Conned


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In our modern world, there are foods that masquerade as healthy when in reality they’re not that wonderful for you. Then there are those humble everyday foods that we take for granted yet they can be a handy boost to your nutrition and well-being.

Food trends like fat free, antioxidant rich, no cholesterol, no trans fat, wholegrain and a myriad of other catch-phrases combined with celebrity endorsements have made it harder - not easier - to pick the good from the junky. Here nutritionist Catherine Saxelby sorts out the wheat from the chaff.

Healthy surprises

Here are 5 everyday foods that don’t appear to be healthy but are:

  1. Baked beans
    What’s not to love about the humble can of baked beans? Baked beans are high in fibre, have low GI, contain little fat, are filling, convenient and kid-friendly.

    Nutritionists recommend we eat more legumes (the collective name for dried beans, peas and lentils) but let’s face it, they’re hard work with the need to pre-soak, boil until tender then find creative ways to use them.

    Similar picks:
    Any canned legume is healthy and convenient. Look for canned chick peas, canned kidney beans or canned lentils.

  2. Breakfast cereal with milk
    Apart from toasted muesli, all packet cereals are low fat, fortified with four B vitamins and iron (and occasionally others). Yes even the more 'processed' brands with higher sugar.

    Breakfast cereals are generally consumed with milk which adds protein and bone-building calcium. These make a handy after-school snack for hungry teens and rate better than potato crisps, cakes, chocolate bars or other popular snack alternatives.

    Best bets:
    Ideally buy cereals that are:

    • wholegrain
    • high fibre such as whole wheat biscuits
    • bran cereals or muesli
    • Or one with less than 15% sugars (plain) or less than 25% sugars (with fruit).

  3. Tap water
    Tap water is inexpensive, has no kilojoules, no sugar and contains fluoride.

    Best bet:
    If your local tap water doesn't taste good, buy an inexpensive charcoal filter jug to remove off-odours and impurities. It retains the important fluoride.

  4. Raisin loaf/fruit bread
    There’s nothing nicer than hot raisin toast on a cold morning – and it's surprisingly good for you. As raisin toast is made from a yeasted bread dough, it's low GI (so it sticks with you longer), has only moderate sugar and is less 'processed' than biscuits and muffins. Best of all, it's inexpensive and freezes well.

  5. Sugarfree chewing gum
    Chewing gum may look like an annoying habit adopted from a US sitcom, but chewing gum after or between meals encourages the flow of saliva, which helps keep gums healthy and teeth re-mineralised.

    Best bet:
    Choose a sugarfree gum so you don't bathe your teeth with sugar between meals.

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Healthy cons

Here are 5 foods that masquerade as being healthy when in fact they're not that healthy:

  1. Natural confectionery (jellies, snacks)
    These have the same sugar and kilojoules (think fattening power) as those traditional ones but instead of artificial colours and flavours, they have colours extracted from fruit or juice or 'natural' flavours plus top quality gelling agents. The natural tag plus their low-fat status doesn't give you a license to throw down a whole pack at a time (which is easy to do).

    Best bet:
    Place a handful of these addictive lollies into a small bowl and seal up the pack. Stick to the set portion that you've pre-determined. No seconds!

  2. Vitamin waters
    Compared to fizzy drinks, anyone would think something labelled 'vitamin' has to be better but in reality they're not much better.

    Firstly, they're not water - with 5 to 7% sugars, food acids, flavours, added vitamins and added minerals; they're more akin to sugar-laden flavoured drinks rather than plain water.

    Secondly, some have a few herbs thrown in (Gingko, Echinacea) but these won't work within 20 minutes of you drinking them, nor are they present in sufficient concentration to have a noticeable effect. For example, most of the vitamins are present at less than 10 per cent of the recommended day's intake. It's unclear how much of the herbals are present so you don't really know how much you're ingesting.

    Lastly, the sugar is half of what you get in soft drinks (11 to 12%) which appears to be good. However, this reduction is negated by the sheer volume in the bottle. You get 500ml rather than the standard 370ml you get in a can, so you end up drinking 6 teaspoons of sugar from your vitamin water instead of 10 teaspoons from a can. Less, but not much better!

  3. Red wine
    Everyone loves to read that red wine is good for your heart. And it's true - but only at low intakes and for older ages. To get the health benefits, you only need a small glass a day for women (two for men). Studies are still divided - some say there's no difference whether the alcohol comes from beer, wine or spirits. Some say wine is a 'marker' for a healthier lifestyle i.e. people who drink wine also eat better, smoke less, exercise more and drink in moderation.

    Better move:
    Sip your wine with your meal, not before it. Imbibing your wine with food seems to limit any damage to your digestive tract and stops it acting as an appetite enhancer (meaning you don’t end up picking on nibbles before dinner).

  4. Dark chocolate
    There's hardly a person who doesn't enjoy chocolate. Each new study showing dark chocolate has antioxidants with potential health benefits is greeted with glee. But antioxidants alone are not enough to negate the 50% sugar, 30% fat and the more-ish quality.

    Best bet:
    Stick to dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids or higher. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more cocoa antioxidants are present.

  5. Muesli bars with choc chips or yoghurt topping
    Yes, these muesli bar variations sit in the same section of the supermarket as the plain types, so they appear to be a 'healthy' snack. In reality they have had their nutrition diluted down by chocolate, sugar and fat. Those 'yoghurt' coatings are not the same as fresh yoghurt from the dairy case - a concoction of sugar and fat which enables it to be applied like chocolate.

    The bottom line:
    Buy them if you enjoy the taste, but think of them as halfway between muesli and a chocolate-coated biscuit.

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More articles by renowned dietitian and nutritionist Catherine Saxelby