When Are Healthy Foods Not So Healthy?

It's no secret that healthy foods are the key to a healthy body. So we diligently study nutrition labels as we walk through the grocery story and we stock up on low-fat, low-sodium, and low-calorie foods. We're always counting calories and trying to eat high-protein foods. But are we fooling ourselves? Would we be just as healthy chowing down on an ice cream sundae? Maybe...

You probably feel very proud of yourself when, after a good workout, you try to replenish your system with a handful of trail mix, a protein bar or some whole-grain crackers. But you may not know that just one serving of trail mix has the same number of calories as four bite-sized Snickers bars. A high-protein Carb Solutions Chocolate Fudge Almond bar has 230 calories -- the same amount as a bag of M&Ms. And those reduced-fat Wheat Thins with 11 grams of whole grain per serving? Nearly 300 milligrams of sodium -- more sodium than one serving of Original Fritos Corn Chips.

Many "healthy" foods are labeled as such because of small portion sizes or because they have been enriched with protein or fiber.

But nutrition labels don't lie -- there might be some unintended consequences to eating those foods. That low-cal, low-fat frozen dinner contains huge amounts of sodium to preserve taste. And several high-protein power bars contain as many calories as a serving of ice cream.

Are healthy foods really healthy? Local dieticians say the key to healthy eating is learning to become a savvy shopper.

Marketing at the Supermarket

Part of shopping smart is becoming acquainted with food marketing.

Food-packaging labels that read "reduced-fat," "low sodium," "whole grain," "high fiber" and "organic" are designed to catch the eye. But they aren't always telling the full story.

"Marketers will often tell consumers what they want to hear in order to sell a product," says Kelly Powell, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator at Southern Illinois University.

"A reduced-fat label does not necessarily mean healthy," she says. "The food may have zero grams trans fat but 13 grams of saturated fats, which are unhealthy for the heart."

A more recent trend is to market food as "organic." Shoppers often associate organic food with health food.

"The organic marketing label simply refers to the way a food is grown -- without herbicides or pesticides," Powell says. "But the nutrient composition doesn't change. Organic foods are not necessarily health foods."

Shoppers may also choose to avoid snacking on foods, such as chocolate, in favor of what they believe are healthier, lower- calorie foods, such as a serving of high-fiber cereal. However, some cereals, such as Raisin Bran, when eaten with a half-cup of skim milk, contain more calories than a Hershey bar.

Defining 'Healthy'

So, why eat Raisin Bran when a Hershey bar has fewer calories? Dieticians say nutrition density helps define which foods are healthy.

Sara Lopinski, a registered dietician with the Center for Living at St. John's Prairie Heart Institute, says consuming foods such as Raisin Bran is healthier than eating a chocolate bar because Raisin Bran is dense in nutrients.

"Nutrient-dense foods give us more bang for our caloric buck," she says. "Limit foods high in calories with little nutritional value."

Determining what is "healthy" also revolves around a person's personal diet goals. Focusing on personal health goals helps individuals determine exactly how much sodium, fat, calories, carbohydrates, fiber and protein they should eat on a daily basis -- in other words, what is "healthy" or "unhealthy" for specific individuals.

"A person requires about 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day," Powell says. "Knowing this, eating one healthy frozen dinner a day that has no more than 600 milligrams of sodium would not be considered unhealthy as long as the person does not exceed 1,500 milligrams.

"On the other hand, if a doctor tells someone to watch his salt intake, he would be better off eating a lower-sodium meal."

Lopinski says a person's RDA -- or Recommended Daily Allowance -- for things such as sodium or fat varies depending on an individual's caloric needs.

"We're always looking at the context of a person's overall diet to determine what is healthy or unhealthy," she says. "It's all about balance and goal-setting."

Learning how to read nutrition labels can help consumers determine which foods are best for them.

For example, when counting carbohydrates, Lopinski recommends looking at dietary fiber.

"Don't be deceived by 'whole grain' labels on breads," she says. "Instead, look at the dietary fiber content. Some high-fiber breads have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice."