Eat This Not That

[erpowers]

Some of you may know that the Today Show, on occasion, has a segment in which a guy, who wrote a number of books about food, comes on and tell people which foods they should eat. This morning there was another segment, but I was wondering if it was really possible to list an equivalent to a salad. Even if a salad is the fat or sodium equivalent of a pizza would it not still be better to eat the salad in that the salad may have other nutrients that are good that the pizza will not have. I know the person on the Today Show does not tell people to eat the pizza instead of a salad; he tells them to eat a different type of salad or a different type of food. I just wonder if he should look at things other than just the fat and sodium content. It seems that even if a salad has the same fat as a pizza maybe the salad has a different type of fat. So, the major issue for me is whether the guy is taking enough things into consideration when he does these segments. So, what do others think? The only thing I could find that gives an example of the segment is the link below.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/28873437#28873437

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Generally, salads have very little fat

Carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, lettuce and other leafy greens, all have effectivly no fat. Salad dressing, on the other hand, and prepared dishes like chicken salad and tuna salad, are a different matter. The example given in the video makes this point clear: it is not the salad itself, but the deep fried chicken, the candied pecans, etc. that are in it.

Keep in mind that the subject of that clip is "foods that people think are healthy, but are not." I think he makes that clear with comparing the salmon and prime rib.

[supernova]

4. That's exactly right, TB

It's not the form of salad, but what you put on it.

I didn't watch the video, but it sounds like these are all things that are found on restaurant salad bars. You can quickly turn a healthy option, a salad, into a very unhealthy one by adding in all those extras.

Croutons are another big calorie waster too. Ditto creamy dressings. just a little on the side is a lot better.

Right now, my main meal is a salad with meat. BUT, the meat is oven baked chicken breast cooked in a little olive oil.

What we need are the right kinds of fats... plant oils. A little olive oil, a sprinkle nuts (non-candied), or some avacado are all good.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. I've found invariably if you order a salad at any of those chain

places, it's drenched in dressing. To the point that I don't like - forget calories, it just tastes bad.

So I ask for it on the side, and use just a little, which really is what's needed - just enough to add some taste.

[supernova]

12. So true

It's the rare place that doesn't leave the greens swimming in dressing. :crazy:

I try to remember to ask for dressing on the side, but I don't always. :P

[JerseygirlCT]

13. I just (hopefully) came off a pretty uncomfortable

10 month flare of Crohn's - where eating got to be scary. Cutting way back on that fatty dressing definitely helped! Of course, now that I'm feeling better, the appetite is roaring.

Why does it take 10 months to lose 10 pounds, and only 4 weeks to put it right back on?

[KittyWampus]

25. And it's crappy dressing made with poor quality oil and filled with corn syrup.

[K8-EEE]

31. The tuna at subway is the WORST

I had a friend that worked there....and figured out per Weight Watchers that there is 10 tablespoons of mayo in a SMALL ONE....

[fishwax]

38. I always have them hold the dressing and juts get some lemon wedges to squeeze over it

It's especially good on a salads with darker greens. I'm not really fond of dressing, particularly the kinds you'll find at chain restaurants :) (Sometimes I like a good vinaigrette when I'm making a salad at home ...)

[Stevenmarc]

9. Also. looking at that salad there were at least 2 servings of chicken on it.

People have to start relearning portion size. One of the best things I ever purchased was a food scale that contains nutritional information, after a short time it was easy to visualize correct portion size.

[TechBear_Seattle]

11. Yup

I've been in Weight Watchers since June, and have lost just over 35 pounds. One of the first things I had to learn was portion control. It is amazing just how out of whack our sense of "a serving" really is.

[KittyWampus]

26. Congratulations! As a woman over 40, the weight doesn't respond to portion control anymore

I have had to go beyond calorie count and exercise.

Now have to limit various types of food (mainly carbs and quickly absorbed sugar).

[K8-EEE]

39. I'm in that 40's metabolism club too

What I found is if I do a "vegan til six" thing -- very simple raw food until dinner and then small portions for dinner, along with an hour of exercise, that's the only thing that really works anymore.

They really don't prepare you very well for what happens to your metabolism in your 40s! You have to eat WAY less and exercise WAY more or else you're screwed.

[KittyWampus]

24. Note- salad dressing with good quality olive oil is healthy. Not all Fat is the same.

[TechBear_Seattle]

29. True, but

The vast majority of Americans eat far too much fat, period. The first step is to reduce total fat intake; once that is down, you can start making healthier choices as to type. Also, my experience has been that relatively healthy dressings are rare at restaurants.

[K8-EEE]

40. IMO good (non-animal) fats in reasonable amounts are not fattening

I hate a dry salad -- and I would never have one of those chemical low fat dressings, they're just nasty!

The good fats are good for our metabolism and keep you from getting cravings....IMO low fat diets are for the birds!

[hobbit709]

2. It's not the salad that's the problem

It's the stuff you pour on top and how much you pour on. Pick a food-any food-and you'll find someone telling you why it's bad for you.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. Exactly. Today he was pointing out the fried food additions and fatty dressings.

ie... fried scallop salad, pecan encrusted fried chicken salad

[Rashel]

3. The fat in the salad must be from the dressing. Eat a salad with a low fat dressing?

[Sydnie]

5. That's actually what he recommends in the books

Substitutions for higher calorie items with lower calorie items of the same flavor category.

[KittyWampus]

27. You can enjoy dressing just not crappy kind. I just checked my dad's dressing bottle

Stuff is listed on the labels in order of proportion contained. The first ingredient is corn syrup. And then a little further down there is high fructose corn syrup. And soybean oil.

Olive Oil and Avocado Oil and Flax Seed Oil are GOOD for you. The benefit your health.

Either buy or learn to make dressing yourself. It takes very little time and you control what's in them.

Buying a small bottle of those healthy and nutritious oils is admittedly somewhat expensive but if you use them for dressing, small amounts go a long way.

[K8-EEE]

32. Olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar = "good fat" dressing

It's the ranch/blue cheezey "white" ones that do you in.

In general -- white food is fattening.

[calico1]

6. The chicken in that salad looked

like it might have been fried. It is also a very huge salad. Then if you add croutons which are almost always fried, high fat, high sugar dressing, then it kind of negates the benefits of the lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables. I think that was the point.

How can it be beneficial to eat a salad if it is loaded with that other junk? This salad was over 1,000 calories!

He's right. Eat a different kind of salad. First of all, it shouldn't be large enough to feed 18 people. LOL Also make sure the chicken is roasted, baked, grilled, not fried. And leave off the croutons, cheese, and other fatty stuff. And use light dressing, no dressing or just a little dressing. Not half a cup. LOL. Then you have a healthy salad.

[cali]

10. I never, ever use light dressing. I never use any prepared dressing

You can have a very healthy salad with olive oil and vinager. And it tastes so much better.

[Rashel]

15. I love salads, but I never use low-fat dressing, but regular dressing.

I'm working very hard on a whole food diet, but for right now, the dressing is staying. I'm doing well just getting in a salad a day!

[azmouse]

21. Make your own dressings. It's easy and tastes so much better.

[cali]

28. yep. I never buy bottled

my favorite dressing is to chop a fat clove of garlic add salt and pepper, dijon mustard, some herbs, good vinegar and then add olive oli slowly to enable emulsification. It never fails and there are infinite variations.

[azmouse]

20. I make all my own dressings.

For example: A bit of garlic, some dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil. It's pure heaven! :9

[calico1]

22. I love olive oil and vinegar as well...

I am just saying that calorie wise a light dressing is an option over a full fat, unless you can control the amount you use.

I have seen people at salad bars pour 4 or 5 ladles of bleu cheese or some other high calorie dressing on their salad.

I love bleu cheese but when I use it I use the old Weight Watchers trick of dipping the fork in the dressing and then picking up some salad. It gives it just enough flavor without you using a ton of it.

Fortunately for me, I am not one who has ever liked drowning my salad in dressing. I like just enough for flavor. About 1 TB is enough for me.

[K8-EEE]

33. I also love olive oil and lots of fresh herbs from the garden

I put fresh italian parsley, chives, and cilantro in the food processor with olive oil and lemon juice to make sort of a "green goddess" type thing.

[Wheezy]

8. That's his schtick.

The point of his Eat This, Not That book is to compare foods and point out subtle differences between them so that if you change a lot of brands, or if you eat This instead of That, over time you will eat fewer calories and less sodium.

It's not a diet book, it's a comparison book. I totally understand your puzzlement -- I wondered the same thing until I picked up his book and figured out that his schtick is very simplistic.

:)

[JSK]

14. That guy drives me crazy

So often he shows you two things that are BOTH crap. When they ask if you should eat "this" or "that" I want to scream, "NEITHER!!"

[Sydnie]

16. But people are going to eat that type of crap

so at least he is attempting to help the masses eat a better for them level of crap than they might select otherwise. Baby steps ...

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

17. I've seen him and he's quite effective. He does give people "food for thought". Although

he doesn't mention what would be nutritionally beneficial in the poor choice, he does offer a healthy alternative.

[On the Road]

19. I Eat a Ton of Vegetables

but am not a big fan of salads as a primary course. The basic ingredients are not filling. Even if you have a salad for lunch instead of a pizza, you will more likely need a snack later.

Most dressings are loaded with fat. Toppings can increase the fat content, especially in restaurants. Nonfat dressings are usually sweet, thin, unsatisfying, and have a bottled taste.

I prefer making salads of meatier ingredients like tomatoes or cucumbers. It's easy to make a mellow full-bodied vinagrette to go with.

[K8-EEE]

34. My salads are loaded with fat but the good kind

I put a lot of avocado, walnuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil and other "good" fat in my salads along with the greens....along with kidney beans or chickpeas, it keeps you from getting hungry and besides my "good" cholesterol is WAY UP THERE and my bad cholesterol is WAY DOWN.

Personally I think low-fat diets are fattening -- they make for cravings. Fat is our friend as long as it's not animal fat.

[Lost in CT]

23. If he is the guy who pointed out a large shake at a fast food resturant

is the equvilant of three big macs?

I found that tidbit quite usefull and informative.

[fishwax]

30. The approach is too simplistic for my tastes, but his info can still be useful

Sometimes I read through the site on Men's Health (http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/index.php), and he does a good job of pointing out the drawbacks to various foods. His comparisons do tend to focus on one or two categories (usually calories, fat, sugar, or sodium), and personally I'm more interested in a broader approach, but having that information is useful.

[K8-EEE]

36. It's good for people who eat in chain restaurants all the time

Def NOT me!! Like, eat this halfway crappy hamburger instead of this monster heart attack bomb hamburger. No thanks on either!

[fishwax]

37. well, beyond that, it's good for

thinking about somewhat hidden ways that unhealthy can be layered onto healthy. Otherwise healthy salads topped with fried chicken and an unhealthy type or amount of dressing aren't limited to chain restaurants :shrug:

His advice isn't limited to restaurants (though all the restaurants are chains)--he also talks about groceries. Often this advice, too, revolves around swapping one kind of processed food for another, which is why I don't think that simplistic approach is useful--but the information can be.

[GoneOffShore]

35. I'm with Michael Pollan -

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Shows like this demonize food. We've demonized eggs, fat, meat and just about anything else. All in the name of "health" but really in the service of "Shareholder value" - not profit, but "Shareholder value". Nothing wrong with profit - we all have to make some money, but "Shareholder value" is a completely different thing,

[K8-EEE]

41. If you have a sunny windowsill or doorstep you can

grow a pot full of fresh herbs that will be SO much tastier than those awful bottled salad dressings!