Shame on Oprah.
Today’s newsletter from the “O” camp features “healthy” snacks. Actually, it says ‘NO carrots – good for you snacks that taste amazing!” On the list? Pita chips with reduced fat sour cream, muskateers bars, oatmeal cookies with frozen yogurt, cheddar goldfish….I’m still trying to find a ‘healthy’ snack and how dare they bash my beloved carrots!
Here’s the “O” list, suggested alternatives, and my rebuttle. Please add your own.
The Oprah “bad”: potato chips and onion dip
The “O” good: whole-wheat pita chips sprayed with cooking spray, dip in reduced fat sour cream
Rebuttal: fat for a little less fat and keep the dairy alive? Sheesh. Try baked fries with hummus. Bake potatoes, cut into wedges, broil. Serve with salsa or hummus recipe here.
The Oprah “bad”: milk chocolate bunny
The “O” good: Three 3 Musketeers fun-size bars
Rebuttal: junk food candy for lower calorie junk food candy. How about dates rolled in cocoa or carob?
The Oprah “bad”: cafeteria-sized chocolate chip cookie with walnuts
The “O” good: 2 1/2-inch homemade oatmeal-raisin cookies, with a half-cup vanilla frozen yogurt
Rebuttal: big bowl of whole-grain crispy cereal with raisins and a splash or oat or rice milk. Most dry cereals are like big boxes of broken up cookies anyway, so find one without added fats or uber-sugar and go for the gusto. Far less damage.
The Oprah “bad”: 12 oz. can of soda
The “O” good: iced coffee and fat-free half-and-half
Rebuttal: iced decaf or tea, skip the cow juice
The Oprah “bad”: nacho-cheese tortilla chips
The “O” good: cheddar goldfish (baked, not fried!)
Rebuttal: you can “bake” your fats or fry them, they’re still there. Try baked chips made from whole-grain corn tortillas or wheat lavash! I do the latter on a griddle on the stove and they are crispy and amazing with salsa or bean dip
The Oprah “bad”: 10 candy ‘sweedish fish’
The “O” good: gummy bunnies! And get this, the real plus? The gummy bunnies will provide you with 100% of your daily vitamin C! You in?
Rebuttal: OK, trade out sugar and gel for sugar and gel. Get a bowl of cherries, strawberries, or if you really need a chew, dates or chunks of dried unsweetened mango.
People love being told good things about their bad habits, don’t we?
Your rebuttals and suggestions? Please post in comments below!
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my god Lani if carotts are bad for a snack i am in real trouble, i think i ete 3 a day, thak god i dont follow Opera, but good rebuts from you, cheers Anna
Only 3 Anna? I am the carrot queen! I’ll go in and grab a giant sweet carrot, peel it, and eat it like people sip a cup of coffee. Glad you like the rebuts and thanks for adding your comments!
Great comments Lani, interestingly I was recently in China where I saw people snacking on corn on the cob and whole cucumbers, no fat at all either in what they were eating or added to their bodies!!!!
Hey Lesley,really? Imagine Americans snacking on cucumbers on the street! Thanks for sharing your observations. Why were you in China?
I’m right there with you on the carrots. At least 3 giants a day, and love my home-made hummus – a version of yours, Lani. And for a REAL sweet? – nothing better than some frozen fruit and rice or almond milk whipped up in my blender. And I do have Guiltless Gourmet baked blue corn chips on occasion with hummus and/or salsa. Thanks for writing this one up Lani.
Is organic popcorn (not microwaved, but air popped) healthy and McDougall-approved?
Also, is nutritional yeast a healthy thing to eat? Some say yes (high in B’s and other minerals), but some say no (yeast contributes to candida or it leads to MSG-like reactions)….
I eat air-popped popcorn and yes it is McD approved – just saw it again in the new Starch Solution book! Lani