Is Coconut Oil Healthy? Or Wine? Here’s Where Americans and Nutritionists Disagree

When it comes to healthy foods, it seems as if Americans aren’t exactly on the same page as nutritionists in terms of good choices. The New York Times surveyed a group of Americans and a panel of nutritionists to find out what foods they think are healthy, and turns out, we could use a little bit of education on what exactly is nutritious for us.

To see a complete list of where Americans and nutritionists disagree, check out the full graph. In the meantime, here were some of the biggest discrepancies in what was perceived to be healthy versus what really is:

Foods Americans Think Are Healthy, But Aren’t

1. Granola Bars

granola bar photo
Photo by mealmakeovermoms

Granola bars had the greatest discrepancy, with 71 percent of Americans thinking they are healthy and only 28 percent of nutritionists agreeing.

2. Coconut Oil

coconut oil photo
Photo by mealmakeovermoms

It may be the latest trend, but only 37 percent of nutritionists find the food healthy, despite 72 percent of Americans thinking it’s a good choice.

3. Frozen Yogurt

frozen yogurt photo
Photo by Debs (ò‿ó)♪

Just because it has the word yogurt in it doesn’t make it a good choice. Of the public, 66 percent of people thought the sugary treat was healthy, but only 32 percent of nutritionists agreed.

Foods Americans Think Aren’t Healthy, But Are

1. Wine

wine photo
Photo by Wojtek Szkutnik

Yes, you read that correctly.  75% of nutritionists agree that wine is good for you, but only 52% of the American public believes that to be the case.

2. Quinoa

Quinoa photo
Photo by 4nitsirk

Almost 90 percent of nutritionists agree that quinoa is good for you, but only 58 percent of Americans are aware of its health benefits.

3. Tofu 

tofu photo
Photo by AsianLifestyleDesign

Only a little over half of the public recognizes tofu as a health food, while 85 percent of nutritionists find it a good option.

4. Sushi

sushi photo
Photo by Harald Groven

Despite 75 percent of nutritionists thinking of sushi as healthy, less than half of Americans agree.

Photo by IQRemix

Photo by mealmakeovermoms

Food, Health

About the Author
Carina Wolff
Carina is a health and wellness journalist based in Los Angeles. When she’s not writing, doing yoga, or exploring mountains and beaches, she spends her time cooking and creating recipes for her healthy food blog, Kale Me Maybe. Carina is also an ongoing writer for Bustle, Reader's Digest, FabFitFun, and more.

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