A lot of foods and drinks nowadays are deceiving. They seem healthy and good for the body, but are often not at all.
Take Gatorade for example. Gatorade is advertised as a sports drink, thus leading to a healthier and more efficient life. Gatorade, however, is meant to be drunk during exercise and activity, or you simply won't be able to burn off what is in the drink itself.
A lot of people don't bother to do the research needed to make healthy choices, but instead go with the items they perceive as healthy.Just how much sugar and carbohydrates does a 12-ounce bottle of Gatorade contain? According to dietfacts.com, a bottle of grape, orange or wild berry Gatorade contains 42 grams of sugar, and (get ready for this one) 78 grams of total carbohydrates. That's pretty intense for a drink people tend to perceive as a healthy choice.
The next food, and unfortunately one almost everyone picks as a healthy option, is yogurt. Take for example, the Strawberry Banana Dannon Fruit Blends. In a tiny six-ounce cup, it contains 32 grams of carbohydrates and 29 grams of sugar. That's an incredible amount considering the serving size of six ounces, which will leave an average person hungry and ready for more.
The next food is one people really need to check up on, and realize they'd be better off with a burger. A lot of people love ranch salad dressing; they just can't get enough of it. So when they go to a restaurant and try to choose the healthier choice of a salad, this is where they mess up.
The serving size for Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing is only a mere two tablespoons (the average salad eater will use far more than that). In these two tablespoons, it's not the calories that may shock you, but the grams of fat. There are 14 grams of fat in just two tablespoons of ranch dressing! According to the Daily Plate website, that is already 90 percent of your allotted daily fat intake in just two tablespoons.
A lot of people don't bother to do the research needed to make healthy choices, but instead go with the items they perceive as healthy. If everyone could just do some research and realize the tools they need to make healthy choices, maybe America wouldn't continue with the shameful tag as one of the most obese countries in the world.
Comments
Kelly@dietFacts.com commented, on April 22, 2008 at 6:02 p.m.:
Hey Bridget. Great article! Isn't it surprising how bad a salad or serving of yogurt can be for us? When I'm reading a food label, I like to visualize the grams in terms of teaspoons.
Why put three and half spoonfuls of sour cream on an already-tasty salad? I find fruits like raisins, dried cranberries, Mandarin oranges, and sliced apples or pears are far better than any man-made creamy dressing.
Would I stir 7 spoonfuls of sugar into my unsweetened yogurt or 10 spoonfuls into flavored water? No way! One or two, maybe....
Thanks so much for mentioning DietFacts in your article. Let me know if you ever need to find something or to do extensive research; I'd be happy to help!
~Kelly
Beth commented, on April 22, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.:
Serving sizes are also deceiving. Often a bottle will list the nutrition facts and it will seem reasonable until you stop and notice that that bottle has 3 servings so everything you just read has to be tripled.
PetyonManning commented, on April 23, 2008 at 2:33 p.m.:
Fact error on gatorade.... i'm pretty sure if a 12ounce gatorade had 78 grams of carbs then every athelete would be fat.... check gatorade.com theres only 14 carbs per 8 ounces in every regular gatorade 32ounce drink. They now offer G2 which is even healthier. You also have to consider the difference between good and bad carbs. Check again editors
Fact. commented, on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 p.m.:
You're a douchebag.