Here are 10 foods that are better for you than you could have possibly imagined…

SMOKED HAM. Most brands of smoked ham have only 37 calories and a little more than a gram of fat per 28 grams slice. For a nutritious sandwich, try two slices of smoked ham on whole wheat bread with lettuce, slice of tomato and a fat free spread. 

EGGS. Eggs are high in cholesterol (213 mg each). But it’s saturated fat – more than cholesterol – that puts you at risk for heart disease. Eggs have on 5 grams of fat. The American Heart Association limits you to eating four yolks a week; eat all the whites you like because only yolks contain cholesterol and fat. 

CHOCOLATE. Chocolate-flavored syrup can help curb chocolate craving without ruining your low-fat diet plan. A chocolate bar may have 153 calories and 9 grams of fat, while two tablespoons of chocolate syrup has only 73 calories and less than half a gram of fat. Stir two spoonfuls into a glass of skim milk or drizzled over fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt. 

SHRIMP. Despite their reputation for being loaded with cholesterol, shrimps are low in saturated fat – the major culprit in elevating blood cholesterol. A 90-gram serving contains 166 mg of cholesterol (you should get no more than 300 mg a day), but less than a single gram of fat.  

PIZZA. One slice of pizza can be drenched in up to 25 grams of fat. But that doesn’t mean you have to forsake pizza forever! Some plain and vegetarian varieties check in at only 5 to 8 grams of fat per slice – and they’re also good sources of calcium and iron. 

TEA. Tea does contain caffeine but research suggests that tea drinkers have a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer than those who don’t drink tea. Experts credit both black and green teas’ antioxidant compounds for the drink’s disease-preventing properties.  

CANDY. At the movies, snack on a candy rather than popcorn. Although hard candies and jellybeans are not nutritional stars, they are fat-free alternatives to fattening, coconut oil saturated movie popcorn. 

RED MEAT. Though red meat seems to be on everyone’s list of foods to avoid, the leaner cuts of beef are actually nutritious. A 90-gram serving of top round weighs in at 153 calories and 4 grams of fat; top sirloin weighs in at 165 calories and 6 grams of fat. (Stay away from choice cuts. They have more fat.) They are also good sources of hard-to-come-by nutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamins B6, B12 and niacin. Cold storage sells weight-watcher’s mince, which is low in fat. 

PUDDING. What’s a creamy treat like pudding doing in the list of foods that are good for you? The fact is, pudding can be a healthy, low-fat source of calcium – that is, if you make it yourself, using skim milk instead of whole. 

NUTS. Yes, they are indeed loaded with fat. But the fat in nuts is polyunsaturated. Research confirms other nuts help protect against heart disease, too. The key is to incorporate small amount of nuts into a healthy, low-fat diet.
 

On the other side of the scale, here are some “healthy-sounding” foods that have actually been proven to have extra unhealthy ingredients.     

NON-DAIRY CREAMER. These creamers are often made from palm and coconut oils – highly saturated fats. One teaspoonful of powdered creamer has 11 calories. Stick to skim milk instead. 

YOGURT. Some fruity yogurts have more sugar than a bar of chocolate – as much as 239 calories per cup. Get plain, non-fat yogurt and add your own fresh fruit instead. 

HONEY. Honey is still sugar. One mere gram of honey (the same for brown and white sugar) has 4 calories. The few trace nutrients found in honey are not worth the calories.  

DRIED FRUIT. Though it has little fat, died fruit contains a lot of sugar and is high in calories. Five apple rings, for example, contains 75 calories. For that many calories, you can eat an entire fresh apple.