Nutrition Facts Can Make for Revealing Reading

Every year, registered dietitian Jackie Berning takes her new students grocery shopping. Then she sits back and waits for their surprise as they discover some foods aren’t as bad as they’re cracked up to be--and others aren’t quite as good.

One of the biggest shocks every year? Turkey hot dogs, which clock in at 115 calories and seven grams of fat per dog: less than the 150 calories and 13 grams of fat in beef hot dogs, but not exactly a low-fat choice.

“The students are usually on a tight budget and eat a lot of hot dogs,” says Berning, professor of nutrition at the University of Colorado and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetics Assn. “They think they’re doing the right thing by choosing turkey hot dogs until they do the calculations and figure out that more than half the calories in them are from fat.”

Whether it’s turkey hot dogs, baked crackers or frozen soy desserts, some foods can be deceptively high in calories and others--including whipped cream--can be surprisingly low. For that reason, Berning and other nutrition experts urge even consumers who fancy themselves well-informed to pay special attention to the nutrition food labels.

Here are a few food surprises that may help motivate you to take a closer look at nutrition facts.

Worse Than You Thought:

Chicken: All poultry is not low-fat. One cooked four-ounce wing has about 11 grams of fat. Chicken nuggets contain about 17 grams of fat per three-ounce serving--four more than a hot dog.

Cereals: Often a good source of fiber and folic acid, some are surprisingly calorie-dense. Grape Nuts, for example, has 200 calories per quarter-cup. Also, you may be surprised to learn that some “healthy” cereals have little or no fiber. Example: Special K has 150 calories but just one gram of fiber per cup.

Crackers: Just because they’re baked doesn’t mean they’re low-fat. One ounce of Wheat Thins or Wheatables (about 16 crackers) packs 140 calories and six grams of fat, rivaling fried snack foods such as Nacho Cheese Doritos (seven grams of fat, 140 calories per ounce). Don’t assume that vegetables give you a pass, either: Nabisco’s Vegetable Thins have 160 calories per 14 crackers and nine grams of fat per serving--two grams more than the same amount of fried taco chips.

Frozen desserts: “Gelato” sounds light, but added cream can hike calories to a whopping 500 per cup, including 12 grams of saturated fat. Frozen soy desserts can check in at 400 calories per cup, 100 more than some ice creams.

Meatless “chicken” nuggets: Some are fairly high in fat, with seven grams per serving--as much as seven times the amount of some “meatless” burgers.

Peanut butter: Many commercially prepared brands contain artery-clogging hydrogenated trans fats to make them more spreadable. Instead, buy peanut butter that is freshly ground in the store; drain the oil on top to cut fat in half and avoid the hydrogenated oils altogether.

Popcorn: Air-popped, it’s just 20 calories per cup--about a handful--but microwave bags can contain nine to 12 cups and 39 grams of fat--more than a day’s worth. Look for light varieties, which hover around five to six grams of fat per serving and about 20 to 25 calories per serving. But count those handfuls carefully.

Better Than You Thought:

Bacon: No, you wouldn’t want to eat it every day, but two slices have about seven grams of fat--only three saturated--and about 70 calories.

Chocolate sauce: Who says you can’t have a little decadence? One tablespoon has no fat and just 50 calories.

Pumpkin pie: It counts as a vegetable and, made with skim milk, is low in fat and calories, averaging about 150 calories per serving. But go easy on store-bought varieties, which can have nearly double the calories and 11 grams of fat per serving, mostly because of cream and high-fat crusts. When in doubt, eat only the filling.

Red meat: Ounce per ounce, most cuts of red meat are “not that different calorically than chicken or fish,” notes Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Leaner cuts include flank steak and pork-loin center chops.

Tuna in oil: Yes, it has six grams of fat per serving and 110 calories per two ounces. Press it down and drain it to remove most of the oil. The result: tuna with calories nearly as low as the 60 found in two ounces of water-packed tuna. Because oil-packed is more moist, you need less mayo, which adds 100 calories per tablespoon. Canned tuna salad, now available in lunch packs, may not be as good a choice: It contains 16 grams of fat per serving.

Waffles: Low-fat, whole-grain frozen varieties can have as little as 2.5 grams of fat per two waffles and 170 calories.

Whipped cream: It’s known for being high-fat, but two tablespoons have just 25 calories, a satisfying way to top off a cup of fresh berries.