FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2012 — Buyer beware: Just because a food’s labeled “healthy,” “smart,” or “all-natural” does not mean it’s the best choice for someone who’s trying to lose weight. For example, honey, vegetable chips, and granola are just a few of the supermarket staples that have tricked dieters into believing they’re healthy choices, when in fact, they are as equally loaded with calories, fat, sodium, and glucose as their more vilified counterparts of table sugar, potato chips, and sweet cereals.
In an effort to help dieters keep it straight, obesity researchers at Otago University in New Zealand have identified a list of 49 foods that they say are extremely calorie-dense, but are almost totally lacking in nutritional benefit. Published in the current issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal, researchers say the list was primarily developed to help overweight and obese people easily identify which foods they should avoid. Lead researcher Jane Elmsile says it’s important to note that the list represents not only high-calorie foods, but also foods that are almost totally lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Here’s the list, in alphabetical order:
1. Alcoholic drinks
2. Biscuits
3. Butter, lard, dripping or similar fat (used as a spread or in baking/cooking etc.)
4. Cakes
5. Candy, including lollipops
6. Chocolate
7. Coconut cream
8. Condensed milk
9. Cordial
10. Corn chips
11. Cream (including crème fraiche)
12. Chips (including vegetable chips)
13. Deli meats
14. Doughnuts
15. Energy drinks
16. Flavored milk/milkshakes
17. Fruit canned in syrup
18. Fruit rollups
19. Fried food
20. Fried potatoes/French fries
21. Frozen yogurt
22. Fruit juice (except tomato juice and unsweetened black currant juice)
23. Glucose
24. High-fat crackers
25. Honey
26. Hot chocolate, chocolate milk
27. Ice cream
28. Jam
29. Marmalade
30. Mayonnaise
31. Muesli/granola bars
32. Muffins
33. Nuts roasted in fat or oil
34. Pastries
35. Pies
36. Popcorn with butter or oil
37. Puddings
38. Quiches
39. Reduced cream
40. Regular powdered drinks
41. Salami
42. Sausages
43. Soft drinks
44. Sour cream
45. Sugar (added to anything including drinks, baking, cooking etc.)
46. Syrups such as golden syrup, treacle, maple syrup
47. Toasted muesli, granola, and any other breakfast cereal with more than 15 grams of sugar per 100 grams of cereal
48. Whole milk
49. Yogurt with more than 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams of yogurt
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