Bring your glasses to the store when shopping for breads, cereals, crackers, bars, yogurt, smoothies, and “veggie burgers.” The calorie counts and nutritional profiles of these items can vary wildly. In this handy list, we’ve done a lot of the legwork for you, pointing out the most important features and brands to look for. Don’t bother counting total fat, carbohydrates, or sugar grams (except when indicated otherwise, as with yogurt and smoothies). Just check these numbers and remember also to double-check the size of a serving. Some labeling can be deceptive.
What to look for:
Whole grains at the top of the ingredients list
90–110 calories per slice (or less, if you can find it)
3 or more grams of protein per slice
3 or more grams of fiber per slice
• Rudi’s Organic Bakery
Right Choice series and Whole Grains & Fiber series
• Country Hearth
Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat
• Sara Lee
Heart Healthy Multi-Grain
Heart Healthy Homestyle 100% Whole Wheat
• Earthgrains
Extra Fiber 100% Whole Wheat
Extra Fiber 100% Multi-Grain
• Pepperidge Farm
100% Whole Wheat Thin Sliced
Carb-Style Soft 100% Whole Wheat
7 Grain Lifeworks Wheat or Seven Grain
Natural Whole Grain series
Very Thin Sliced Whole Wheat
What to look for:
Whole grains at the top of the ingredients list
130 or fewer calories per muffin
4 or more grams of protein
3 or more grams of fiber
Examples:
• Thomas’ Hearty Grain 100% Whole Wheat
• Thomas’ Hearty Grain 12 Grain
What to look for:
Whole grains at the top of the ingredients list
110 or fewer calories per bun
3 or more grams of protein per bun
3 or more grams of fiber per bun
Examples:
• Roman Meal Multi-Grain Hamburger Buns
• Rudi’s Organic Bakery “Right Choice” Hamburger Buns
What to look for:
Whole grains at the top of the ingredients list
150 or fewer calories per serving. (Check the box to know the volume of 1 serving. Sometimes it’s only ½ cup.)
4 or more grams of protein per serving
3 or more grams of fiber per serving
Examples:
• All-Bran Original
• Wheaties
• Whole Grain Total
• Kashi GOLEAN
• Barbara’s Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls
• Wheatena
• Bob’s Red Mill 7-Grain
• Kashi Breakfast Pilaf
• McCann’s Original Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal
• Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats
• Kashi Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal
Or cook your own whole grains (see here–here). It’s cheaper, more varied—and just plain better!
What to look for:
Whole grains at the top of the ingredients list
130 or fewer calories per serving. (Check the box to know the volume of 1 serving.)
No trans fats
Examples:
• Kashi TLC, any flavor
• Ak-Mak 100%Whole Wheat Stone Ground Sesame Crackers
• Trader Joe’s Semi-Precious Mini Stone Wheat Crackers
• Wheat Thins Multi-Grain
• Triscuit Thin Crisps
What to look for per 6-ounce serving:
100 or fewer calories
14 or fewer grams of sugar
5 or more grams of protein
Keep in mind that, unless otherwise specified, most flavored nonfat or low-fat yogurt is loaded with sugar and quite high in calories! The ideal way to control the calories in yogurt is to purchase a good brand of low-fat or nonfat plain. If you like it sweet, then you can sweeten (and flavor) it yourself with fruit, or a little honey or sugar—or a small amount of non-caloric sweetener. If that is just too inconvenient and you need to find something sweet directly from the supermarket shelf, look for the brands that are sweetened with less sugar.
Examples:
• Total 0%
• Dannon *
Light ’n Fit Carb Control (all flavors)
Light ’n Fit (all flavors)
Light ’n Fit Creamy (all flavors)
• Stonyfield Farm “MOOve Over Sugar” (all flavors)
• Yoplait Light* (all flavors)
The first and best option is to make your own (here–here). But if you need to grab one from the grocery store, keep in mind that many commercially prepared “healthy” drinks are deceptively packaged (the nutrition panel will often give numbers for only half the contents) and tend to be high in sugar and calories.
What to look for per 10-ounce bottle:
130 or fewer calories
9 or more grams of protein
19 or fewer grams of sugar
Examples:
Stonyfield Farm Light Smoothie† (all flavors)
Yoplait Smoothie Light (all flavors)
Dannon Light ’n Fit Smoothie (all flavors)
Many—even most—“energy bars” are not nutritious at all. But some are actually good for you and can deliver a respectable dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals without too much sugar thrown in on the sly.
What to look for per bar:
200 or fewer calories
10 or more grams of protein
10 or fewer grams of sugar
2 or more grams of fiber
No trans fat
Examples:
• Pria Complete Nutrition Bar (all flavors)
• Pria CarbSELECT (all flavors)
• LUNA (all flavors)
• Kashi GOLEAN Crunchy Bar
• Kashi GOLEAN Rolls
In the 21-Day Diet, “burger,” can mean meat (lean ground turkey or 90 to 95% lean beef) or “veggie.” Vegetable burger options are all over the map these days, so here are some helpful guidelines:
What to look for:
100 or fewer calories (Bonus: If they’re 80 or under, you can have two.)
11 or more grams of protein
Examples:
• BOCA Burgers
All-American Meatless Flame Grilled
Boca Original
Grilled Vegetable
Roasted Onion
Roasted Garlic
• Morningstar Farms
Better’n Burgers
• Gardenburger
Sun-Dried Tomato-Basil
Veggie Medley
Black Bean
• Natural Touch Vegan Burger
• Note:
For vegetarian “ground beef,” try BOCA Meatless Ground Burger or Morningstar Farms Grillers Burger Style or Sausage Style Recipe Crumbles.