By reputation, these food items are a vital part of a healthy, fit lifestyle. But a closer look shows that may not be the case. Many are loaded with sugar, fat, and calories that are as bad as any candy bar, ice cream, or soda.

Here are six such culprits to enjoy in moderation or avoid completely before they sabotage your weight-loss efforts.


1. Vitamin Water

The health claims on this Coca-Cola product are so misleading that the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group for food health, filed a class-action suit against the beverage giant. The group’s complaint? With 33 grams of sugar and 125 calories in a 20-ounce bottle, it believes the healthful statements made about the drink are deceptive. “They added vitamins to crap,” Stephen Gardner, chief litigator for CSPI, told Time magazine. “And it’s still crap. Consumers shouldn’t have to assume that the front of a label is a lie. You cannot deceive in the big print and tell the truth later.” Solution: stick to calorie- and sugar-free water.
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2. Smoothies

When smoothie shops popped up all around the country a dozen or so years ago, we thought we’d discovered a delicious, nutritious treat to be enjoyed without guilt. All that fruit has to be a good thing, right? Well, yes, but the other stuff added to smoothies kick the calorie count out of the nutritional ballpark.

Peanut butter can be a healthy addition – in strict moderation. A heaping spoonful can add 200 calories and 16 grams of fat. Many smoothies are made with fruit juice, adding approximately 24 grams of sugar per cup, and some also contain high-fructose corn syrup. Solution: choose low-fat milk or water as your smoothie liquid, and if the fruit you use doesn’t add enough sweetness, try a natural sweetener like stevia.

Other common smoothie add-ins include ice cream or sherbet that can contain up to 100 grams of sugar per 20-ounce smoothie. Solution: use regular yogurt and ice instead.
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3. Energy bars

Think you’re doing a good thing by choosing an energy bar instead of, say, a candy bar? Let’s compare.

PowerBar Protein Plus Chocolate Brownie Calories: 360; Fat: 11 g; Saturated fat: 4.5 g; Sugar: 30 g; Protein: 30g.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Calories: 210; Fat: 13 g; Saturated fat: 4.5 g; Sugar: 21 g; Protein: 5 g.

The protein is the only way the PowerBar succeeds in this example. However, for an average woman, 30 grams is about half of her recommended protein for the entire day. Solution: read the label. If you need to rely on energy bars for convenience sake, try to find one that has less than 5 grams of sugar per bar. Or eat only half and save the rest for later.
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4. Granola

Raisins, cranberries, oats, nuts … what could go wrong? Those individual items are actually healthy on their own, but in typical granola recipes, they’re held together by fatty coconut oil and often are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, an additive that wreaks havoc on blood sugar. A half a cup is about 220 calories. Solution: choose oatmeal and save about 100 calories and a ton of sugar. Or try a fiber-based cereal like Kashi Go Lean and get 10 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, and only 140 calories in an entire cup of cereal.
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5. Olive oil

OK, this one might surprise you because, as you’ve probably read, olive oil is a good-for-your-heart monounsaturated fat that raises HDL (good) cholesterol. However, it’s still fat, and too much of a good thing could cause your waistline to grow. A tablespoon of olive oil contains 13 grams of fat per tablespoon and 120 calories. If you sop it up with bread, sauté vegetables in it, and pour it over a salad all in the same meal, you could be adding 500 or 600 more calories than you bargained for. Solution: use it in moderation.
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6. Fat-free, sugar-free foods

Oh, those tricky marketers who only tell us half the story. The brightly colored label may scream that those cookies are sugar-free, but turn the package over and check out the nutrition label. They’re loaded with fat … or sodium … or a questionable chemical sweetener that makes them taste acceptable. And because you’ve been tricked into believing that you’re saving yourself the sugar or fat, chances are you’ll give in and have a second or third serving. Solution: savor a small portion of the real thing, which often tastes better and leaves you more satisfied.