Sneaky Junk Food

There you are working out, baking with applesauce instead of butter, having a decaf (water-processed, of course) latte at your local coffee house, enjoying your usual bran muffin, when you overhear someone tell a friend that same bran muffin has, yikes! 420 calories, is full of sugar and has little bran! This is a sneaky junk food moment-food you thought was good for you but find out that just the opposite is true.

You begin to wonder what other foods are Sneaky Junk Foods; junk food disguised as health foods. Here is a list of some common culprits, starting with that sneaky muffin.

• Cupcakes disguised as muffins are a common sneaky food. One such muffin contains 420 calories, 19g of total fat and 23 grams of sugar! You would be better off choosing a whole-wheat bagel or better yet take an hour on Sunday and make a double batch of Oat Bran Muffins. Freeze them and grab one in the morning. Delicious and healthy.
• Candy bars disguised as Granola bars is another common mistake. Be a label reader! ‘Granola’ bars can contain copious amounts of fat, are generally high in sugar and offer little, if any, nutrition, so that snack you need to curb your appetite offers little satisfaction for your hungry body, and you grab something else, piling up the calories. One such ‘granola’ bar has 50% of it’s calories from fat and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber. Trail mix, made with raw nuts and seeds-without the oft-included M&M’s- would be a healthier choice. Better yet, carrot and celery sticks with hummus. Delicious and your body will not tell you it’s still hungry because it has actually received fuel.
• Monosodium Glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, is used as a flavor enhancer and is considered an excitotoxin. Excitotoxins can damage cells and in sensitive people can cause mild to severe headaches. Be wary of hidden MSG-names such as monopotassium glutamate, glutamate, and glutamic acid just to name a few. If you have wheat allergens, avoid MSG has it is often wheat-based. MSG can be found in Chinese food, bouillon and even in smoked almonds, foods you might think are generally healthy choices.
• Wheat bread: All this means is that it’s made from wheat flour. Make sure the ingredients say made from whole-grains and not refined flour or grains. The key word here is ‘refined.’ Whole grains haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling, making them naturally higher in dietary fiber and important nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and selenium are still present. Look for bread that is 3 grams or more of dietary fiber per slice and of course watch for added sugars, including high fructose corn syrup.
• Breakfast cereals. After you make sure your cereal of choice does not include trans-fats (hydrogenated oils,) next look for added sugar. Here’s a tip as to how to spot sugar: generally anything that ends with ‘ose’ or ‘itol’ is sugar. Fructose, maltose, sucrose, maltitol, sorbitol, as examples. Be sure to buy whole-grain cereal and not cereals made with ‘refined’ grains. Here’s a tip; the healthier cereals are generally on the top or bottom shelves; they know you’re healthier than most and don’t mind reaching or stooping for a better choice. Try to choose cereals that are 3 grams of fiber or more per serving.
• Sugar-free…meaning artificial. Just say no to fake food! Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharine and suralose can potentially negatively affect the brain’s neurotransmitters, and cause undo stress on your liver. If you must use a little sweetener use a little honey or maple syrup; they are real food and your body knows what to do with them. That said, they are still forms of sugar in your body and the average American consumes way too much sugar.
• Salads and salad dressings: 2 tablespoons of Ranch dressing is 148 calories and has 15.6 grams of fat! The same companies Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing offers 90 calories and 8 grams of fat. Your salad itself can also be loaded with processed meats and cheeses if you order some standard Cobb salads. Instead choose a salad made with seasonal greens and lots of chopped veggies and dress with a little flax or olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar.

Oat Bran Muffins
By
Patty James
Serves 12

2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup sugar*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup milk or other liquid. I used Chai once.
3/4 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree or prune puree
2 eggs
1 cup apple, grated
1/4 cup pumpkin kernels, chopped
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly oil the muffin pan or use paper muffin cups.

2. Mix together first 5 ingredients. In a small bowl mix together the milk, applesauce and egg; stir well and add the grated apple. Stir briefly into the dry ingredients with the pumpkin seeds, almonds and raisins.

3. Spoon into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Per Serving: 151 Calories; 6g Fat (29.7% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 34mg Cholesterol; 184mg Sodium

Notes:
* Use non-refined sugar such as Sucanat or Rapadura

You may use walnuts instead of almonds and dried apricots, cranberries or cherries instead of raisins. I have also added 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of chopped sunflower seeds.

These freeze very well. Heat in the oven-no microwaves please!