# What is the most unhealthy food that is commonly considered healthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382 "2007-11-22T01:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/81 "2010-09-13T23:52:58Z")
Along the lines of the vegetarian pizza, I love the people at the Chinese restaurant who order the (fried up in oil) ‘Buddha’s Delight’ since it is all vegetables. I think we can all agree, if it tastes good, it’s pretty much bad for you. If it tastes like dirt/shit, it’s probably good for you. If it used to taste like dirt/shit (i.e. brussel sprouts or salad) but no longer does because of the edition of bacon or dressing, it is now bad for you. Caveat: it is smells and tastes like a hairy scrotum after a ten mile run in spandex during the summer (i.e. many fancy cheeses) that trumps dirt/shit and is once again bad for you. ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/82 "2010-09-14T00:48:10Z")
Well, you hit most of my biggies: fruit juice, granola bars and sweetened yogurt. But what about breakfast cereal? I HATE that the cereal manufactures are touting “whole grains!” in their sugar-saturated breakfast bombs. Nobody should be eating that crap for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/83 "2010-09-14T02:07:11Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Well, you hit most of my biggies: fruit juice, granola bars and sweetened yogurt. But what about breakfast cereal? I HATE that the cereal manufactures are touting “whole grains!” in their sugar-saturated breakfast bombs. > > Nobody should be eating that crap for breakfast. Except that they are right. Start [here](http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/77/3/594): > [@](#): > > Both total mortality and CVD-specific mortality were inversely associated with whole-grain but not refined-grain breakfast cereal intake. These prospective data highlight the importance of distinguishing whole-grain from refined-grain cereals in the prevention of chronic diseases. [Head to head](http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/4/296) cereal, either ready to eat (RTEC) or hot vs meat and eggs vs skipping. > [@](#): > > Results: Subjects who ate RTEC, Cooked cereal, or Quick Breads for breakfast had significantly lower BMI compared to Skippers and Meat and Egg eaters (p 0.01). Breakfast skippers and fruit/vegetable eaters had the lowest daily energy intake. The Meat and Eggs eaters had the highest daily energy intake and one of the highest BMIs. > > Conclusions: This analysis provides evidence that skipping breakfast is not an effective way to manage weight. Eating cereal (ready-to-eat or cooked cereal) or quick breads for breakfast is associated with significantly lower body mass index compared to skipping breakfast or eating meats and/or eggs for breakfast. [Overall](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=880628) eating cereal for breakfast is associated with good health outcomes and IS healthy. > [@](#): > > Breakfast consumption, particularly if the meal includes a breakfast cereal, is associated with lower intakes of fat and higher intakes of carbohydrate, dietary fibre and certain micronutrients. These findings may be relevant to population groups which could be at risk from low intakes of certain micronutrients, but further clarification of benefit is needed from studies of nutritional status. Associations between breakfast consumption and lower cholesterol levels have been reported, while lower body weights have been seen amongst breakfast eaters. It is concluded that breakfast consumption is a marker for an appropriate dietary pattern in terms of both macro- and micronutrients, particularly if breakfast cereals are included in the meal. Most of us should be eating that crap for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/84 "2010-09-14T02:54:39Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I’m going to go with orange juice. While an eight ounce glass does have 160% of the RDA for vitamin C and 28% of the RDA for folate it also has the equivalant of 6.5 teaspoonsful of sugar. Try broccoli instead. You get the same amount of vitamin C and folate for the equivalant of 1.5 teaspoonsful of sugar, and the glycemic index of broccoli is zero point nothing compared to 50 or so for orange juice. But broccoli doesn’t quench your thirst, and doesn’t mix well with vodka. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/85 "2010-09-14T05:03:05Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I’m not sure if it’s quite in the spirit of this (resurrected) thread, but I have an anecdote. > I saw a chicken and bacon pasta meal today clearly labelled as having just 1 gram of saturated fat. I put it in my basket but then thought that maybe it was too good to be true. > Aha! The small print said “per tablespoon serving”. > > Seriously. And this was Tesco (britain’s biggest supermarket chain)…what are they thinking? Don’t products have a little information box, which gives the fat quantities etc. by serving size, and per 100g? I’m presuming it’s by law in Australia, as pretty much everything has them. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/86 "2010-09-14T05:18:04Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > > [@Mijin](#): > > > > I’m not sure if it’s quite in the spirit of this (resurrected) thread, but I have an anecdote. > > I saw a chicken and bacon pasta meal today clearly labelled as having just 1 gram of saturated fat. I put it in my basket but then thought that maybe it was too good to be true. > > Aha! The small print said “per tablespoon serving”. > > > > Seriously. And this was Tesco (britain’s biggest supermarket chain)…what are they thinking? > > Don’t products have a little information box, which gives the fat quantities etc. by serving size, and per 100g? I’m presuming it’s by law in Australia, as pretty much everything has them. Exactly: the serving size was a tablespoon, and the per 100g information was probably on the back of the box. I’ve seen Tesco label products like this before, it was just weird seeing a pasta meal with a tablespoon serving. Playing devil’s advocate maybe it was a labelling error. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/87 "2010-09-14T15:39:57Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > My nominees: > > 1. Filtered/bottled water: Filtered tap water removes most of the fluoride in it. Most brands of bottled water will add chemicals and minerals to give it a ‘water’ taste. While an expensive reverse osmosis unit will remove fluoride from tap water (along with just about every other mineral in the water), the typical activated carbon filter (such as a Brita filter) used in most home setups does not remove fluoride. (I researched this when I installed an activated carbon filter on our tap water to remove residual chlorine from the municipal disinfection process.) As for bottled water, there’s generally nothing particularly unhealthy about it, but it’s very expensive and less regulated that the water piped directly into most people’s houses. You’re correct that most bottled water is not fluoridated, which can be a problem, especially for children. > [@Superhal](#): > > 1. Red wine: supposedly good for the heart, but the short-term damage to the body is greater, and any alcohol has adverse effects on people with depression or mood disorders or are pregnant. Actually, a recent study mentioned [here](http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html) in Time magazine indicates that moderate drinkers have lower mortality rates than both heavy drinkers as well as people who abstain from alcohol. However, amazingly enough, the abstainers actually have the highest mortality rates of the three groups, even higher than that the heavy drinkers! > [@](#): > > But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren’t entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does tend to increase one’s risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. > > Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don’t have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems. > > …even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables — socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on — the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics, second highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers. > > …Just over 69% of the abstainers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died. > > These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who don’t drink, even if they never had a problem with alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/88 "2010-09-14T16:04:34Z")
I had some maple & brown sugar granola bars the other day, and I’m pretty sure they are just extra crispy oatmeal cookies in bar form. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/89 "2010-09-14T16:14:11Z")
From the “Eat this not that” series of books and Today Show segments, the worst offenders are usually salads. They start off with lettuce and tomatoes and add tons of calories, fat, and salt with creamy dressings, cheese, and various other things. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/90 "2010-09-14T16:20:13Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Nuts have good fat Band name! Joe ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/91 "2010-09-14T16:21:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > [QUOTE=Bill Door] > I’m going to go with orange juice. While an eight ounce glass does have 160% of the RDA for vitamin C and 28% of the RDA for folate it also has the equivalant of 6.5 teaspoonsful of sugar. . OJ is not so bad _if_ you include the pulp. Cooked spinach is vastly over-rated as a nutritional powerhouse. Continuing along the lines of what Amp sez, there are \*some \*Granola cereals that are high in bad fats and low in fiber- exactly the opposite of what one wants in a breakfast cereal. [/QUOTE] People cook spinach? Why, in the name of Athena? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/92 "2010-09-14T16:34:46Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > People cook spinach? Why, in the name of Athena? Try a saute of it in olive oil and garlic and a little lemon juice, and you’ll understand. Failing that, deep-fry it. I’ve had it both those ways, and it beats spinach salad. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/93 "2010-09-14T16:37:44Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > > People cook spinach? Why, in the name of Athena? > > Try a saute of it in olive oil and garlic and a little lemon juice, and you’ll understand. > > Failing that, deep-fry it. > > I’ve had it both those ways, and it beats spinach salad. You leave me with no choice but to call you a fool of a Took, sir. Thor gave us spinach salad to give us hope, health, happiness, and, when need be, the ability to take Brutus in single combat. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/94 "2010-09-14T16:49:56Z")
Maybe not outright “unhealthy”, but certainly falling into the “not as good as you might think” department are reduced fat varieties of food. The problem is fat is what gives food it’s flavour and texture, so when manufacturers take it out they often have to add sugars and fillers and stuff to make it taste right. If you compare the labels, the end product often has only marginally fewer calories (it’s not fat grams that make you fat, it’s calories that make you fat) and a lot more chemicals than the standard, full-fat version, and still might not taste as good. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/95 "2010-09-14T17:03:02Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > Don’t products have a little information box, which gives the fat quantities etc. by serving size, and per 100g? I’m presuming it’s by law in Australia, as pretty much everything has them. In the US, it’s required if the product makes nutritional claims on the packaging, but it’s pretty common for it to be included regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/96 "2010-09-14T18:27:01Z")
From _Eat This, Not That:_ [The Worst “Healthy” Foods in America.](http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/worst-healthy-foods-america) [The Worst Chicken Dishes in America](http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/worst-chicken-dishes-america?cm_mmc=Yahoo-_-ETNT-_-Worst_Healthy_Food-_-Worst_Chicken_Slideshow), for anyone who thinks anything made with chicken must be healthier than anything made with red meat. [15 Atrocious Salads](http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slideshow/15-atrocious-salads?cm_mmc=Yahoo-_-ETNT-_-Worst_Healthy_Food-_-15_Atrocious_Salads), for anyone who thinks a salad is always a healthy choice at a restaurant. > [@Cugel](#): > > Don’t products have a little information box, which gives the fat quantities etc. by serving size, and per 100g? I’m presuming it’s by law in Australia, as pretty much everything has them. Not per 100g in the US, but they do list by serving size in the Nutrition Facts label. I think this is required for any food sold in a package in the US. AFAIK, manufacturers are free to set their own serving sizes. Sometimes, they will make something sound lower in calories and fat by choosing a serving size that is less than most people would eat. They do have to list the approximate number of servings in the whole package. > [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > People cook spinach? Why, in the name of Athena? Because if there were no cooked spinach, there could be no hot spinach-artichoke dip. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/97 "2010-09-14T18:37:24Z")
I had noticed in the cereal aisle that the “serving size” for Total is about five times that for Trix, but a tablespoon-sized serving of pasta is just absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/98 "2010-09-14T19:00:58Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > AFAIK, manufacturers are free to set their own serving sizes. Incorrect. The serving size is set by Federal law. Specifically,[Manufacturers must use the information provided in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections 101.9(b) and 101.12 to determine a specific serving size for their products.](http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuidanceRegulatoryInformation/InspectionCompliance/WarningOtherLetters/ucm110234.htm) The reason the serving sizes seems small is that it is based on food surveys done in the late 70s and 80s. [del]When our nation was not such a bunch of fat-asses[/del] When serving sizes were on average, smaller. When the NLEA of 1990, which created the current “Nutrition Facts” labeling, went into effect, lots of products suddenly got outed, because they were no longer permitted to choose their serving size. I remember Kellogg’s Low Fat Granola to be a particular offender. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/99 "2010-09-14T19:37:18Z")
What a depressing thread. I can’t think of anything I’ve eaten in the last week that couldn’t be described as unhealthy in one way or another. I think I’ll have a beer… ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382/100 "2010-09-14T19:53:47Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > > [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > > > People cook spinach? Why, in the name of Athena? > > Because if there were no cooked spinach, there could be no hot spinach-artichoke dip. Thou art wise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unhealthy-food-that-is-commonly-considered-healthy/427382.md?page=6)