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If there’s one lesson to learn from the supermarket, it’s that the front of the package never tells the whole story. When researching the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, we spent a lot of time investigating the pantries of average Americans. What we found inside the cupboards and refrigerator doors were foods rich with the healthy buzzwords of the day: multigrain bread, fat-free yogurt, and all-natural granola. While these might seem like the virtuous foods you should be bringing home to your family, many of these are the exact foods that are silently sabotaging the diets and expanding the waistlines of millions of Americans each year.
Here’s the good news: By hunting down just three health food imposters cluttering your cabinets and ice boxes and replacing them with truly nutritious foods, you could lose over 25 pounds this year alone—without changing any of your other eating habits, or going on a diet! We’ve highlighted 8 of the worst not-so-healthy health foods in the supermarket and supplied you with a list of first-class foods you should be eating instead. You can find the full list here.
Worst "Healthy" Pastry
Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon (2 pastries)
400 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
5 g fiber
28 g sugars
Whole grain ain’t the whole truth. There’s also a glut of vegetable oil and seven types of sugar stuffed inside. In this case, the costs definitely outweigh the benefits.
Eat This Instead!
Sun-Maid Raisin English Muffins with Cinnamon
170 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber
13 g sugars
Worst Frozen "Healthy" Entree
Healthy Choice Complete Selections Sweet & Sour Chicken (340 g)
430 calories
9 g fat (1 g saturated)
600 mg sodium
29 g sugars
Why would fried chicken cloaked in sugar ever be considered the “healthy choice”?
In fact, this one frozen chicken entrée has as much sugar as you’d find in two scoops of Breyers Reese’s Peanut Butter cup ice cream. (As bad as this is, check out our list of Worst 'Healthy' Restaurant Foods for some even more astounding nutritional imposters.)
Eat This Instead!
Kashi Southwest Style Chicken
240 calories
5 g fat (0 g saturated)
680 mg sodium
Worst Yogurt
Yoplait 99% Fat Free Cherry Orchard (1 container, 170 g)
170 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
27 g sugars
5 g protein
Think those 27 grams of sugars come from the cherries? Think again: After milk, sugar is the first ingredient on this list. And there’s as much of it in there as you’ll find in two scoops of Breyer’s All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Go Greek instead; Stonyfield skims their line of Oikos yogurts of the watery whey, leaving you with a cup of ultra creamy yogurt that packs less than half the sugar and three times the protein of the Yoplait disappointment. Worried about sugar? Here's a list of the 20 most sugar-packed foods in America.
Eat This Instead!
Oikos Organic Vanilla Greek Yogurt
110 calories
0 g fat
11 g sugars
15 g protein
Worst "Healthy" Bread
Arnold Whole Grains Health Nut (2 slices, 86 g)
240 calories
4 g fat (0 g saturated)
4 g fiber
Don’t fall for the label braggadocio. For as calorie-dense as this bread is, there’s just not enough fiber to justify it in your diet. Look for this unsuspecting potato bread, instead, which is one of the best loaves on the shelf. In addition to a boast-worthy fiber load that doubles that of the Health Nut, it also packs an impressive 12 grams of protein.
Eat This Instead!
Martin’s 100% Whole Wheat Potato Bread (2 slices, 70 g)
140 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
8 g fiber
Worst Cereal
Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins (1 cup)
420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
6 g fiber
30 g sugars
For the record, granola, for all its reputation as a beacon of breakfast virtue, is one of the worst ways to start your day. That’s because it takes an awful lot of sugar to keep those clusters glued together, making a single cup as sweet as two bowls of Cocoa Pebbles and as calorie-dense as 8 chicken wings. Even scarier, with the Cocoa Pebbles, you’d get more fiber and save about 60 calories in fat. Go one step further and swap the Granola for Kashi GoLean. Do this every day this year and you’ll save 29 pounds!
Eat This Instead!
Kashi GOLEAN (1 cup)
140 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber
6 g sugars
Worst Snack Bar
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Raspberry Cereal Bar (1 bar)
140 calories
3 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
13 g sugars
2 g fiber
With a name like that, you’d think these Kellogg’s breakfast bars were the healthiest food on the planet. Too bad the very first ingredient is high-fructose corn syrup. That’s right, most of that delicious fruity goodness is actually synthesized sugar. Not all Nutri-Grain products are equally unsavory, however. Choose the Nutri-Grain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut bars and at least you’ll be getting a dose of healthy nuts and real fruit.
Eat This Instead!
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut fruit and nut bar (1 bar)
120 calories
3.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
11 g sugars
3 g fiber
Worst Butter Substitute
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original (1 Tbsp, 14 g)
90 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
90 mg sodium
Stick margarine is the absolute worst. To make it solid, it has to be stabilized with partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fat. What unsuspecting slatherers are left with is a single tablespoon of yellow goop that contains more than a full day’s worth of a fat that’s been proven to increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Stick with real butter instead; Organic Valley Whipped Butter has just two ingredients: sweet cream and salt.
Eat This Instead!
Organic Valley Whipped Butter (1 Tbsp)
50 calories
6 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
40 mg sodium
Worst Juice
V8 Splash Mango Peach (8 fl oz)
80 calories
0 g fat
18 g sugars
This juice is closer to Coke than regular V8. The first two ingredients are water and high-fructose corn syrup, and it contains only 10% juice. Go for the real deal instead; the V-Fusion Light will provide you with a full serving of fruits and vegetables for nearly half the calories and sugar.
Drink This Instead!
V8 V-Fusion Light Peach Mango (8 fl oz)
50 calories
0 g fat, 10 g sugars
What you drink can make an enormous difference in how many calories you consume every day. Stay away from this shocking list of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America. Your belly with thank you.
Also, if you turn to salads as a smart choice when you eat out, be warned: here are 7 salad disasters, as well as a list of the best salads in America.
Need more help navigating the nutritional pitfalls of the supermarket? Join the Eat This, Not That! Premium web site and you’ll have a 24-hour nutritionist at your fingertips, ready to help you print our personalized grocery lists and scan thousands of packaged and restaurant foods.
Here’s the good news: By hunting down just three health food imposters cluttering your cabinets and ice boxes and replacing them with truly nutritious foods, you could lose over 25 pounds this year alone—without changing any of your other eating habits, or going on a diet! We’ve highlighted 8 of the worst not-so-healthy health foods in the supermarket and supplied you with a list of first-class foods you should be eating instead. You can find the full list here.
Worst "Healthy" Pastry
Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon (2 pastries)
400 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
5 g fiber
28 g sugars
Whole grain ain’t the whole truth. There’s also a glut of vegetable oil and seven types of sugar stuffed inside. In this case, the costs definitely outweigh the benefits.
Eat This Instead!
Sun-Maid Raisin English Muffins with Cinnamon
170 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber
13 g sugars
Worst Frozen "Healthy" Entree
Healthy Choice Complete Selections Sweet & Sour Chicken (340 g)
430 calories
9 g fat (1 g saturated)
600 mg sodium
29 g sugars
Why would fried chicken cloaked in sugar ever be considered the “healthy choice”?
In fact, this one frozen chicken entrée has as much sugar as you’d find in two scoops of Breyers Reese’s Peanut Butter cup ice cream. (As bad as this is, check out our list of Worst 'Healthy' Restaurant Foods for some even more astounding nutritional imposters.)
Eat This Instead!
Kashi Southwest Style Chicken
240 calories
5 g fat (0 g saturated)
680 mg sodium
Worst Yogurt
Yoplait 99% Fat Free Cherry Orchard (1 container, 170 g)
170 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
27 g sugars
5 g protein
Think those 27 grams of sugars come from the cherries? Think again: After milk, sugar is the first ingredient on this list. And there’s as much of it in there as you’ll find in two scoops of Breyer’s All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Go Greek instead; Stonyfield skims their line of Oikos yogurts of the watery whey, leaving you with a cup of ultra creamy yogurt that packs less than half the sugar and three times the protein of the Yoplait disappointment. Worried about sugar? Here's a list of the 20 most sugar-packed foods in America.
Eat This Instead!
Oikos Organic Vanilla Greek Yogurt
110 calories
0 g fat
11 g sugars
15 g protein
Worst "Healthy" Bread
Arnold Whole Grains Health Nut (2 slices, 86 g)
240 calories
4 g fat (0 g saturated)
4 g fiber
Don’t fall for the label braggadocio. For as calorie-dense as this bread is, there’s just not enough fiber to justify it in your diet. Look for this unsuspecting potato bread, instead, which is one of the best loaves on the shelf. In addition to a boast-worthy fiber load that doubles that of the Health Nut, it also packs an impressive 12 grams of protein.
Eat This Instead!
Martin’s 100% Whole Wheat Potato Bread (2 slices, 70 g)
140 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
8 g fiber
Worst Cereal
Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins (1 cup)
420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
6 g fiber
30 g sugars
For the record, granola, for all its reputation as a beacon of breakfast virtue, is one of the worst ways to start your day. That’s because it takes an awful lot of sugar to keep those clusters glued together, making a single cup as sweet as two bowls of Cocoa Pebbles and as calorie-dense as 8 chicken wings. Even scarier, with the Cocoa Pebbles, you’d get more fiber and save about 60 calories in fat. Go one step further and swap the Granola for Kashi GoLean. Do this every day this year and you’ll save 29 pounds!
Eat This Instead!
Kashi GOLEAN (1 cup)
140 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber
6 g sugars
Worst Snack Bar
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Raspberry Cereal Bar (1 bar)
140 calories
3 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
13 g sugars
2 g fiber
With a name like that, you’d think these Kellogg’s breakfast bars were the healthiest food on the planet. Too bad the very first ingredient is high-fructose corn syrup. That’s right, most of that delicious fruity goodness is actually synthesized sugar. Not all Nutri-Grain products are equally unsavory, however. Choose the Nutri-Grain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut bars and at least you’ll be getting a dose of healthy nuts and real fruit.
Eat This Instead!
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut fruit and nut bar (1 bar)
120 calories
3.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
11 g sugars
3 g fiber
Worst Butter Substitute
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original (1 Tbsp, 14 g)
90 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
90 mg sodium
Stick margarine is the absolute worst. To make it solid, it has to be stabilized with partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fat. What unsuspecting slatherers are left with is a single tablespoon of yellow goop that contains more than a full day’s worth of a fat that’s been proven to increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Stick with real butter instead; Organic Valley Whipped Butter has just two ingredients: sweet cream and salt.
Eat This Instead!
Organic Valley Whipped Butter (1 Tbsp)
50 calories
6 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
40 mg sodium
Worst Juice
V8 Splash Mango Peach (8 fl oz)
80 calories
0 g fat
18 g sugars
This juice is closer to Coke than regular V8. The first two ingredients are water and high-fructose corn syrup, and it contains only 10% juice. Go for the real deal instead; the V-Fusion Light will provide you with a full serving of fruits and vegetables for nearly half the calories and sugar.
Drink This Instead!
V8 V-Fusion Light Peach Mango (8 fl oz)
50 calories
0 g fat, 10 g sugars
What you drink can make an enormous difference in how many calories you consume every day. Stay away from this shocking list of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America. Your belly with thank you.
Also, if you turn to salads as a smart choice when you eat out, be warned: here are 7 salad disasters, as well as a list of the best salads in America.
Need more help navigating the nutritional pitfalls of the supermarket? Join the Eat This, Not That! Premium web site and you’ll have a 24-hour nutritionist at your fingertips, ready to help you print our personalized grocery lists and scan thousands of packaged and restaurant foods.