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1. Worst Salad
T.G.I. Friday’s Santa Fe Chopped Salad
1,830 calories
29 g saturated fat
3,450 mg sodium
It’s time to shake your belief in the unbounded goodness of greens. Sure, leafy vegetables are good for you, but not when they’re encumbered by fried tortilla strips and a reckless deluge of ranch dressing. In the 15 minutes it takes you to eat this salad, you’ll take in a day-and-a-half’s worth of sodium and saturated fat along with nearly a full day’s worth of calories.
Eat This Instead!
Southwest Wedge Salad
480 calories
8 g saturated fat
1,470 mg sodium
What if you could lose all the weight you wanted to, without shelling out for high-priced “health” foods, and without even breaking a sweat? Sound impossible? Well, it’s not. In fact, you can eat what you want, when you want, if you know how to make some simple, smart swaps. And here’s another secret you need to know: Many high-priced health foods are more likely to add fat to your body than to strip it away. And that’s why Eat This, Not That! has been on a crusade against health-food ripoffs. Click on to find some of the worst offenders in the supermarket, some tricksters lurking on restaurant menus, and some simple swaps that will help you strip away pounds, fast.
2. Worst Yogurt
Yoplait 99% Fat Free Strawberry (1 container, 170 g)
170 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
27 g sugars
Just look at the ingredient list to see the true picture. After milk, sugar is the next ingredient. Scroll down the list a little and you’ll find high-fructose corn syrup, too. So sure it’s “99% fat free,” but it also has more sugar than an entire Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar. Fage’s is plenty sweet, but more of its sugar comes from real fruit. Plus it justifies the sugar with 17 grams of protein—more than 3 times as much as you’ll find in Yoplait’s yogurt.
Eat This Instead!
Fage 2% Strawberry
130 calories
2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
17 g sugars
3. Worst Reduced-Calorie Ice Cream Novelty
Breyers Carb Smart Almond Bar (1 bar)
180 calories
15 g fat (10 g saturated)
5 g sugars
The fact that this bar has only 5 grams of sugar is commendable, but the fact that it contains half your day’s saturated-fat limit is not. Instead, look for a treat like Slim a Bear that puts a cap on both sugar and fat. Not only does that protect your heart, but it also diminishes your calorie impact.
Eat This Instead!
Klondike Slim a Bear No Sugar Added Ice Cream Sandwiches (1 sandwich)
100 calories
2 g fat (1 g saturated)
3 g sugars
4. Worst Nutrition Bar
PowerBar Energize Berry Blast (1 bar)
210 calories
3.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
24 g sugars
Not only does it contain virtually zero fiber, but the first ingredient is evaporated cane juice, otherwise known as sugar. Switch to Kashi’s GoLean Crunchy! and you’ll earn a touch more protein and a ton more fiber. Plus, you’ll drop your sugar load by almost half.
Eat This Instead!
Kashi GoLean Crunchy! Chocolate Caramel (1 bar)
150 calories
3 g fat (2 g saturated)
14 g sugar
5. Worst Wheat Bread
Arnold Whole Grains Health Nut (2 slices)
240 calories
4 g fat (0 g saturated)
4 g fiber
Don’t blow your calories on the bread; save them for the nutrient-dense stuff you’re going to stuff inside. Arnold’s Whole Grains Health Nut earns the Worst Bread distinction by being high in calories and carrying a load of refined flour. Make your sandwiches on Nature’s Own Double Fiber Wheat instead and you’ll eliminate 140 calories and double your fiber intake.
Eat This Instead!
Nature’s Own Double Fiber Wheat (2 slices)
100 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber
6. Worst Smoothie
Smoothie King Banana Boat (40 oz)
1,048 calories
24 g fat (12 g saturated)
154 g sugars
There’s a health halo hanging over everything smoothie-related, which makes it seem as though you can do no damage in the smoothie shop. Truth is, you can. Case in point: Smoothie King’s Banana Boat. It sounds healthy enough, but it’s made with ice cream and served from a mammoth-size cup. It also packs in more sugar than 8 Twinkies. Make it a rule to never drink out of anything bigger than Smoothie King’s 20-ounce cup, and then do yourself a favor by ordering the Youth Fountain.
Eat This Instead!
Smoothie King Youth Fountain (20 oz)
253 calories
0 g fat
54 g sugars
