No more low-sugar, no more low-fat

Oprah arrived in my mailbox the other day. Well, Oprah's face arrived. On the cover of her June magazine. Looking all fresh and happy and feel-good-like. Which is why I like The Oprah Magazine. It makes me feel good. And I always end up learning a few healthy somethings after flipping through the pages. Which makes me feel empowered to feel even better.

Today, I learned that I should probably just buy regular foods at the grocery store. Nothing low-fat, nothing low-sugar. Low-fat peanut butter is often stocked with extra sugar and salt, says The Way To Eat guru Dr. Katz. Reduced-sugar cereals -- just bought a box with 25 percent less sugar the day before my magazine arrived -- tend to house more saturated fat and less fiber than standard versions. Bummer. There's a trend, says Katz: Highly processed products are being marketed as easier or more healthful alternatives when really, they are not.

Go with foods in their most natural state, says the good doctor. If your diet is healthful and is based mostly on veggies, fruits, whole grains, seeds, beans, lean protein sources, and nonfat dairy, then there's room for a bit of sugar or fat or perhaps some extra cream in a special recipe. Trying to decide whether to go for real whipped cream or Cool Whip? Katz says go for the real thing. The alternative, which will save you only 25 calories, is full of air, high fructose corn syrup, emulsifiers, and artificial flavorings.

Dr. Katz says choosing the right foods is a struggle for many of us. That's why he's working with a team of experts to rank all food on a scale of one to 10 based on 30 nutritional criteria. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index it's called. And here it can be found.