New year, new pantry?
New investigation reveals that 19% of American adults plan to eat healthier in 2025. One way to do this is to ditch ultra-processed foodswhich are often packed with calories, sugar, fat and salt.
When looking for better alternatives to marshmallow cookies, chips, and cereal, be wary of foods that carry a health halo. They seem nutritious but are not, like sweet yogurt and coconut oil high in saturated fat.
Dr. Mitchell Roslinchief of bariatric surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital, warns of a popular health halo — vegetable chips.
“People think cauliflower is a healthy food, which it is if it’s boiled or eaten in a salad,” Roslin told the Post. “But if you’re making cauliflower chips (or) cauliflower pizza crust, it’s mostly cornstarch and is less beneficial.”
Roslin said processed vegetable chips are calorie dense, covered in salt and “not filling.” They are “no better for your health than chips”.
He prefers fresh vegetables with a hummus spread and potatoes with the skin on.
“A potato grows in the ground,” Roslin explained. “It’s healthy, even though the inside is mostly starch. What makes it less healthy is what you do to it, like making it into a chip.
Abbey Sharp, registered dietitian based in Toronto also praises the the power of potatoes.
Potatoes are a good source of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6 and are naturally fat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-free, Sharp said. They lose their shine when you fry them, salt them or cover them with butter or sour cream.
“Potatoes don’t automatically make you gain weight,” Sharp said in a statement. September TikTok.
Sharp, who calls himself a “healthcare halo detective,” is also skeptical about vegetarian chips. She notes that while veggie straws seem healthier, they are nutritionally similar to chips.
If you are still looking for vegetarian chips, Eat this, not that! recently ranked 11 brands based on calorie, saturated fat and sodium content.
“Some vegetarian chips do indeed offer additional dietary fiber and vitamins depending on the vegetables used,” registered dietitian Caroline Thomason wrote for the outlet, “but these snacks are not necessarily lower in calories, sodium or fat. fat than traditional chips.”