3 surprisingly unhealthy reduced-fat foods

OK.... so I've been trying REALLY hard to read labels, and make good choices at the grocery store. I try to stay on the periphery (produce, meats, dairy....) and stay out of the aisles unless I really, really need something, like brown rice, dried beans, etc.

However.... I am an admitted salad whore. That's alright.... I said it. I'm loud and proud. I love a salad.... packed with tender baby spinach leaves, some nice crisp romaine. Add to that, cucumbers from the garden, bell peppers (NOT from the garden, because no matter how hard I've tried to grow a descent pepper here in Michigan, it doesn't seem to be in the cards. I end up growing meek, thin, Kate Moss looking peppers.... and I like peppers that beg to be stuffed with ground turkey and brown rice!) julienned carrots, since I've now got a nifty julienne slicer..... some home-made gluten-free croutons, a sprinkling of Fromiaggio Quattro, and a nice 2 TBSP serving of Lite Ranch.

I thought I was doing myself a favor, skipping out on some of the fat. Sure.... I remember my Atkins days, when they said "go fully leaded.... nevermind the fat, it's the carbs that count.... get one with 1 carb per serving, and you can have 4 tablespoons if you want" :::::SWOON::::

But then I read this article from HellaWella today, and well..... poop. Atkins was right all along. When they strip out the fat, they have to stuff it with something else. Something MUCH MORE sinister: SUGAR. ::::faint:::::

Here's the link to the article....


3 surprisingly unhealthy reduced-fat foods

Now I'm going to the grocery, and buying that Asiago Peppercorn Ranch that I've been drooling over, and then passing up for Light Ranch.

BTW.... I never did fall into that yogurt trap... I eat Kroger brand CarbMaster yogurts. My favorite: Carrot Cake. Of course, I add some homemade granola and a dollop of Cinnamon Spiced Sugar Free Cool Whip to make it more desserty :)

As for peanut butter, well, being a gluten-free bandster, it's nearly impossible to eat peanut butter on bread. But I have been known to use PB2, which is peanut butter powder, with all the fat taken out. You re-constitute it with water (tripletmomma secret: I use Peanut Butter Flavored Torani Syrup instead.....) and I have been known to enjoy that with a sliced apple from time to time.... but I make it more like a dip than a thick peanut butter :)