Pizzas, puddings, crisps – they are just a few of our favourite ‘guilty pleasures’. But now the lines between healthy and unhealthy choices are becoming increasingly blurred, thanks to the latest drive to ‘health up’ our favourite treats with surreptitious use of superfoods or other virtuous-sounding ingredients.
Take, for example, chocolate mousse made with avocado. Is it a salad or pudding, or something in between? And is posh-sounding cacao (pronounced ca-cow) better for us than cocoa, or just a ploy to sell us a more expensive version of chocolate?
‘As consumers, we need to be aware of falling for the halo effect – where a food is made to seem better for us just because it contains the latest superfood or fancy ingredient,’ warns registered dietician Helen Bond.
And can a dried-up cauliflower ‘pizza base’ really satisfy our cravings for a deliciously doughy pizza?
From chickpea puffs to cauliflower rice, we reveal how these ‘healthy alternatives’ compare with our well-loved favourites.
* All nutrition is given per portion.
PIZZA BASE
Napolini Pizza Bases, £1.75 for two, Waitrose - and Magioni Cauliflower Pizza Crust, £3.29 for two, Waitrose
NORMAL
Napolini Pizza Bases, £1.75 for two, Waitrose
Cals 432, fat 3.2g, sugars 3.6g, fibre 3.9g, salt 2.1g
HEALTHY
Magioni Cauliflower Pizza Crust, £3.29 for two, Waitrose
Cals 399, fat 4.7g, sugars 4g, fibre 4.3g, salt 1.3g
VERDICT Cauliflower is one of those ‘healthy’ ingredients of the moment, being made into everything from rice to ‘steaks’ and pizza bases. In this case, people might think the vegetable base would mean a lower carb content, but it doesn’t, because the cauliflower version is actually mainly flour. It also has only 33 fewer calories than a normal base. As for providing a portion of veg, the whole base contains just 67g of cauliflower – less than one of your five a day. But it tastes OK – the cauliflower flavour isn’t overpowering.
WINNER Normal
CHEESY SNACKS
Wotsits, £1.50 for 6 packs, Tesco - and Hippeas Take it Cheesy, 99p per pack, Ocado
NORMAL
Wotsits, £1.50 for 6 packs, Tesco
Cals 90, fat 5.4g, sugars 1.1g, fibre 0.2g, protein none, salt 0.3g
HEALTHY
Hippeas Take it Cheesy, 99p per pack, Ocado
Cals 90, fat 3.8g, sugars 0.6g, fibre 1.7g, protein 2.9g, salt 0.2g
VERDICT Corn is usually used to make puffed snacks, but Hippeas have swapped it for powdered chickpeas. Chickpeas are high in bowel-friendly fibre, and a Hippeas pack has as much fibre as you’ll find in an apple. Cheesy Wotsits, on the other hand, contain barely a pinch of fibre. Chickpeas also contain muscle-building protein – there’s about as much here as half a boiled egg. Unsurprisingly, there is no protein in a pack of Wotsits. But the ‘cheesy’ flavour, concocted from yeast powder, onions and flavourings, is chalky and dull – not a patch on Wotsits.
Winner Healthy
CHOCOLATE PUDDING POTS
Pots & Co Salted Caramel and Chocolate Pot, £2, Ocado - and Onist Salted Caramel Avocado Choc Pot, £2.50, Ocado
NORMAL
Pots & Co Salted Caramel and Chocolate Pot, £2, Ocado
Cals 351, fat 28.8g, sugars 15.3g, fibre none, salt 0.5g
HEALTHY
Onist Salted Caramel Avocado Choc Pot, £2.50, Ocado
Cals 257, fat 12.6g, sugars 18.9g, fibre 11.6g, salt 0.55g
VERDICT The rich, creamy texture of an avocado makes it a viable ‘healthy’ replacement for calorific butter and cream in indulgent puddings. At least that’s the theory.
It does work here – the regular pud has five times the saturated fat of the avocado-based alternative. The sweetness comes from dates rather than sugar, which adds a hefty helping of fibre to the mix. Each pot packs as much fibre as a bowl of All Bran, compared to none at all in the Pots & Co pud.
Unfortunately, the health properties are irrelevant because this tastes revolting.
WINNER Normal
ICE CREAM
