Cox News Service
ATLANTA -- Fashion magazines often show side-by-side comparisons of
high-priced couture designs next to less expensive versions of the
same style.
If your budget can't handle splurging on $500 black
patent-leather designer pumps, then it's good to know a similar
look can be had for far less.
It's a matter of priorities. The same goes when balancing your
calorie budget at mealtime. Have to have the large order of fries?
Fine, but that will set you back 500 calories. Better yet, if
weight control's your goal, why not get to know and love the style
of eating that delivers on flavor and nutrition without the
waist-widening price tags?
For instance, let's say you're craving the comfort of a
fresh-baked cinnamon bun topped with icing and chopped pecans. One
of those treats packs in more than 700 calories. But, if you can
satisfy your urge to taste cinnamon and pecans for less than 200
calories, would you be interested? A bowl of Special K cinnamon and
pecan breakfast cereal with 1/2 cup of fat-free milk contains only
160 calories.
The real value in choosing the cereal over the cinnamon roll is
not only the calories you save but the nutrition you get from the
whole grains and the milk. Foods that provide substantial amounts
of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories are considered
nutrient rich and include lean meats, fat-free and low-fat dairy
products, whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits.
Dr. Adam Drewnowski and other researchers at the University of
Washington in Seattle are working to come up with a ranking system
that gives higher scores to the foods that deliver the most bang
for the buck nutritionally.
"This score would help identify the most nutrient-rich foods.
These are foods that give more nutrients per calorie ratio." For
instance, spinach would earn the top score of 100 because it's so
low in calories and provides a lot of vitamins and minerals. Canned
peaches packed in heavy syrup would get a lower score than fresh
peaches.
Adding sugar or fat would lower the score for any food no matter
how many nutrients it contains because the total calories per
serving is increased. Therefore, cabbage would rank higher than
coleslaw made with a sweetened mayonnaise dressing. Drewnowski is
the first to admit that the science of ranking foods based on
nutrient content per calorie isn't simply a matter of math. Nuts,
for instance, lose points because they're naturally high in fat,
even though the fats are heart-healthy oils.
"It's really best to use the rankings to compare foods in the
same category. It's one more tool to help you customize a healthy
diet," Drewnowski says. So if and when you see nutrient density
rankings, use them to compare apples to apples in a pie and nuts to
other nuts. In the meantime, the best guide is a side by side "eat
this - not that" comparison of total calories and fat in meal
choices with an eye on emphasizing higher intakes of nutrient-rich
ingredients.
Carolyn O'Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of "The
Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!" E-mail: healthyeating
AT ajc.com.