by Dennis Allio

Today I saw a television advertisement for orange juice.  The new advertising slogan was Healthy, Pure & Simple.

The problem with labeling food as healthy is that too many people assume that a food labeled as healthy means they can eat as much as they want.  For weight loss and weight management, this assumption is almost guaranteed to keep you from losing weight.  A an 8 oz glass (1 cup) of pure orange juice has approximately 120 calories.  Most people drink twice that much at a time in a full glass.  A single medium size orange (6.5 oz) only has 60 calories.   Pure fruit juice is healthy, but it is a very high calorie food!  You really need to understand that healthy does not mean as much as you want.

Do you recognize some of the following phrases and behaviors in yourself, friends, or family?

“Olive oil is delicious and healthy!” which means that olive oil is drizzled (or poured) over vegetables, pasta, bread, or used to pan fry vegetables or meat.  The serving size for almost any raw oil fat is 1 teaspoon not “as much as you want”.  One teaspoon of most oils contain 45 calories.

“Almonds and Walnuts are heart healthy super foods!”  followed by someone eating an entire handful of nuts.  The serving size for almonds is 6 almonds, not a handful.  6 almonds have about 45 calories.

“This cereal is made from whole grains!” which is then consumed in a giant bowl.  The serving size for most cereals is 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup.  Depending on the sugar content that single serving will start anywhere from 80 calories to much higher for sugared cereals.

“Red wine is good for your heart.” followed by consumption of half a bottle.  The serving size for a glass of wine is 4oz (1/2 cup).  And that’s about 90 calories.  Most people drink double that amount in a glass

The lesson to be learned?  Just remember that just because a food is healthy it does not mean you can eat as much as you want.  If you eat too many calories you will gain weight.

Eat healthy foods: GREAT!

Eat as much as you want: BAD!

At Nutrition for You we teach you about healthy food choices, and teach you to focus on portion control and serving sizes by using food allowances rather than calories.  Simply knowing how much of a food you need each day will help you to manage your weight.