for a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for 94 calories total. So, yes, it's more, but you also get the benefits of the oil's monounsaturated fats, which (in limited quantities) have been shown to help reduce your risk of heart disease. Plus, take a look at all the added ingredients and sugar in the low-fat dressing: water, high-fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, soybean oil, onion, xanthan gum, red peppers, (ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA), spices, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), lemon juice concentrate, caramel color.
BROWN RICE VS. WHITE RICE
I've seen brown rice that is slightly higher in calories than white rice, but for the most part they're close. For instance, 1 cup of cooked long-grain brown rice is about 216 calories, whereas 1 cup of cooked long-grain white rice is 205. However, that's where the similarities end. The best place to start is the fiber: The brown rice has 3.5 grams of dietary fiber (14 percent of the recommended daily value) versus only 0.6 percent for the white rice. Fiber is helpful in a number of ways, but one key benefit is that it slows the digestion of food and prevents insulin spikes. Brown rice also has 87 micrograms or 22 percent of your recommended daily value for folic acid and 84 milligrams or 21 percent of your daily value for magnesium, which is helpful for energy and muscle relaxation. Finally, the brown rice has nearly double the amount of natural selenium (19.1 micrograms versus 11.8 micrograms), which research has shown to be helpful for those who are at high risk for prostate cancer or heart disease.
100 PERCENT WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD VS. WHITE BREAD
Unless you've totally ignored the news, you already know that whole grains are better. But I've noticed that when people are at the market comparing food labels, they're shocked that the whole-grain breads are often higher in calories. For instance, one slice of Pepperidge Farm 100 Percent Natural 100 Percent Whole Wheat Bread is 100 calories, whereas Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread is only 70 calories per slice. However, the whole-grain bread has more than triple the fiber, more iron, more calcium and double the protein. Also, keep in mind that when grains are refined, other nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B6 and magnesium, are removed. As a very important side note, make sure you buy only 100 percent whole-grain breads with no added ingredients.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.
