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Two of my favorite "healthy" foods: are they less good than I think?

post #1 of 13
7/1/07 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
So I've started thinking about two of my favorite "healthy" foods, and have begun to wonder whether they are as healthy as I think they are. They are: Spinich, mushroom, feta, and chicken omlette (whole eggs), and Trader Joes beef taquitos (Each one is 100 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat. fat, 7g protein), and I turn five into a meal. I've never really thought about diet besides avoid processed flowers, suggar, and deep fried foods, but lately have wondered more.
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post #2 of 13
7/1/07 at 5:51pm
I think the omelet is a good high protein choice. You can make it "healthier" (less fat and cholesterol) by using mostly egg whites and reduced fat feta. I love Trader Joe's and shop there often, but some of their products are far from healthy - however the taquitos don't seem to be pretty reasonable. I like their bean and corn enchiladas.
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post #3 of 13
7/1/07 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by quevola View Post
I think the omelet is a good high protein choice. You can make it "healthier" (less fat and cholesterol) by using mostly egg whites and reduced fat feta. I love Trader Joe's and shop there often, but some of their products are far from healthy - however the taquitos don't seem to be pretty reasonable. I like their bean and corn enchiladas.

Wait, so you think their taquitos do or don't seem to be a good choice, I was a bit confused by your post. And I agree in general that it's a great place. For my whole wheat bread, fat free yogurt, bottled water, and Patron, nobody beats them. I just picked up a spinich pie there, and the next time I have 45min to wait while something cooks, I'm gonna give it a try.
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post #4 of 13
7/1/07 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
So I've started thinking about two of my favorite "healthy" foods, and have begun to wonder whether they are as healthy as I think they are. They are: Spinich, mushroom, feta, and chicken omlette (whole eggs), and Trader Joes beef taquitos (Each one is 100 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat. fat, 7g protein), and I turn five into a meal. I've never really thought about diet besides avoid processed flowers, suggar, and deep fried foods, but lately have wondered more.

spinach = great
mushroom = good
feta = ok
eggs = good
beef taquitos = not good

Processed flours, sugar, anything fried, etc., isn't good.
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post #5 of 13
7/2/07 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
Wait, so you think their taquitos do or don't seem to be a good choice, I was a bit confused by your post. And I agree in general that it's a great place. For my whole wheat bread, fat free yogurt, bottled water, and Patron, nobody beats them. I just picked up a spinich pie there, and the next time I have 45min to wait while something cooks, I'm gonna give it a try.


Sorry, I'm also confused with what I wrote. What I meant to say is that generally speaking, taquitos are not a good choice. However, according to the nutrition information you provided, the TJ taquitos seem to be acceptable.
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post #6 of 13
7/2/07 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by quevola View Post
Sorry, I'm also confused with what I wrote. What I meant to say is that generally speaking, taquitos are not a good choice. However, according to the nutrition information you provided, the TJ taquitos seem to be acceptable.

Ok, now I got you. I've thought of unwrapping them and just eating the beef, lol, because there's nothing good about the corn tortilla. I choose the beef over the chicken because it's actually more protine/less fat (chicken fat is an ingredient on the chicken version, go figure).
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post #7 of 13
7/2/07 at 8:50pm
Beef should be a once a week food, and ground beef is essentially leftover trash. Eat beef from respectable sources with a recognizable texture. Trader Joe's is better than average, but price is their primary marketing point.

One egg yolk provides close the daily recommended intake of cholesterol, so don't get in the habit of an egg-heavy diet long term. Sooner or later you'll need to cut back. Cheese is OK in moderation, but just because it's exotic doesn't mean it's less fattening than ordinary cheese.
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post #8 of 13
7/4/07 at 3:00am
The more processed/packaged it is, the less you're going to get out of it, and the more you're spending on all that processing and packaging. If you were making your own taquitoes, that'd be better. But what are the other ingredients in it? The basic lists, like protein, fat, etc., don't really tell you much about what you're putting in your body. Most of the worst food out there (fast food) is very high in protein and calories, but they are cheap protein and calories, the cheapest ones the manufacturers can find. Hot dogs are high in protein, and even if the salt and fat were lowered in them, would you want to eat them all the time? I generally just follow a label: the more chemicals/additives/preservatives listed, the less I want it. This is especially helpful in comparing like products. Like, I've found there are very few pre-made basic tomato pasta sauces that actually contain basic ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil. Most of the ones you glance over also have citric acid (preservative that compromises flavor), sugar, tomato paste (NOT tomatoes), canola oil (not a bad substitute, but still a substitute), etc. Trader Joe's is a great place; try and find the goods made more locally.
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post #9 of 13
7/5/07 at 1:12am
This sounds about right. A(nother) good rule a thumb is to stay away from all foods with high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oil as ingredients. I never buy whole wheat breads that contains the former (and there're tons of these) or peanut butter that's made of anything but peanut and salt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sartorian View Post
The more processed/packaged it is, the less you're going to get out of it, and the more you're spending on all that processing and packaging. If you were making your own taquitoes, that'd be better. But what are the other ingredients in it?

The basic lists, like protein, fat, etc., don't really tell you much about what you're putting in your body. Most of the worst food out there (fast food) is very high in protein and calories, but they are cheap protein and calories, the cheapest ones the manufacturers can find. Hot dogs are high in protein, and even if the salt and fat were lowered in them, would you want to eat them all the time?

I generally just follow a label: the more chemicals/additives/preservatives listed, the less I want it. This is especially helpful in comparing like products. Like, I've found there are very few pre-made basic tomato pasta sauces that actually contain basic ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil. Most of the ones you glance over also have citric acid (preservative that compromises flavor), sugar, tomato paste (NOT tomatoes), canola oil (not a bad substitute, but still a substitute), etc.

Trader Joe's is a great place; try and find the goods made more locally.
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post #10 of 13
7/5/07 at 1:38am
Since when were omelettes and taquitos considered healthy foods?
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post #11 of 13
7/5/07 at 1:57am
Do the taquitos provide anything besides protein and carbs? Dairy we can quibble about, but I'm pretty sure fruit and veggies are good for something...
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post #12 of 13
7/6/07 at 2:40pm
I am not super skinny, but I am pretty thin. People who know me question why I am not a tooth pick because I eat so "healthy". I laugh and tell them just because most of my food is "natural" or "organic" doesn't mean I won't gain weight when I eat it ... those silly fastfood-aholics. They have everything wrong.
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post #13 of 13
7/8/07 at 11:26pm
You should be careful with the prepackaged foods from Trader Joes. A friend of mine works there and he clued me in to the fact that because they don't use artificial preservatives their prepared food is loaded with sodium. you could easily be getting more than a full daily dose of sodium from five taquitos.
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