Lower-Calorie Choices are Not Always Best - The Complete Nutrient Profile Is Most Important
by Charles Stuart Platkin
Sunday, 23 March 2008
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?" "Am I getting the vitamins and minerals I need, or am I just entertaining my mouth (and mind)?" The best food choices are the most nutrient-dense - foods that contain a large number of nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.) for relatively few calories. 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. Inculding: McDonald's Hamburger vs. Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken; Post Shredded Wheat vs. Wheaties; Hummus vs. Kraft French Onion Dip; Brown Rice vs. White Rice; 100 Percent Whole-Grain Bread vs. White Bread
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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 a total of 260 calories. Now keep in mind, this is really not a Caesar salad because you're using a different dressing, but it's a good choice. 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 versus 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). Plus, a burger typically comes with other unhealthy friends, such as fries and a soda. 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 (in one serving you get 3/4 of an ounce more of the Shredded Wheat). 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 (1/2 ounce). 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:
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon tahini
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
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% Natural 100% 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 (just in case you have been a bit out of touch) 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. Many whole-grain breads have added sugars and other ingredients that you can certainly live without. As an example, look at Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat. I'm not sure what the "natural" means here, because even though all the ingredients - including added sugar, soybean oil, calcium sulfate, salt, yeast, cultured wheat starch, sugar cane fiber, molasses, etc. - are "natural" as opposed to "fake," that doesn't mean they ought to be in bread. And, yes, it's only 90 calories per slice, and 100 percent whole grain, but it's still not what you should be looking for.
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CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network and author of The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Copyright 2008 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com.
Excellent info. I always tell my students and readers that it all starts out in the shopping cart! Too many choices out there. You almost need a college degree to read a food label!
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A pioneer in the fitness industry, who has helped millions to get fit, Gilad Janklowicz, continues to inspire and lead, with his consistent message, “keep it simple”.
This year Gilad’s television show, Gilad’s Bodies in Motion, now airing on Discovery Fit TV, celebrates its 25th anniversary, making it the longest running fitness show in history. Seen in over 80 countries world wide, in a viewer’s poll conducted by Discovery, Gilad won the title of “Television Fitness Instructor of the Year” in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Recently Gilad created a new fitness show for Fit TV, Total Body Sculpt withGilad, designed to give viewers a dynamic new concept in fitness that focuses on functional exercises, dynamic strength, toning and core training. Gilad was inducted into Israel’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the US National Fitness Hall of Fame in 2007.
No matter the medium, the message is consistent and commanding, states Gilad, "Fitness is a journey not a destination".
Heather Bauer is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the interrelation between eating habits, metabolism, and lifestyle. Since 2001, the has offered private diet and nutrition counseling through her New York city-based nutrition practice, Nu-Train.
Ms. Bauer received her RD from the University of Wisconsian and started her career in the pre- and post-natal nutrition unit at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, and as a nutritionist at Equinox Fitness Club in New York. She is also the author of The Wall Street Diet (Hyperion, 2008).
Calorie Bargain: Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The Why: The reality is that one in four American women dies of heart disease, and according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “most fail to make the connection between risk factors—such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol—and their personal risk of developing heart disease.” Plus It’s a 2 days away from Mother’s day – and if this is a pretty good way to say you love your mom --- recipes to help her live longer. As the recipes in this special collection show, you do not have to lose flavor to gain heart health and "keep the beat". Enjoy "Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken," "Red Hot Fusilli," "Crunchy Pumpkin Pie," and "Summer Breezes Smoothie." Contains more than 100 pages of tempting heart healthy, taste-tested recipes sure to please you and your family. Turn your meals from "ho-hum" to "yum-yum" experiences.
Calorie Bargain: Quaker Simple Harvest All Natural Dark Chocolate Chunk Chewy Granola Bars (www.quakersimpleharvest.com)
The Why: When I first heard about these bars I was skeptical. Typically these large food companies make bars like these filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce. But these bars are not that. Not only do they taste great, they’re made with decent materials – including whole grain oats Nice job Quaker.
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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?" "Am I getting the vitamins and minerals I need, or am I just entertaining my mouth (and mind)?" The best food choices are the most nutrient-dense - foods that contain a large number of nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.) for relatively few calories. 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. Inculding: McDonald's Hamburger vs. Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken; Post Shredded Wheat vs. Wheaties; Hummus vs. Kraft French Onion Dip; Brown Rice vs. White Rice; 100 Percent Whole-Grain Bread vs. White Bread
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A pioneer in the fitness industry, who has helped millions to get fit, Gilad Janklowicz, continues to inspire and lead, with his consistent message, “keep it simple”. 
Heather Bauer is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the interrelation between eating habits, metabolism, and lifestyle. Since 2001, the has offered private diet and nutrition counseling through her New York city-based nutrition practice, Nu-Train. 
Calorie Bargain: Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Calorie Bargain: Quaker Simple Harvest All Natural Dark Chocolate Chunk Chewy Granola Bars (
Carla