Healthy Food Isn't Always What It Seems
First published in the Western Mail| on March 10th 2005
AN organic yoghurt from trendy Welsh company Rachel's contains more calories and fat than a chocolate mousse.
Experts also discovered a cheese sandwich from upmarket chain Pret-a-Manger contains more calories and fat than a Big Mac, while a can of regular Coca- Cola is lower in calories and sugar than a bottle of Ribena blackcurrant juice, a report shows today.
The nutritionists compared Organic Bio-Live Coconut Greek Style Yoghurt, made by Rachel's, with Onken Chocolate and Hazelnut Mousse.
They found the healthysounding yoghurt contained 156 calories and 11g of fat per 100g, compared with 137 calories and 5.8g in the Onken mousse.
Amanda Johnson and Frankie Philips, from the British Dietetic Association, analysed a range of products and found some are not as healthy as they first appear.
Mrs Johnson said, "The yoghurt will provide calcium and protein, however, and the bio-live cultures may be useful in terms of gastrointestinal health, although more research is needed into this area."
Rachel's Organic said, "This yoghurt is a luxurious, indulgent product, but we also make products such as fat-free bio-live yoghurt for people on caloriecontrolled diets."
Another product that came under the microscope was Kellogg's Special K Yoghurty, which is marketed at dieters but the research, published in Good Housekeeping magazine, found they would be better off eating a bowl of Kellogg's Rice Krispies instead. The Special K contains 25g of sugar, 3g of fat and almost
1.9g of salt per 100g, compared with 10g of sugar, 1g of fat and 1.5g of salt in the same amount of Rice Krispies.
Another range aimed at those wanting to lose weight is the McVitie's Go Ahead! range of biscuits and cakes.
Go Ahead! Cranberry and Orange Cookies contain 452 calories, 13.2g of fat and 1.25g of salt per 100g.
However, this is more than McVitie's Jaffa Cakes with 375 calories, 8.5g of fat and 0.25g of salt in the same amount.
Dr Philips and Mrs Johnson also compared a More Than Mozzarella Sandwich from Pret-a-Manger with a Big Mac burger from McDonald's.
The Pret sandwich has 508.4 calories, 29.5g of fat and 4.2g of fibre, compared with the Big Mac's 493 calories, 22.9g of fat and 5.9g of beneficial fibre.
"Despite the granary bread, the sandwich contains less fibre than the burger and would take your intake up to almost half the recommended daily fat and salt limits for women," said Good Housekeeping.
Judith Gubbay, consumer editor on Good Housekeeping, said, "This isn't about legislating on what you should and shouldn't eat.
"Fat, sugar and salt all make up part of a balanced diet - in moderation.
"The key message is that food people perceive as 'healthy' isn't always what it seems."
Pret-a-Manger told the magazine, "All cheese sandwiches are fattening but our range of food offers lighter options such as salads."
McVitie's said, "The cookies are currently being redeveloped to improve the nutritional content.
"Go Ahead! products are made with healthier ingredients yet are reassuringly tasty."
GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Ribena, said, "It is important to offer consumers a range of products to choose from."Ribena Light is our low-sugar option.
"We don't market our products to children under 13."