NutritionDoc

"Corner Bistro Flatbreads bring the special restaurant touches you love about dining out into the comfort of your home!" says the box.

 

Yessiree. You will find touches galore inside each box

 

Despite its healthy sounding name, Stouffer's Shrimp & Roasted Garlic Flatbread is loaded with 640 calories and 12 grams of sat fat - just about what you would get in a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza.

 

True, Stouffer's sodium (780mg) is half of Pizza Hut's (1530mg). But it is still more than what you would expect from an "herb seasoned flatbread."

 

The Chicken, Bacon & Spinach Flatbread boosts the sat fat to 14 grams, thanks to a "creamy Alfredo sauce, topped with a blend of Italian style cheeses". (A white flour rectangle soaked with cheese is not enough???). The box says it is seasoned with basil and garlic, but the sodium (990mg) says it is seasoned with salt.

 

And the Margherita and Steak Fajita Flatbread each delivers half a day's bad fat and sodium in no time flat.

 

Sooooooooooo if you are in the mood for frozen pizza for one, stuff the Stouffer's and pick up a Lean Cuisine Roasted Vegetable Pizza.  You will get 330 calories and just 1 1/2 grams of bad fat. With a white flour crust and 450 mg of sodium, it is not quite health food, but it sure beats Bistro.

If you are a fan of America's favorite fish, you know that tuna has some issues. First there is the mercury. Then, assuming it is canned tuna, there is the salt.

 

Well, Starkist and Bumble Bee have scratched sodium off the problem list. Each sells a Very Low Sodium Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water with only 35 mg of sodium per quarter cup. That is just a fraction of the 250 mg in that much ordinary canned tuna.

 

How will your taste buds take the news?

 

They might notice the difference if you sample a morsel right out of the can. But if you mix in mayo, celery, onion, and the usual tuna salad fixin's and house it all in a crusty roll with lettuce and tomato, you won't get any complaints.

 

And if you do, try Starkist Low Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water, which has 100mg of sodium per quarter cup. Faced with a lineup of tuna salads, only the most sensitive tasters would ever be able to pick it out.

 

 

For a week's worth of almost-salt-free salad dressing, combine 2/3 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. honey, and a spritz of fresh lemon. Shake like heck.

You would not expect much trans fat in cheese. But a Celeste frozen Pizza for One has 5 grams of trans plus 4 grams of sat fat ( along with 1080 mg of sodium). That is because Celeste uses imitation cheese - a mix of partially hydrogenated oil and casein, a milk protein. So do Jeno's and Totino's.

Most other frozen pizzas are only high in sat fat and sodium, but there are exceptions. A single serve South Beach Harvest Wheat Crust Grilled Chicken & Vegetable Pizza, for example, has just 3 grams of sat fat, no trans fat, 600 mg of sodium, and a whole grain crust. It also delivers 10 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein per serving.

Celeste, Jeno's and Totino's have some catching up to do.

"10% More than Nestle Ultimate," say Pillsbury Ready to Bake Big Deluxe Chocolate chip cookies. They may be 10% bigger, but they are also more than 10% badder.

 

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Lovers Ultimates have no trans fat and 4 grams of sat fat each, While Pillsbury's have 3 grams of sat fat plus 2 grams of trans. So when it comes to bad fat, Pillsbury has 20 % more than Nestle.

 

Judging by most of its frostings, biscuits, toaster pastries, and cinnamon rolls, Pillsbury must think its customers are not savvy enough to worry about trans.

 

No trans does not turn Nestle 180 calorie cookies into mini broccoli stalks. But it does make them 100% better than Pillsbury's.

Trying to squeeze more beans into your diet? There is nothing easier than heating up a can of chili for a quick, hearty lunch or dinner.

 

But when the label says Campbell's, Bush's, or Hormel, canned chili that is made with beef means double trouble: if the sodium (typically 1200 mg per cup) does not get you, the sat fat (5-7 grams)wil.

 

Your Get Out of Jail Free card: Amy's (meatless) Light in Sodium Organic Chili.

Amy cuts the sodium to 340 mg per cup - roughly half of what is in her regular Organic Chili. But the chili's red beans, onions, tofu, and bell peppers end up with the same kick, thanks to the garlic, jalapeno peppers, and spices. And the sat fat (1 gram) is barely there.

 

Whether you choose Medium or Spicy, you get all the benefits of beans: 7 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, and 15 to 25 percent of a day's vitamin A, C and iron in each cup of chili. And it is good to know that no pesticides ended up in the soil, in the water, or in YOU.

 

So make yourself a hearty salad of mixed greens and crispy vegetables. Add a veggie like corn on the cob. And set aside a bowl of mixed berries topped with a dollop of vanilla yogurt for dessert.

Anyone who thinks that beans have to be either bland or over salted has not met Amy.

When cooking with fresh herbs add delicate ones like basil, parsley, chives, dill, and cilantro when the dish is almost done. Heartier herbs like thyme, oregano, and rosemary should go in the pot earlier, so there is time to unlock their flavors.

You are in line at Starbucks, thinking of having a little something with your coffee. You could go for a real splurge, like a Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake, an Espresso Brownie, or a Glazed Doughnut.

But why not stick with something more sensible, like an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie? It sounds like a bowl of cereal, for heaven's sake.

IT IS NOT! Each 3 1/2 oz cookie is likely to have some 400 calories. Outlets buy their baked goods locally. So cookies range from 350 to 530 calories. That is as much as the doughnut, and more than the cupcake or brownie. It is in Quarter Pounder territory . . . and not just for your waistline.

A Quarter Pounder at McDonald's has 7 grams of sat fat plus 1 gram of trans fat. The Oatmeal Raisins range from 7 grams of sat fat and no trans in some locations to 2 1/2 grams of sat plus 4 1/2 grams of trans in others.

If you want something sweet at Starbucks, try a (non dipped)  Vanilla Almond Biscotti (140 calories, 2 grams of sat fat, and no trans fat).

Right now, the only way to really find out what is in the sweets at your local Starbucks is to hunt around on starbucks.com. Wouldn't it be nice if at least calories were on the menu board?

 

Choose wisely . . . live well.