Most pointless "diet" food?

 I would have to say reduced or low fat peanut butter. There's really no difference from regular peanut butter. But I was curious, what other foods are out there that claim to be better, but really aren't?

Original Post by wetmosaic:

Original Post by tikiremy:

 Hmmm interesting. I like pasta so much! I transferred over to whole grain pasta and brown rice for more whole grains, and I love the taste. Don't know if I'd ever try carb free pasta, but it is interesting. Never knew there could be such a thing.

Lately I've been eating Dreamfields pasta, and it's absolutely delicious. It tastes very much like regular white pasta and doesn't have the grainy texture that's often there in whole wheat pasta. It's still high in fiber like whole wheat pasta, and reportedly has something like 5 usable carbs per serving. If you're interested in trying low-carb pasta, you could give that a try. It's not lower in calories, so you still have to watch portion sizes, of course.

I haven't tried the Shirataki noodles (those are the carb free asian noodles - they're made out of some sort of vegetable fiber), but I've read that they're an acquired taste and really only work in Asian dishes, like White Sakura suggested. Maybe you could try the Shirataki for stir fry dishes and the Dreamfields pasta for other stuff?

 Well, I don't really mind the carbs so much. I started getting more focused on getting whole grains in my diet, the 48 grams per day. I could never in life do a "low carb diet", it just wouldn't feel right! I kinda got used to the grainy texture of whole wheat pasta, but when I was younger I used to hate it! Now, I only cook with whole grain pasta, but when I go out to a restaurant I usually eat the white stuff.

Original Post by grateful_deadhead13:

Original Post by eerica:

rice cakes. wtf? they taste like and have the texture of styrophome and have no nutritional value.

Some rice cakes are super tasty. I'm a fan, if only because they take care of my crunchy, salty cravings.

 The chocolate ones curve my chocolate cravings. They are yummy and much better than a hershey's bar.

Original Post by mollymouser:

While I like (and eat) low fat cottage cheese, I detest fat-free cottage cheese. Ick. Something dreadful happens when they take all the fat out, and it's just wrong.

I've never understood those 100 calorie packs -- it's just so much cheaper to buy some snack-size baggies and make your own packs (of whatever size/calories you want!)

I agree with the criticism of turkey bacon -- I tried it and it was salty, limp and weird-tasting. I'd just rather have real bacon, on occasion, and in moderation.

Meal replacement shakes. I don't want to replace my meals. Heck, when I'm dieting, I usually want MORE food -- not LESS food. What a silly idea.

 I eat turkey bacon, but I don't think it's that bad. I haven't had real bacon in so long maybe I have forgoten what it should really be like, but that's fine with me, lol.

I did the meal replacement drinks at first, but gave up. I was still hungry! Then I ended up having a shake AND eating. So, then I would have an extra 180 calories on top of the meal I had. Bleh! Now it's nothing but actual food for me!

Original Post by tikiremy:

Original Post by wetmosaic:

Original Post by tikiremy:

 Hmmm interesting. I like pasta so much! I transferred over to whole grain pasta and brown rice for more whole grains, and I love the taste. Don't know if I'd ever try carb free pasta, but it is interesting. Never knew there could be such a thing.

Lately I've been eating Dreamfields pasta, and it's absolutely delicious. It tastes very much like regular white pasta and doesn't have the grainy texture that's often there in whole wheat pasta. It's still high in fiber like whole wheat pasta, and reportedly has something like 5 usable carbs per serving. If you're interested in trying low-carb pasta, you could give that a try. It's not lower in calories, so you still have to watch portion sizes, of course.

I haven't tried the Shirataki noodles (those are the carb free asian noodles - they're made out of some sort of vegetable fiber), but I've read that they're an acquired taste and really only work in Asian dishes, like White Sakura suggested. Maybe you could try the Shirataki for stir fry dishes and the Dreamfields pasta for other stuff?

 Well, I don't really mind the carbs so much. I started getting more focused on getting whole grains in my diet, the 48 grams per day. I could never in life do a "low carb diet", it just wouldn't feel right! I kinda got used to the grainy texture of whole wheat pasta, but when I was younger I used to hate it! Now, I only cook with whole grain pasta, but when I go out to a restaurant I usually eat the white stuff.

 I use the shiritaki noodles. They are made from an asian yam plant. I use them for anything I would use regular pasta for. My fav is Chicken alfredo and spinach. They also have shiritaki noodles that are made with tofu. They have 40 calories for 8 ounces and may be better suited for some people.

Original Post by yvil:

Special K. Sugar, sugar, sugar, and less fiber than a bowl of Cheerios.

 Cheerios FTW!!

Original Post by jadelovesoth:

 I would have to say reduced or low fat peanut butter. There's really no difference from regular peanut butter. But I was curious, what other foods are out there that claim to be better, but really aren't?

You just haven't found the good stuff.  Check out PB2 from bellplantation.com and you'll see a significant benefit compared to regular peanut butter.

not really a diet food but when i went shopping i was comparing oatmeals...low sugar, regular and weight control and there really wasn't a ton of difference, actually the weight control had more calories than the regular and had more sugar as well.

Iceberg Lettuce. No calories, yeah, but no taste, no health benefit whatsoever AND it gives me gas! If you go with salads, at least get the darker green lettuces, but I like baby spinach.

I saw a Wendy's salad that looked good with dark lettuce on it. I began eating only to find that they very top layer was spinach, but there was a giant pile of iceberg underneath.

Original Post by lovemybabies2009:

Original Post by yvil: Special K. Sugar, sugar, sugar, and less fiber than a bowl of Cheerios.

Cheerios FTW!!

I love how cereal marketed towards children is healthier than cereal marketed to the (misinformed) health-concious. =D

I love Special K, but it's just not worth it right now. A small bowl every great once in a while is a treat, but Cheerios or Egg whites are my go to breakfast.

Original Post by yvil:

Original Post by lovemybabies2009:

Original Post by yvil: Special K. Sugar, sugar, sugar, and less fiber than a bowl of Cheerios.

Cheerios FTW!!

I love how cereal marketed towards children is healthier than cereal marketed to the (misinformed) health-concious. =D

HAHAHA. Yeah, no kidding. I don't eat cereal for breakfast, but I keep Apple Jacks or Fruit Loops for my nieces and nephew (I used to work for Kellogg's) and have a small bowl which I measure out for a treat when I'm craving something sweet. A bowl of Fruit Loops has 110 calories (yes, I know it's all sugar) and I use 1/2 cup fat-free milk and don't drink it.

It is pointless as a "diet" food, but it keeps me from donuts and candy, which are much higher in calories and cat with no vitamins at all.

Original Post by kajungirltn:

Iceberg Lettuce. No calories, yeah, but no taste, no health benefit whatsoever AND it gives me gas! If you go with salads, at least get the darker green lettuces, but I like baby spinach.

I saw a Wendy's salad that looked good with dark lettuce on it. I began eating only to find that they very top layer was spinach, but there was a giant pile of iceberg underneath.

 Right! Back in my misinformed days, I thought, "Oh I'll just eat a salad to get veggies" not realizing that iceberg lettuce has like zero benefits. Just water and fiber I guess (like those carb free, calorie free noodles I suppose lol).

Now I refuse to eat a salad that's not made with dark leaves, preferably spinach. Unfortunately, not many restaurants make spinach salads.

IHOP has a yummy Honey Mustard Spinach Salad. It was sooo good. Not sure if they still have it. It's been a while.

Omg. The thing that annoys me the most is SPLENDA. Wtf? Just eat/ or use real honey (or sugar). It's 10x better!

I used to LIVE on splenda. But now I've learnt that everything is good in moderation. And eatin' naturally is the best for your body =) 

Margarine!!! Most ridiculous thing every invented! and after all these years food companies pushing margarine as better than butter - why??? it's like processed oil/solidified - how is that better for me than a dairy product??? hello??? "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"!!! I can, it;s not butter!

Now of course after all these years they've found out margarine is all trans-fats!So glad that I never deserted butter.  you only need a teaspoon or so to make whole grain bread or english muffins fabulous!!

Splenda: one packet of sugar has 16 calories so....how much sugar are you eating anyway? like one tsp in your tea/coffee? that's maybe 32 calories a day!

What dbhadra said about Margarine is incorect. I just checked my margarine container and it contains 0 trans fat. Its only the hydrogenated margarines that contain trans fat. You might want to find out all the facts before assuming something about a product.

I'm with mooni on the ketchup thing. Like honestly, you really need to lessen ketchup calories? I don't really count anymore but even when I did, I never counted my ketchup.

Also, the dessert yogurts. I tried "apple turnover" or some type of apple-dessert variety and it was so unsatisfying. Yogurt will never taste like cake or pie.

Rice cakes, certain types of 100 calorie packs (when I was overweight they basically saved all my cravings so I can't completely rag on them), anything Special K sells/advertises, reduced fat PB, Walden Farms everything (except for ONE type of salad dressing that I actually like & the pancake syrup).

I'm on the fence with low fat or fat free ice cream. I use that kind of stuff in milkshakes and things like that. But if I actually want to just eat ice cream on it's own, it's gotta be full fat with lots of good stuff in it!

Original Post by jvanderwoude:

What dbhadra said about Margarine is incorect. I just checked my margarine container and it contains 0 trans fat. Its only the hydrogenated margarines that contain trans fat. You might want to find out all the facts before assuming something about a product.

 

 My mistake and apologies; I should have checked first: I guess that not all margarines have these trans fats:

Below is from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/butter-vs-ma rgarine/AN00835

"But not all margarines are created equal — and some may even be worse than butter. Most margarines are processed using a method called hydrogenation, which results in unhealthy trans fats. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fats it contains — so stick margarines usually have more trans fats than do tub margarines. Like saturated fats, trans fats increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fats can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels."

weight watcher cakes.. they're so tiny it's ridiculous and still manage to have 90 calories :|

Those Michelina's frozen dinners..the ones that are like 79 cents - a dollar. The regular ones have less calories than the "lean" ones haha.