This may be controversial and will probably piss a few people off, but here are 4 health foods that maybe are not worth the hype from your resident no bias dietitian and mom. First up, we got classic kids fruit snacks. So these snacks claim to be better for you because they are made with real fruit and veggies, but there are no standards for how much real fruit needs to be added. And the fruit that is added is stripped of its fiber and therefore is classified no different than the corn syrup or sugar in the mix. Now, there’s absolutely no shame in serving these. I definitely do. My kids love these snacks, but I would treat them more like a gummy bear over replacement for whole fruit. No. 2, Halo Top ice cream. Like, does anyone actually enjoy this? I mean, I appreciate that people like the idea of eating more, more of something sweet for fewer calories, but we really shouldn’t be training people to eat an entire pint just because the calories are low, especially when the combination of sugar, alcohols, maltodextrin, fiber and whey protein is truly a recipe for an IBS bloating flare. If you like the low calorie stuff, I love that for you. But I will always choose full dairy, full fat. No. 3, veggie straws. This is pure marketing magic. And honestly, they do a damn good job just because the word veggie is like the biggest thing on the Package doesn’t mean it’s a replacement for real veggies. They’re literally just made of potato starch and flour, so kind of like ground up potato chips. And the vegetable powders that are in the ingredients mainly just supply color. They’re super tasty and I’m totally obsessed with them. I love them so much, but they’re not the same as handing your kid a carrot. And finally, I saved the most controversial for last, and that’s brown rice. I know dietitians are always talking about whole grains and the importance of choosing whole grains over refined grains, but at the end of the day, brown rice has like negligible difference when it comes to protein and fiber. I also find white rice way more palatable, and it’s also got less arsenic, which might be of interest to you if you eat a lot of rice products. But let me know if this surprised you and if you want to hear more.