Health Food Imposter #13: Frozen Yogurt

Does frozen yogurt deserve its health halo?  - Copyright 2013 - Michelle Loy, MPH, MS, RD, CSSD - Go Wellness

Health Food Imposter #13:  Frozen Yogurt
Over the last few years, the rise of the FroYo has been occurring with the growing popularity of frozen yogurt shops and frozen yogurt products on grocery store shelves.  People seem to be flocking to frozen yogurt as a healthier alternative to ice cream, but unfortunately, in some cases, it may not be all that we believe it to be.

• While frozen yogurts are generally lower in fat and calories than their ice cream cousins, it doesn't mean they are "low calorie".  For example, I decided to compare Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia FroYo with their Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.  The ice cream has 240 calories and 13 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving while the FroYo has 200 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving.  So yes, the frozen yogurt is lower in calories and fat.  However, it is not technically a "low-calorie" food since it does not contain less than 40 calories per serving required by federal labeling guidelines.  Add some less nutritious toppings, like cookies or candy, and you're tacking on a lot of extra low-quality calories and ingredients, too!  

• Frozen yogurt may generally be lower in fat than ice cream, but it is not necessarily lower in sugar.  In fact, using the Cherry Garcia example again, the frozen yogurt actually contains 1 more teaspoon of sugar than the ice cream, 27 grams vs 23 grams per half cup respectively.  While some of the sugar in frozen yogurt is naturally occurring from the yogurt itself, much of it is added in the form of sweeteners, like sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and dextrose.

• Another reason people turn to frozen yogurt is for the proposed probiotic health benefits.  Because frozen yogurt falls under a different product classification than regular yogurt, it does not have to meet the same standards in terms of the production and final product as regular yogurt.  Unfortunately, not all frozen yogurts contain live and active cultures, which means they do not confer the health benefits associated with probiotics.  In some cases, the yogurt is heat-treated during the production process thereby diminishing the benefits from the probiotics.  Frozen yogurts also may not contain the amount or variety of probiotic strains as some regular yogurts do, and this may affect the potential health benefits as well.  

• Frozen yogurts may still contain other questionable ingredients, such as artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, that many people are now trying to limit or avoid. For instance, some fruit-flavored frozen yogurts do not actually contain any real fruit in them.  So the health benefits of the real fruit are lacking in many of these frozen yogurt products.  

A better alternative?
Consider frozen yogurts a treat like ice cream.  Enjoy it occasionally, but it's best not to consider it a nourishing everyday meal or snack.  There are higher quality frozen yogurts available.  To make the best choices, read the Ingredient Lists and Nutrition Facts for products on grocery shelves and check out the nutrition information online for versions from yogurt shops.  Look for frozen yogurts with simpler ingredient lists that also include live active cultures.  When opting for FroYo from yogurt shops, stick with healthier toppings, like fresh fruit and nuts, rather than cookies or candy, and consider portion size, especially with self-serve spots.

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Health Food Imposter #11: Smoothies

Are smoothies health food imposters?  Copyright 2013 - Michelle Loy, MPH, MS, RD, CSSD - Go Wellness

Health Food Imposter #11:   Smoothies

Who isn't a fan of the almighty smoothie, right?  While I think that smoothies can have a place in a nourishing, well-balanced diet, some (especially homemade ones) are better than others when it comes to many commercially-prepared versions.  

• One of the drawbacks of commercially-prepared smoothies is that the bases often include non-fat yogurt, frozen yogurt, and sherbet, which are typically laden with refined sugar.  For example, the Original-sized Banana Berry Smoothie from Jamba Juice, which is made with bananas, non-fat frozen yogurt, blueberries, raspberry sherbet and ice, contains 82 grams of sugar.  Yes, 82 grams or almost 21 teaspoons.  Yes, some of it is naturally-occurring from the fruit and frozen yogurt, but how much?  
• Someone thinking these are a healthy “snack” may also be surprised that some of these smoothies can range anywhere from 150 up to 900+ calories. Yes, I said 900 calories!  As a "snack", that could pose a problem for a person trying to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.  
• There are “no sugar added” and “light” versions, but keep in mind that this is usually due to the use of artificial sweeteners, like sucralose.  
• While “real fruit smoothies” seem to be a trend right now, keep in mind that sometimes the “real fruit” comes in the form of fruit juice rather than whole fruit, so you could be losing out on valuable nutrients, like fiber.  In some cases, I’ve seen so-called fruit smoothies that don’t have any real fruit in them at all.  Buyer beware!
• Know, too, that  commercially-prepped smoothies may also contain artificial colors, flavors, and other  questionable additives as well.

What is a better alternative?  

Make your own smoothies at home using fresh or frozen, unsweetened whole fruits and vegetables at home.  This way you’ll have more control over the quality, kind, and amount of the ingredients you put into them. Plus, you can personalize them to your own taste.  If you opt for a commercially-prepared version, look for the nutrition information online or onsite to review the nutrition facts as well as the ingredients, when available.  Opt for those made with real, whole fruits and veggies as often as possible.  You may also want to opt for a smoothie with a quality source of protein (at least as best as you can do with commercially-prepared versions), like almond butter or yogurt, to help with blood sugar balance and satiety.  Also, consider choosing smaller sizes for better portion control.  If anything ask questions and see if you can customize your smoothie to suit your needs and tastes.

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10 summer drinks that you might want to re-think

Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan (flickr)

With the onset of summer, we often look for ways to feel refreshed ...a trip to the beach, a dip in the pool, or sometimes a nice, cool drink.  While some of those beverages can help us beat the summer heat, others can bust the calorie budget. When it comes to those summer libations, you may want to ask yourself this question first: "Do I want to drink my calories or do I want to eat them?"  Why should you ask this?  Some studies suggest that calories in beverage form may be better at satisfying our thirst not our hunger.   For instance, Barbara Rolls, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan, conducted a study comparing subjects' satiety levels and energy consumption at meals following consumption of a whole apple, applesauce, or apple juice.  Which one do you think enhanced satiety and curbed energy intake the most?  The whole apple!

Check out these 10 higher calorie summer refreshments and their lower calorie alternatives. 

Iced espresso drinks:  One Grande Iced Caffe Mocha from Starbucks will set you back 320 calories, 17 grams of fat (mostly saturated), and 28 grams or 7 teaspoons of sugar.  Just play 36 minutes of beach volleyball and you've got the calories covered.  The Alternative?  Go for it but request nonfat milk and no whipped cream.  You'll save yourself 150 calories and 14.5 grams of fat, and you'll still get 9 grams of protein and 20% of the Daily Value for calcium.

Lemonade:  One cup of lemonade will rack up about 130 calories and 33 grams of sugar, the equivalent of almost 15 Hershey's Kisses.  The Alternative?  Twist some citrus, like lemon or orange, into a tall glass of ice cold water.  You could also consider adding fresh berries or apple, pear slices, or cucumber slices to your water.  Eat the fresh goodies afterwards, and get a nutritional boost!

Margarita: A 10 ounce mango margarita will deliver about 740 calories and 56 grams (14 teaspoons) of sugar.  Alcoholic beverages offer a triple whammy.  Not only are they high in liquid calories, but they can also lead to higher calorie consumption when consumed before or with meals. Alcohol also has a diuretic effect on the body, which can cause greater water loss through urination.  This loss of water (as well as the extra salt on the rim of the glass) triggers thirst, which could lead one to drink even more alcohol.   The Alternative?  A high quality tequila on the rocks with a splash of lime juice contains about 136 calories and virtually no sugar saving you a whopping 640 calories!  Pair this with a glass of water to sip on, too! 

Sweet tea: Sweetened teas can really boost the daily calorie count.  A large sweet tea from McDonald's serves up 230 calories and 59 grams of sugar or the equivalent of about 75 jelly beans!  The Alternative?  Go plain jane here.  A 32 oz unsweetened iced tea contains less than 10 calories and no sugar.  If you want some flavor, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a sprig of mint to your iced tea.  

Milkshake: Would it surprise you to find out that milkshakes can run upwards of 500 calories depending on what goes in it?  The Chocolate Turtle shake from Ruby's Diner contains 1060 calories, 33 grams of fat, and 157 grams of sugar.  Yes, you read that right!  That's more calories than a double grilled cheese bacon burger from Carl's Jr. and the sugar equivalent of 34 Oreo cookies!  The Alternative? Go for a nice tall glass of low-fat milk and make your own more nutritious smoothie at home.

Flavored and enhanced water:  Maybe it should be called Vitamin and Sugar Water since it delivers around 125 calories and 33 grams of sugar per bottle.  That's equivalent to 8 1/4 packets of sugar!  The Alternative?  Get more of your vitamins consuming a well-balanced diet and drink plain water instead.  If you need some pizazz try sparkling water with a splash of lemon or cranberry juice.

Beer:  Not all beers are created equal, but you already knew that, if you are a beer enthusiast.  Most beers average around 12 calories per ounce, but some run even higher.  Sierra Nevada Pale Ale contains 175 calories per 12 oz and the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot tips the scale at 330 calories per 12 oz.  The Alternative? Light beers serve up an average of 10 calories per ounce, but for more taste on fewer calories, you could opt for a Guinness Draught at 126 calories per 12 oz.  And remember the water!    

Energy drinks:  You're going to need these to keep up with your busier summer schedule, right?  They'll give you energy alright. In fact, Rockstar  Energy Drink will crank out a good 280 calories worth of energy and 62 grams of sugar.  That's okay, you'll just need to walk up stairs for over 30 minutes to burn that off.  Or think of it like this, that's the sugar equivalent to about 5 McDonald's baked apple pies.  The Alternative?  Look for other ways to optimize your energy levels, and if you need a mental boost, go for a cup of joe or tea instead.  Need the chill, then opt for the plain iced coffee, iced caffe americano, or unsweetened iced tea.

Pina Colada:  You might like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, but you also might want to consider  jumping rope for at least an hour to burn off the 644 calories that come with that drink.  That's more calories than the KFC's Double Down sandwich. You know, the one with bacon, cheese, and sauce squished between two fried chicken filets.  The Alternative?  Try a virgin banana pina colada which offers 2 servings of fruit and only 130 calories per serving.

Root beer float:  It'll make you feel like you're back in the 1950's, but it'll also take you up in calories.  Sonic's regular-sized root beer float weighs in at 339 calories, 14 grams of fat (mostly saturated), and 49 grams of sugar.  You'd need to do jumping jacks for 38 minutes to burn that many calories.  Ouch!  The Alternative?  You could opt for just the root beer or just the ice cream or if you must, make your own using diet root beer and light ice cream.

What are your more nutritious summer drink alternatives?

*Calories burned doing various activities are based on 150 pound person.

Total Menu Makeover

Photo courtesy of Michelle Loy. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

I've noticed some interesting and exciting changes on the menu boards and menus in restaurants lately...at least in California.  Have you?  Menus are beginning to get a total menu makeover since our governator approved a bill in 2008 that made California the first state to require larger restaurant chains to post the caloric price tag of their offerings on menus and menu boards by January 1, 2011, which is just around the corner.  After July 1, 2009, brochures listing calorie and nutrition information were required to be available at the point-of-purchase or ordering.  While that has been a fantastic start towards helping consumers make more informed decisions about their food intake while eating out, I think that is still a passive strategy since the consumer still must make the choice to pick up the brochure and evaluate it.  And while there's more to food than calories, I think that it will be interesting to see how these environmental policies affects consumers' behaviors, including overall daily caloric consumption, and ultimately their long-term weight status. In my opinion, these environmental strategies will serve as simple tools to help consumers make wiser selections when eating out (at least in terms of calories).  And {hopefully} as a result, restaurants will respond by offering more nutritious options.  I think these data will be an eye opener for many.  I work in the trenches, and I find that a number of people are shocked by the caloric price tag of the restaurant foods they consume.  For example, one very nutritionally savvy client ordered a "light breakfast taco with turkey sausage" from a restaurant's so-called "light menu" thinking it was her best option only to find later that it contained 1110 calories! Light?  More recently, I went to a popular breakfast establishment and eagerly browsed the calorie content of their menu items, and I would estimate that 90% of the menu items were in the range of 750-1500 calories! (And that doesn't include beverages, sides, or appetizers.)  That's about half or more of many people's daily caloric needs. 

Similar laws have been in effect in New York City for at least a couple of years now, and there's been quite a bit of controversy over it.  Some argue that labeling the caloric content of foods on menus will make those foods more appealing, therefore, causing more people to want to eat them or to opt out of ordering anything at all only to head home and go overboard in response.  Despite the controversy, some preliminary research suggests that this type of menu labeling could be effective at helping consumers reduce the caloric value of their order.

Are you on board with calories going on the menu board?  Well, hang on tight as the total menu makeover is about to take over the nation since a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed into law in March 2010 will require that all larger chain restaurants post calories on menus and indoor menu boards.

So, what do you think of these changes?  Will they help? 

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