Nutrition Made Easy

Our nutrition experts and registered dietitians translate the latest nutrition research into tips you can use to eat healthier every day.

10 Foods That Sound Healthy (but Aren't)

Salad, bran muffins, fat-free foods―they're good for you, right? Not always. Nutrition expert Katherine Brooking, MS, RD, reveals surprisingly unhealthy foods, plus better-for-you alternatives.

Lee Harrelson, Text: Katherine Brooking, MS, RD

2 of 11

View all

Prepared Salads

Don't assume that anything with the word "salad" in it must be healthy. Prepared tuna salads, chicken salads, and shrimp salads are often loaded with hidden fats and calories due to their high mayonnaise content. While a lot depends on portion size and ingredients, an over-stuffed tuna sandwich can contain as many as 700 calories and 40 grams of fat. If you're ordering out, opt for prepared salads made with low-fat mayonnaise, and keep the portion to about the size of a deck of cards. Better yet, make your own, like this Herbed Greek Chicken Salad.