10 ‘Health Foods’ That Aren’t As Healthy As You Think
Health trends are constant. There are many ‘healthy’ foods that don’t deserve the health halo that we give them. Foods that promote health benefits can be misleading, so education is key! Check out our list to get you started.
Health trends are constant. It’s true that some foods can be both good or bad, depending on how they’re processed or how you’re eating them. But there are many ‘healthy’ foods that don’t deserve the health halo that we give them.
Foods that promote health benefits can be misleading, so education is key! Check out our list to get you started.
1. Low Carb Foods
A lot of people are mesmerized by ‘low carb’ labels or recipes. There’s plenty of evidence to support that eating low-carb can promote healthy weight loss and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. (1)
Too often, food manufactures take advantage of the trends and start branding deceiving packaging that claim to be low-carb with friendly, healthy ingredients.
But most of these products are highly processed and filled with refined ingredients and devoid of real ingredients. The takeaway here is to be mindful of the ingredients in any low-carb labeled food item and consume in moderation.
2. Salad Dressing
If you have a vegetable aversion, it’s likely that a bowl of salad isn’t your go-to meal. And it’s also likely that when a salad presents itself to you, you’re adding dressing to it.
Unfortunately, not all salad dressings are created equal. Most commercial salad dressings are full of sugar, bad oils, and artificial chemicals making your healthy meal not so healthy anymore.
Always check the ingredients of a salad dressing before buying it. Or better yet, make your own! Extra virgin olive oil + balsamic vinegar + lemon juice = a great alternative.
3. Pre-made Salads
Since we’re talking about salads a lot of restaurants, airports, and even supermarkets prepare salads that are full of sugar and can be 1,000+ calories for one serving.
High sodium meats and cheeses boost flavor but cancel out the health standing of the salad. If there is a label (many pre-packaged salads don’t have the nutritional information) be on the lookout for the sodium and calorie count. Or take out the guesswork altogether and make your own salad.
4. Instant Oatmeal
Oatmeal (cut, ground, or rolled) is a popular breakfast food that packs a punch of nutrition in a serving. Oats can help reduce cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and are full of antioxidants—to name a few. (2)
On the other hand, instant oatmeal packs are most often filled with added sugar. Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal contains 12g of added sugar. In comparison, regular rolled oats contain zero sugar. If you enjoy a bit of sweetness, opt for a serving of blueberries (1/4 cup or 1oz) instead, for just 3.61g of natural sugar.
5. Most Yogurts
A lot of yogurt on the supermarket shelves contain added sugar—usually high-fructose corn syrup. And yogurts with whole ‘fruit’ or fruit flavor are usually from concentrate. To piggyback off the oatmeal suggestion, buy a yogurt without any added sugar and add your own serving of fruit.
6. Store-Bought Veggie Burgers
This deemed-healthy alternative to meat burgers is something that every plant-based brand tries to perfect. But the truth is that a veggie burger just isn’t going to taste like a meat burger because it’s missing the main ingredient: meat. Many companies create recipes that are full of sugar and sodium to boost their taste factor and compensate.
In some cases, veggie burgers contain more than three times as much sodium as a beef patty. Additionally, they’re often made with more fat which increases the calories.
Homemade veggie burgers are recommended as you can control exactly what goes into them. We love Cookie and Kate’s Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Burgers!
7. Bottled Smoothies
When you’re drinking a bottled smoothie, you probably feel like you’re doing yourself a favor with all the nutrients you’re nourishing your body with. Unfortunately, that same bottled smoothie probably contains more sugar than it does actual vegetables.
A popular smoothie brand contains 55 grams of sugar in one of its bottled smoothies. The ingredients list does in fact list ‘real’ fruits. But let’s do the math: In order to get 55 grams of sugar from natural fruit, you would need to consume 4 bananas in one sitting. Yikes!
Luckily for smoothie enthusiasts, there are healthier alternatives. Ditch the store-bought smoothies and instead make your own. There are plenty of recipes that have a great balance of both fruit and vegetables.
8. Low Fat/Fat-Free Foods
The idea behind low-fat food is simple: Eat less fat, gain less weight. But when fat is removed from food, it loses flavor.
Food manufacturers combat this by adding additional sugar, and they add a lot of it. Be mindful when purchasing ‘fat-free’ labeled products. Also, keep in mind that not all fat is bad and healthy fats are extremely beneficial to our health.
Not sure which fats are good, and which are bad? Check out this article for additional information!
9. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks are advertised towards athletes and heavily promote the benefit of electrolytes. One well-known sports drink brand (we don’t even need to say it) contains 34g of sugar.
The liquid sugar that plagues these sports seems counter-intuitive to the whole purpose of what a sports drink actually does. Staying hydrated is attainable without them—stick to plain water instead.
10. Breakfast Cereals
“Heart Healthy,” “Whole Grain,” “High Fiber,” “Lowers Cholesterol” — All claims that often find their way onto cereal boxes. If you really want to know your cereal, look at the back of the box instead of the front. If your “healthy” box of cereal contains added sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup/dextrose—any ‘ose’ for that matter—steer clear.
Also be on the lookout for any commercially produced fiber such as starch, dextrins, and inulin.
Keep in mind, cereal is often consumed at breakfast. After an evening of fasting (while you sleep) your first meal of the day needs to jumpstart your metabolism, not bog it down. Cereals full of sugar and refined grains do the opposite and will keep you feeling sluggish throughout. Consume cereals with minimal ingredients and plant-based fibers.
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10 ‘Health Foods’ That Aren’t As Healthy As You Think
Health trends are constant. There are many ‘healthy’ foods that don’t deserve the health halo that we give them. Foods that promote health benefits can be misleading, so education is key! Check out our list to get you started.
Health trends are constant. It’s true that some foods can be both good or bad, depending on how they’re processed or how you’re eating them. But there are many ‘healthy’ foods that don’t deserve the health halo that we give them.
Foods that promote health benefits can be misleading, so education is key! Check out our list to get you started.
1. Low Carb Foods
A lot of people are mesmerized by ‘low carb’ labels or recipes. There’s plenty of evidence to support that eating low-carb can promote healthy weight loss and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. (1)
Too often, food manufactures take advantage of the trends and start branding deceiving packaging that claim to be low-carb with friendly, healthy ingredients.
But most of these products are highly processed and filled with refined ingredients and devoid of real ingredients. The takeaway here is to be mindful of the ingredients in any low-carb labeled food item and consume in moderation.
2. Salad Dressing
If you have a vegetable aversion, it’s likely that a bowl of salad isn’t your go-to meal. And it’s also likely that when a salad presents itself to you, you’re adding dressing to it.
Unfortunately, not all salad dressings are created equal. Most commercial salad dressings are full of sugar, bad oils, and artificial chemicals making your healthy meal not so healthy anymore.
Always check the ingredients of a salad dressing before buying it. Or better yet, make your own! Extra virgin olive oil + balsamic vinegar + lemon juice = a great alternative.
3. Pre-made Salads
Since we’re talking about salads a lot of restaurants, airports, and even supermarkets prepare salads that are full of sugar and can be 1,000+ calories for one serving.
High sodium meats and cheeses boost flavor but cancel out the health standing of the salad. If there is a label (many pre-packaged salads don’t have the nutritional information) be on the lookout for the sodium and calorie count. Or take out the guesswork altogether and make your own salad.
4. Instant Oatmeal
Oatmeal (cut, ground, or rolled) is a popular breakfast food that packs a punch of nutrition in a serving. Oats can help reduce cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and are full of antioxidants—to name a few. (2)
On the other hand, instant oatmeal packs are most often filled with added sugar. Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal contains 12g of added sugar. In comparison, regular rolled oats contain zero sugar. If you enjoy a bit of sweetness, opt for a serving of blueberries (1/4 cup or 1oz) instead, for just 3.61g of natural sugar.
5. Most Yogurts
A lot of yogurt on the supermarket shelves contain added sugar—usually high-fructose corn syrup. And yogurts with whole ‘fruit’ or fruit flavor are usually from concentrate. To piggyback off the oatmeal suggestion, buy a yogurt without any added sugar and add your own serving of fruit.
6. Store-Bought Veggie Burgers
This deemed-healthy alternative to meat burgers is something that every plant-based brand tries to perfect. But the truth is that a veggie burger just isn’t going to taste like a meat burger because it’s missing the main ingredient: meat. Many companies create recipes that are full of sugar and sodium to boost their taste factor and compensate.
In some cases, veggie burgers contain more than three times as much sodium as a beef patty. Additionally, they’re often made with more fat which increases the calories.
Homemade veggie burgers are recommended as you can control exactly what goes into them. We love Cookie and Kate’s Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Burgers!
7. Bottled Smoothies
When you’re drinking a bottled smoothie, you probably feel like you’re doing yourself a favor with all the nutrients you’re nourishing your body with. Unfortunately, that same bottled smoothie probably contains more sugar than it does actual vegetables.
A popular smoothie brand contains 55 grams of sugar in one of its bottled smoothies. The ingredients list does in fact list ‘real’ fruits. But let’s do the math: In order to get 55 grams of sugar from natural fruit, you would need to consume 4 bananas in one sitting. Yikes!
Luckily for smoothie enthusiasts, there are healthier alternatives. Ditch the store-bought smoothies and instead make your own. There are plenty of recipes that have a great balance of both fruit and vegetables.
8. Low Fat/Fat-Free Foods
The idea behind low-fat food is simple: Eat less fat, gain less weight. But when fat is removed from food, it loses flavor.
Food manufacturers combat this by adding additional sugar, and they add a lot of it. Be mindful when purchasing ‘fat-free’ labeled products. Also, keep in mind that not all fat is bad and healthy fats are extremely beneficial to our health.
Not sure which fats are good, and which are bad? Check out this article for additional information!
9. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks are advertised towards athletes and heavily promote the benefit of electrolytes. One well-known sports drink brand (we don’t even need to say it) contains 34g of sugar.
The liquid sugar that plagues these sports seems counter-intuitive to the whole purpose of what a sports drink actually does. Staying hydrated is attainable without them—stick to plain water instead.
10. Breakfast Cereals
“Heart Healthy,” “Whole Grain,” “High Fiber,” “Lowers Cholesterol” — All claims that often find their way onto cereal boxes. If you really want to know your cereal, look at the back of the box instead of the front. If your “healthy” box of cereal contains added sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup/dextrose—any ‘ose’ for that matter—steer clear.
Also be on the lookout for any commercially produced fiber such as starch, dextrins, and inulin.
Keep in mind, cereal is often consumed at breakfast. After an evening of fasting (while you sleep) your first meal of the day needs to jumpstart your metabolism, not bog it down. Cereals full of sugar and refined grains do the opposite and will keep you feeling sluggish throughout. Consume cereals with minimal ingredients and plant-based fibers.