That may not be so “healthy”

11/18/09 Posted in Courtney Siekirk  |  0 Comments

It is finally Friday night and you can’t wait to have a relaxing night on the town. You’ve stuck to your diet religiously throughout the week, eating healthy meals and even spending a few early mornings at the local gym. When the weekend rolls around, many of us find ourselves at our favorite restaurant, staring at a menu filled with the all too familiar unhealthy choices. We often look for words like “reduced-fat” or “healthy” to make ourselves feel better about splurging. Unfortunately, the words that scream “healthy” could be misleading.

Eat This Not That digs up the truth about seemingly healthy foods and suggests healthier alternatives. Blow are five surprising examples:

1. Worst Rollup: Applebee’s Chicken Fajita Rollup
1,050 calories

The name conjures up the same healthy images that “wrap” does, yet this one tortilla-swaddled chicken dish contains as many calories as 7 Taco Bell Fresco Beef Tacos. And that’s before the fries.

Healthier Alternative: Italian Chicken Portobello Sandwich
360 calories

2. Worst Sandwich: Quiznos Tuna Melt (large)
1,760 calories
133 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
2,120 mg sodium

In almost all other forms, tuna is a nutritional superstar, so how did it end up as the headliner for America’s Worst Sandwich? Blame an absurdly heavy hand with the mayo the tuna is mixed with, along with Quiznos’ larger-than-life portion sizes.

Healthier Alternative: Sonoma Turkey Flatbread Sammie
280 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
760 mg sodium

3. Worst Salad: California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad
1,115 calories

This CPK Thai Crunch Salad is anything but healthy, with more calories than you’d absorb from 4 Big Macs. You may feel virtuous ordering a salad over “heavy” pizza, but in this case you’re much better off ordering three whole slices of the Original BBQ Chicken—altogether, they’re about a quarter the calories as this one salad.

Healthier Alternative: Original BBQ Chicken Pizza (3 slices)
525 calories

4. Worst “Healthy” Snack: Pop-Secret Kettle Corn (4 cups popped)
180 calories
13 g fat (3 g saturated, 6 g trans)
150 mg sodium

The only “secret” here is that the popcorn purveyor uses partially hydrogenated oil to pop their kernels, turning a reasonable snack into a nutritional nightmare of heart-wrenching proportions. This box has 3 bags of popcorn, which means every time you buy it, you’re bringing 54 grams of dangerous trans fat into your house.

Healthier Alternative: Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop! Kettle Korn
130 calories
2.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
370 mg sodium

5. Worst “Healthy” Food in America: Romano’s Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Sole
2,190 calories
141 g fat (58 g saturated)
2,980 mg sodium
145 g carbohydrates

Lean sole served with capers and spinach-strewn orzo sounds like the safest bet on the Mac Grill menu, but it turns out to be not just one of the worst dishes in this restaurant, but one of the worst entrées we’ve found in any restaurant in America. From a nutritional standpoint, “Parmesan crusting” is akin to coating one of the healthiest proteins in the world with a blanket of fried cheese.

Healthier Alternative: Simple Salmon
590 calories
34 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,980 mg sodium

When you sit down to dinner this weekend, think twice before you order what seems to be “healthy”. Don’t let your good work during the week go to waste on the weekends.

Information provided by: Eat This Not That

Follow @HealthyFitMag on twitter

Become a fan of Healthy & Fit Magazine on facebook