Sweeter than Serenity: Eat This, Not That

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Eat This, Not That

 

As a fitness instructor, I really like to make sure I am taking care of my body in any and all ways that I can. If there's one thing that really makes me mad about trying to be healthy, it's all the misleading labels on food products out there. Just because it says "low fat" doesn't mean it's healthy, because low fat can sometimes mean more sugar, and that totally defeats the purpose of trying to make the healthy choice in the first place!

Introducing: Eat This, Not That (yes roll your eyes, you've heard it a thousand times, but have you really ever scrutinized the nutrition labels on the foods you're eating?)

1) Your Yogurt

 

First of all, if you're not eating greek yogurt, then you should probably go ahead and make that change first. Greek yogurt has so much more protein than regular yogurt, meaning it is going to keep you feeling full longer. 

If you've already moved on to greek yogurt, then congratulations, that is step one to finding healthy yogurt. However, now it's time to read those nutrition labels and get the most out of those calories that you are consuming. Check out the labels above. The one on the top is Dannon Lite & Fit Strawberry Greek Yogurt, and the one on the bottom is Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt. A couple things to notice:
  1.  The Dannon Lite & Fit yogurt has significantly fewer calories than the Chobani yogurt
  2. The total grams of fat is the same, and Chobani has just slightly more grams of protein than Dannon Lite & Fit
  3. Here's the big one: look at the sugar. Dannon Lite & Fit has just 7 grams of sugar, while Chobani has 19 grams of sugar!! That means there are more carbs in the Chobani (20) in comparison to the Dannon Lite & Fit (9). 
For carbohydrates, there are about 4 Calories per gram, meaning that there are 44 extra calories from carbohydrates in the Chobani than in the Dannon Lite & Fit, and 36 of which are from sugar! If you ask me, I think the clear winner on greek yogurt is Dannon Lite & Fit.

 2) Your Afternoon Snack

 

One of my favorite afternoon snacks is popcorn, but I have to be careful with it, because popcorn can pack quite a bit of extra fat depending on how you flavor it. Above are two nutrition labels, the one on the top is Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn, and the one on the bottom is Act II Butter popcorn. Here are the main things to look at:
  1. Total Calories: 100 compared to 170, so clearly there is something extra in the Butter popcorn!
  2. Carbohydrates are similar, and so is protein
  3. Look at the total fat. The kettle korn has just 2 grams of fat, while the butter popcorn has 11 grams of fat. 
 Since fat is about 9 Calories per gram, that is 18 Calories in the kettle korn compared to 99 Calories in the butter popcorn. To me, the clear winner here is the Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn (and it's tasty!).

3) What's in that Guacamole?

 

People say guacamole and think either one of two things: 
  1. That's healthy!
  2. That has lots of fat in it.
Honestly, both are true. It is very healthy because of all the good fats in it, but at the same time, everything in moderation because of the amount of fat! Here's the real kicker though, are you really eating guacamole made from avocados?

The one on the top is Wholly Guacamole, and the one on the bottom is Deans Guacamole Dip. As you can see, Wholly Guacamole has very simple, normal ingredients, as guacamole should. Now let's look at Dean's. First of all, why is there coconut oil in guacamole?? Not that it's a bad thing to eat, but it's guacamole we're eating here. Second of all, the main ingredient of guacamole is avocados, yet the label clearly says: "less than 2% of: avocado....". Um, what? Isn't this guacamole dip? Clearly, my winner is Wholly Guacamole because of the simple ingredients. If I can't pronounce the name of an ingredient, then I probably shouldn't be consuming it.

I tend to get on a soapbox when it comes to eating healthy, so I'll go ahead and put it on pause for now. If you have any questions for me, I would love to answer them! Also, don't forget about my Simple Addiction giveaway!

I would love it if you would follow me! Just click "join this site" on the right! :)

God Bless!
Hannah


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17 comments :

  1. Haha I totally need you to yell at me every time I post a pic of me eating something bad so I correct my eating habits! I'm SO bad about what I eat sometimes. During the week I'm pretty good but on the weekends... ugh. I do agree with the whole, if you can't pronounce it you shouldn't be eating it. A lot of stuff in foods freaks me out!

    <3, Pamela
    sequinsandseabreezes.blogspot.com

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    1. The weekends are bad for me too! I generally like to think that on the weekend if at least 2 out of my 3 meals are healthy, then that's a win for the day!

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  2. These are some really great tips! I go through phases with yogurt-- meaning I'll be in the mood for it one day and then need like a two month break before wanting it again! And the afternoon is definitely the time of day I tend to mess up any healthy eating I've done earlier on! Such a good idea to keep healthy snacks around- it really makes a difference in not over-indulging on something that won't be healthy or filling!

    Carly

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    1. I'm the same way with yogurt, and really anything! I get on kicks of certain foods, and then I get burnt out and don't eat it for a few months, then I come right back to it!

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  3. I love the Dannon light and fit greek yogurt! Black cherry is my absolute fave! It's so funny that it has less sugar, because it actually tastes much sweeter than Chobani in my opinion.

    xo Kylie
    www.dressinsparkles.com

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    1. I completely agree about the taste! I don't know how they do it, but the Dannon is just so good!

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  4. Love this post!! I have always tried to be a healthy eater (I have been bad lately though)! I need to try the dannon Greek yogurt! I always eat the Chaboni, I've noticed the sugar though so I switched to their 100 cal one which has a lot less but I'm going to get the Dannon next time to try it!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeatsoles.blogspot.com

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    1. I really like the Dannon one compared to the 100 calorie Chobani. I just think the flavor is way better!

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  5. These are such great tips! I always try to make healthy lifestyle choices and any extra tips are always great!

    Abby
    www.champagneplans.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! :) I'm kind of a health nut so I love sharing my thoughts such as these!

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  6. Love this post thanks for sharing! We already eat greek yogurt but definitely going to switch brands now! And great choice with the kettle corn for a snack :)

    xo
    Brittani and Katie
    www.pleasantlypetite.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! And the kettle corn is really like indulging but not indulging for me. It's so good!

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  7. I never buy prepackaged guacamole!! It is seriously so simple to make at home and I am able to keep track of what is going into it! Just an avocado, tomato, onion, and some crushed red pepper! Easy and simple!
    www.amemoryofus.blogspot.com

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    1. What recipe do you use? I've tried several and I can't seem to find one that I really like!

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  8. Diet is definitely my biggest challenge! I enjoy working out, and I say that because I feel better about eating bad.. but that really shouldn't be the case. As someone in the health profession myself, I need to find easy ways to incorporate healthier options into my life! Thanks for sharing!

    Amanda @ Strawberry Chic

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    1. I have been the same way for such a long time! I've started using my fitness pal everyday, and it's really helped me to be more aware of what I'm eating. It also keeps me from eating the bad stuff because I don't want to enter it in!

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