Selecting healthy choices for foods can often be difficult when food companies feed you mixed messages. All food can be incorporated into the daily diet in moderation and can still be considered as “eating healthy.” Cutting any food completely out of your diet is unnecessary, but with some tips, you can make more well-informed decisions.

With the help of Thielen Student Health Center’s registered licensed dietitian, Judith Trumpy, the Daily has provided a quiz to test your knowledge about the best food choices.

1. Fresh fruit vs. fruit cups

Fruit contains many beneficial antioxidants and compounds that are healthful for the body. When fruit is processed, important nutrients such as fiber and some vitamins are reduced or lost during the peeling, cutting and heating stages.

If it is packed in syrup, the extra sweetener is added to the fruit to preserve freshness and add additional sweetness. Fruit contains the natural sugar fructose, which makes it naturally sweet and unnecessary to add sugar.

A recent study conducted by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry discovered that purchasing pre-sliced fruit may be a great alternative for the time-crunched. Fruits such as melon, pineapple and mangoes can be bought pre-cut at the grocery store, and they keep many of the vitamins and nutrients for up to seven days after slicing.

Buy some sliced fruit for a quick snack that makes it easier for you to grab something healthy on your way out the door.

2. Cream of broccoli vs. chicken noodle soup

Chicken noodle soup. Sure, broccoli is a healthy vegetable with many benefits, but just because something has a vegetable in it doesn’t automatically make it healthy. Any type of cream-based soup is likely to be higher in fat than broth-based soup. The ingredients that normally give these soups their creamy appearance are cream or other high-fat milk products as well as other stabilizers.

Chicken noodle soup has been found to reduce inflammation and promote air passage in those with cold congestion. Chicken provides protein, while vegetables and noodles help make this soup a great way to get nutrition from multiple food groups.

3. Reduced fat vs. regular peanut butter

Regular peanut butter. The kind of fat found in peanut butter is good “monounsaturated” fat. The reduced-fat version normally only contains four fewer grams of fat and only 10 fewer calories than the regular peanut butter.

Peanut butter is a great addition to your diet in moderation. A Nurses Health Study found that those who consume the equivalent of one ounce of peanut products each day decrease cardiovascular disease risk and improve blood lipid levels. Another study found that peanuts and strawberries add equal amounts of health benefits for the diet.

However, the high fat content of peanut butter also means it is quite calorie-dense. Spread a tablespoon or two on an apple or a slice of toast rather than eating it by the spoonful out of the jar.

4. Roast beef sandwich vs. chicken sandwich

It’s a toss up. White meat is often considered to be the hands-down healthier choice over red meat because of its lower cholesterol content and slightly lower saturated fat content. However, red meat does contain many healthy elements including blood-enriching iron.

Today’s beef and pork production results in a much leaner product with less saturated fat and cholesterol than the previous 30 years. Limit your portions of red meat – beef, pork and lamb – to a serving the size of your fist or a deck of cards, whichever is smaller.

As with all foods, moderation is the key, so enjoy a lean portion two to three times per week.

Because of the time needed to prepare red meat, it is less common in the college diet. Trumpy said you should be eating one serving of iron-rich meat every other day in addition to iron-fortified foods such as cereals and breads.

A variety of protein foods are helpful in providing the body with all of the nutrients that it needs. Grilled chicken, lean beef and pork and fish provide the high quality protein needed for body maintenance and repair.

5. Milk vs. calcium supplement

Milk. “The only people I recommend taking calcium supplements are those who are lactose intolerant and become ill drinking fluid milk or they totally eliminate dairy from their diet because they do not like the taste,” Trumpy said.

If you do not like drinking regular milk, Trumpy recommends getting calcium from cheese, yogurt or chocolate milk. Many other foods besides these are acceptable sources of calcium and many others are now fortified with calcium, such as bread, cereals and orange juice.

Taking a supplement in addition to eating these foods would have no benefit.

If you do need a calcium supplement because you are lactose intolerant or do not like dairy products, take it with food as you would at a meal.

Take no more than 500 milligrams of calcium at one time, as that is all that the body can absorb in one sitting.

6. Cereal and milk, with a few nuts sprinkled on top vs. granola bar

Cereal and milk. Granola bars are a common choice for the student in a rush.

“Choose granola bars that have a 3-to-1 ratio of total carbohydrate to sugars on the nutrition facts label that have at least 4 to 7 grams of protein and provide 2 to 3 grams of fiber,” Trumpy said. “Otherwise, you might as well eat a candy bar since the sugar content is almost as high and the protein and fiber content is low or nonexistent to provide you with much other than energy value.”

A breakfast of whole grains – such as cereal with milk, whole grain toast or English muffin with peanut butter and a piece of fruit – will get you through the morning energy-wise much more efficiently than relying on a granola bar while racing to class.

Whole grain cereal with milk is an excellent start to your day because it provides carbohydrates necessary for energy and protein and some fats and will keep you satisfied longer than a granola bar. The best cereal choices contain less than 3 grams of sugar and more than 5 grams of fiber. Look for the Whole Grain banner on the package or as the first ingredient.

7. Sweet potato vs. baked potato

Sweet potato. Regular potatoes have gotten a bad rap ever since the low-carb diets became popular. They do contain many good things such as fiber and even more potassium than bananas.

However, sweet potatoes contain more than 262 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes – also known as yams – are a good source of vitamin C, fiber and smaller amounts of other vitamins and minerals.

Recent studies have found sweet potatoes to be an “anti-diabetic” food, since they reduce insulin resistance and help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Eating a small sweet potato or a white potato would count for a vegetable serving towards your “Five-a-Day” goal of fruit and vegetable servings. When eating potatoes, seek out baked rather than fried products.

8. Whole-grain bagel vs. low-fat muffin

Whole-grain bagel. Muffins sold in stores and vending machines are usually at least two times the recommended serving size. Bagels sold in America are often quite large as well. When selecting either, try to choose one that is a single serving (no larger than a baseball). Check the nutrition facts for the amount servings if they are listed on muffins and bagels.

Low-fat muffins are a better choice than regular muffins, but usually still contain saturated fat and as many as 300 to 400 calories. Bagels have lower total and saturated fat than muffins, and whole grain bagels contain more fiber and less refined sugars than muffins.

The advantage of eating whole grains is that they stay in your digestive tract longer and help provide a feeling of fullness and satiety longer than refined grain and white sugars.

Look for “whole wheat flour” as the first ingredient listed. “Enriched wheat flour” does not contain the beneficial components found only in whole grains. Whole grain bagels should also provide 2 to 3 grams of fiber.