Eat This Not That

Skip The Fast Food

Health and fitness magazines love to parade out side-by-side comparisons of Burger King and McDonalds, Quiznos and Subway, Dominos and Pizza Hut. That's all fine and dandy--except the "healthy" option falls into one of two categories: It's either still really pretty bad for you, or it's the boring-as-heck, most unsatisfying thing on the menu.

In the former case, it's more about making it a choice of "terrible and slightly less terrible," kind of like getting to choose between Bubonic plague and pneumonia, only it's framed like the double-burger with cheese is the "healthy" option by comparing it to the triple-burger with cheese AND bacon.

In the latter case, it's comparing the full-fat, full-flavor philly cheesesteak sandwich that makes you drool just looking at the picture to the no-cheese, no-sauce, half-size tuna on whole wheat that is so dry you have to wash each bite down--with plain water, of course. In reality, if you bothered going out to grab a sub and you're standing in line with a growling stomach, are you really going to opt for the most dreary thing on the menu?

Eat This Not That

So, let's talk about food you buy at the grocery store and prepare at home instead. The differences may not be quite as dramatic (fast food joints are kings when it comes to conjuring up ridiculously unhealthy dishes) but it's useful Eat This Not That-type information nonetheless.

Meat

Beef can be pretty lean or it can be really fat. Unfortunately, fat is a prime factor in experiencing flavor, making people gravitate towards the unhealthier kind. Know the tender, highly marbled meat that almost melts on the tongue? Yeah, that "marbling" is fat, plain and simple. The clerk can help you identify the leanest cuts, such as sirloin or top loin, but even pre-cut meat is fairly obvious if you just take a second to look. It's one of the few foods where much of the fat is in plain sight.

Also, opt for grass fed beef over corn fed. It's chewier, but you'll get more Omega-3 fats and less saturated fat and cholesterol.

Vegetables

For best nutrition, eat as many of your vegetables as possible raw. Barring that, steam them rather than boil or fry/grill to preserve vitamins. Grilling or frying, and the inevitable blackening that comes with it, may actually produce unfortunate carcinogens to boot.

Peanut Butter

PB&J may be kids' food, but many adults still dip into the peanut butter jar from time to time, be it for sandwiches, cooking or whatever. Peanut butter is actually not that bad for you, as long as you choose the natural kind rather than the hydrogenated fat-version that clogs up your arteries. Natural peanut butter has a quarter-inch of oil at the top when you first open the jar, but that should take all of 10 seconds to stir in.

Pasta

Whole wheat and multigrain pasta looks a little different from the pure white, standard pasta you're used to. It can be a little more chewy too, but that's a good thing. The fiber fills you up, making you good and full on fewer calories. It also tends to have more protein than regular pasta. Some brands even get lighter color during cooking, making it very hard to distinguish whole wheat pasta in your average Italian dish.

Juice

Many people like to have a glass of juice with breakfast. No harm in that, just check the actual juice content. In some cases, it's a mix of water, sugar, artificial flavoring and some minuscule amount of actual juice, along with a token vitamin fortification. In fact, the more the package brags about added vitamins, the more suspicious you should be. Real juice, preferably fresh-squeezed, is packed with the good stuff by default. Guess which is healthier?