Something that can really sabotage your healthy eating habits is faux-healthy products, foods, and chain restaurants. These are the bane of my existence. People think they are doing the right thing, based on clever marketing, but are unwittingly ingesting extra calories or unhealthy ingredients. Just because something has the word “veggie” in it, doesn’t mean it has any actual veggies in it…and it might have a lot of other crap along with it.
To me, the worst offender is Jamba Juice. I hate them and all their spawns, selling milkshakes disguised as healthy bevs. Lately the company has been making actual healthy drinks, but their menu still contains “snacks” like the original Blackberry Bliss. You might steer clear of the more ominous sounding “creamy” menu items (like the small “Peanut Butter Moo’d” with 490 calories) but the fruity drink still contains 380 calories and 80 grams of sugar. I always feel healthy and a little self-righteous sipping on a fruity drink, but in this case, I’m better off going across the street to Dairy Queen for some soft serve.
While Subway has great options, they are another offender, for giving the impression that everything on their menu is healthy. There are, of course, tons of healthy options, but a tuna sandwich with cheese 600 calories and more than 30 grams of fat—more than a Big Mac! Something healthy like fish gets mixed with mayo and suddenly, it’s not so great.
Vitamin Water is another one that just kills me. I see it there in the cooler, looking so pretty and tempting, looking like gems on display. It’s sooo pretty…and it has good-for-me vitamins! They have different colors and flavors for every mood! Balance. Energy!! But…no. At 250 calories for a bottle, this isn’t exactly just vitamins and water.
If you want to limit your calories, it’s important to educate yourself on what you’re putting into your body, and not be fooled by gimmicks. Most restaurants have Web sites with nutrition information, and it’s worth it to spend the 5 minutes on Google before you go out to make sure you’re not being tricked into ordering a treat.
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