Katherine Tallmadge is a registered dietitian, author of "Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations" (Lifeline Press, 2011), and a frequent national commentator on nutrition topics. This article was adapted from one that first appeared in the Washington Post. Tallmadge contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Eating healthy can be harder than you think, thanks to an enterprising food industry that wants people to consume more than they need. That's because the United States' agricultural system produces twice as much food as what most people require — 3,900 calories per person per day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. This overabundance encourages creative marketing to unload the excess, much of it characterized by cheap ingredients, a long shelf life and minimal nutritional value — the kinds of "food" with the highest profit margins.
As a nutrition consultant, I know that words such as "low fat,""high fiber,""multigrain,""gluten free" and "natural" can confuse even the most sophisticated customers into believing what they're buying is healthful. In fact, market research proves that consumers make these assumptions.
What can you do? First, make a habit of reading the ingredients list, not just the nutrition facts panel. And remember the following products worth resisting.
Reduced-fat peanut butter.
The oil is the healthiest part of a peanut or a tree nut, containing most of the nutrients, so there's no advantage to taking it out. (Peanuts are technically a legume, but dieticians call them nuts because their nutritional characteristics and health benefits closely match those of tree nuts.)
In fact, removing the oil makes things worse because it robs the peanut butter of its health benefits. "Reduced-fat peanut butter has as many calories and more sugar than the regular" variety, said Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Instead: Buy regular peanut butter and eat real nuts. Eating one or two ounces of nuts daily is associated with reductions in heart disease and lower cancer risk. A recent Harvard study showed that eating nuts is associated with lower body weight, too.
Enhanced water.
Sports drinks — which are just diluted soft drinks with salt — are only needed during intense exercise that exceeds one hour or that occurs in extreme heat. Drinks such as Vitaminwater are essentially sugary drinks combined with a vitamin pill.
They are "unequivocally harmful to health," says Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health. "Whether vitamins dissolved in water have any benefit will depend on who you are and whether you are already getting enough [vitamins] … Some people may be getting too much of some vitamins and minerals if they add vitamin water on top of fortified foods and other supplements."
A recent Iowa Women's Health Study found an association between certain commonly used vitamin and mineral supplements and increased death rates. But the worst offenders in this category are energy drinks such as Red Bull, Sobe Life Water and Monster Drinks. They're not only high in sugar, but most also contain stimulants, which may be harmful, especially for people with medical conditions like high blood pressure.
Instead: Drink water, ideally from the tap ("Eau du Potomac," as it's known locally here in D.C.). Water is the best drink for hydrating your body; it's naturally calorie free and contains fluoride to prevent tooth decay. And don't try to get vitamins from solely your beverages. No supplement matches the nutrients in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
Energy bars.
The reputation of these bars, also known as meal-replacement bars, is that they are healthy, aid in weight loss or help build muscle. In fact, they are calorie bombs: candy bars with vitamins, protein or fiber added.
For most of them, sugar is either the first (predominant) or second ingredient.
Instead: Snack on fruit or veggies for weight loss and yogurt for muscle gain. If you're hiking a long distance and want a healthful, nonperishable calorie bomb, try nuts and dried fruit.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider