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" As a nutritionist, I see a lot of clients who are confused (and rightly so!) when they find out that bran muffins aren&amp;#039;t what they seem, or the cereal that&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;a good source of whole grains&amp;quot; is loaded with sugar and calories. To truly eat healthy, you need to do a little detective work.   Good source of whole grains This means the food contains 8 to 15 grams of whole grains per serving, which isn&amp;#039;t bad. (An &amp;quot;excellent source&amp;quot; has at least 16 grams.) But what else is in there? Foods can be made with whole grains and also be packed with lots of preservatives, sugar, fat and other things you want to avoid. So scan the nutrition facts to see what you&amp;#039;re really getting. Generally, the best sources of whole grains are the simplest and made with very few ingredients, such as brown rice, oatmeal, basic bran cereal, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta and 100%-whole-wheat bread. Also remember that the first three ingredients listed are what the product&amp;#039;s mostly made from.   Organic  Just because it&amp;#039;s labeled organic (meaning it&amp;#039;s grown or processed without pesticides or hormones) doesn&amp;#039;t mean you&amp;#039;re home free. Organic chips, cookies, candies and other treats often still pack the same calories, sugar and salt as their conventional counterparts. Keep snack portions in check and focus on organic items that really are worth the extra dough (like dairy products and certain fruits and vegetables that don&amp;#039;t have thick skins or rinds). To find out when it&amp;#039;s best to go organic with produce, go to Foodnews.org.   Sugar-free Sugar-free and no-sugar-added foods swap sugar for artificial sweeteners, preservatives and other man-made ingredients\u2014and often still have plenty of calories. (A &amp;quot;sugar-free/low-cal&amp;quot; brownie can have 250 calories or more.) Not only that, but you may not feel satisfied after you eat a &amp;quot;diet&amp;quot; snack, so you could end up going back for more. Sugar-free foods are also super-sweet, so you may find yourself craving them more often. Stick with small portions of the real stuff.   High fiber Fiber keeps us full longer and speeds up digestion, but there&amp;#039;s a catch: Most packaged foods with a &amp;quot;high fiber&amp;quot; claim contain powders like maltodextrin, inulin, polydextrose and oat fiber. These fiber powders will help you stay full, but they don&amp;#039;t provide the same health benefits that you&amp;#039;ll get from the kind of fiber found naturally in foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They may also cause digestive distress.   Granola It&amp;#039;s often loaded with sugar (upward of 4 tsp, or 16 grams, per \u00BD-cup serving) and can be very high in calories (a bowl can easily rack up 600 to 700 calories). Look for a brand with 10 grams of sugar or less per serving (I like BearNaked or FEED ). Also, think of granola as a condiment: Sprinkle a few Tbsp on cereal or yogurt.   Energy, granola and other snack and meal bars Many of these have the same sugar and calories you&amp;#039;d find in a chocolate bar. Others are packed with artificial sweeteners. Instead, pick ones that have just 3 or 4 ingredients and at least 3 grams of fiber. All-natural fruit and nut bars like Lara, KINDND and Clif Nectar are good; I also like Kashi granola bars because they&amp;#039;re low in sugar and have a good amount of protein.   Yogurt Sugar strikes again! Sugary-sweet fruit-flavored yogurts can have up to 6 tsp (32 grams) of added sugar per serving. Start with plain yogurt; add some fresh fruit or a tsp of honey or jam for sweetness. If you have a real sweet tooth, a basic vanilla or fruit-flavored yogurt is OK once in a while.   Fruit smoothies Popular chains tend to whip up jumbo-size blends of sugary juice and frozen yogurt, which can cost you upward of 600 calories if you&amp;#039;re not careful. If you&amp;#039;re going to order a smoothie, make sure you read the nutrition info carefully. Better yet, make your own: Fill an 8- to 16-oz glass with fresh or frozen fruit, lowfat yogurt and skim or soy milk. Add about a tsp of natural peanut butter or flaxseed for an extra boost of energy and nutrients.   Bran muffins Why yes, they have fiber, but they also have saturated fat and a lot of sugar\u2014and nowadays they tend to be gigantic. Some top out at 500 calories and 14 grams of fat; a donut is often a lighter pick! Try keeping portions, fat and sugar in check by making your own mini\u2013bran muffins sweetened with applesauce, fresh fruit or a little sugar. Grabbing a muffin on the go? Eat just the muffin top or pick one that&amp;#039;s no larger than your fist.   Pretzels They may be low in fat, but pretzels are simple carbohydrates, so they&amp;#039;re basically empty calories. They won&amp;#039;t do much to fill you up and could spike your blood sugar.Instead, opt for whole-grain or oat bran, and pair them with some protein-rich peanut butter or hummus. Sweet potato or veggie chips They&amp;#039;re fried, which means they contain unhealthy fat (and probably a good deal of sodium).You can get your crunch from natural popcorn, which contains cholesterol-lowering fiber. Baked chips are a little better (watch the number of servings in one bag) but they&amp;#039;re still pretty processed, so you&amp;#039;ll end up eating empty calories. Try making your own &amp;quot;chips&amp;quot;: Slice white and sweet potatoes, beets or parsnips super-thin, brush with a little olive oil, add salt and chili powder, and bake at 350\u00B0F for 7 to 10 minutes until crisp.   Diet soda Artificial sweeteners can heighten sweet/carbohydrate cravings and may impact weight gain if consumed in large quantities. A healthier option is seltzer with lemon or lime, or an occasional naturally sweetened soda like Gus Grown Up soda or Fizzy Lizzy.   Fortified water drinks A few vitamins and minerals don&amp;#039;t make up for the excess sugar (and calories) or artificial sweeteners.Get vitamins from real, fresh food. Flavor regular water with simple additions like lemon, fresh mint leaves or cucumber slices.    Eat Healthy America Challenge   Try It Today: Swap your afternoon snack from the vending machine for something fresh, like a string cheese and piece of fruit, or a handful of nuts and a small skim latte (hot or iced).   Try It This Month: Build a 10- or 15-item staple grocery list of mostly fresh foods and items to have in the house at all times (plain yogurt, bananas, eggs, whole-wheat pasta, garlic, tomatoes, etc.). Keep packaged and processed items, frozen meals and snacks to a minimum. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/advice/a3771/healthy-foods-that-arent-76829/>