In the 21st century, everyone is conscious of what they eat. New fad diets are always cropping up, promising astonishing results in a matter of days.
Studies and surveys are conducted, which often force us to give up one type of food or another in favor of ‘healthy foods.’ The truth, however, is that even though they are being marketed as healthy, most of them are packed with ingredients that do more harm than good.
This doesn’t mean you should completely cut them out of your diet. We do recommend lowering their intake. Surely no one likes to eat just green vegetables if they can help it.
Here is a list of food items that are said to be healthy, but aren’t.
Flavored Yogurt
We were unfortunate to hear about this. Not being a fan of yogurt, this is the only way we managed to get some of our dairy needs met. The tiny serving of flavored yogurt is packed with heaps of sugar and very few benefits. The sad truth is, flavored yogurt doesn’t even fill you up enough, and after the initial sugar rush, you crash and burn.
Fruit Juice
You all those products offering 100% natural fruit juice, yeah, you’re better off without them. Fruit, on its own, contains healthy fibers and nutrients. Blended down, it is nothing but sugar. You should rather snack on a piece of fruit instead of drinking them.
Granola Bars
Go ahead and gawk. Granola bars are not healthy at all. While they are packaged to be the ultimate healthy snacking food, it is only for those who work out like crazy and need constant energy. For those looking to cut calories, it is the wrong choice. Besides, they are loaded with sugar. So unless you’re making them at home, it is best to avoid them.
Microwave Popcorns
What would Friday night movie marathons be without popcorns? Unfortunately, those super convenient microwavable popcorns are bad for you too. They contain a very high quantity of sodium that increases blood pressure and cholesterol. Plus, they usually have additional flavors like caramel and butter that add to your total calorie intake.
Energy drinks
Who hasn’t seen the ads of energy drinks that promise the impossible? Yes, those same energy drinks have enough sugar to make two tubs of our national dessert, Kheer. Sure they might give you instant energy, but they once the effect wears off, you’ll wish you never had them at all.
Low Fat Anything
Don’t assume just because something is labeled low fat, and it is healthy. When food processing plants try to make something ‘low fat’, they remove the fat content yes, but fill it with sugar to improve the taste. You would think you are consuming less fat, but you’re taking more sugar than you should.
Salted nuts
Dry fruits and nuts on their own are healthy, but when tossed around in salt, they lose their benefit. Salted nuts are coated only bad and should be avoided. You might as well have chips.
Breakfast cereals
They are advertised to be immensely healthy; many even promise weight loss. But again, they are full of sugar. You would think you have a healthy breakfast. In reality, you are giving your body an early dose of sugar which come lunchtime, will make you eat more.
Salad dressing
Salads are healthy, right. But that store-bought dressing you’re putting in it will make it useless. These processed dressings add up the calories and have no beneficial value. Use lemon juice and olive oil instead.
Margarine
This one, almost everyone knows. Said to be the healthier sister of butter, margarine for a very long time was preferred over butter. However, after various studies, it has been shown that margarine contains saturated fats that are more harmful than unsaturated fats butter has.
Almond Milk
This one is a no-brainer. Almond milk isn’t even milk. It is almond water that, in no way, can replace natural milk. Sure it sounds fancy, but if you are looking for the benefits of milk, using almond milk is not smart at all.
