5 ‘Healthy’ Foods That Aren’t Really Healthy
A 2015 Penn State study, researchers found that the more fitness-branded foods dieters bought, they more they ate and the less they exercised. So, potentially, your health-foods diet could pack more calories, fat, and ridiculously convoluted chemicals than your unhealthy diet ever did.
The health-foods aisle has a way of making people gain weight and understandably pretty ticked-off. After all, isn’t munching on (nasty-tasting) health foods supposed to be good for you?
Food manufacturers don’t really care about how we improve our healthy lifestyles. Their end goal isn’t making consumers healthier. It’s making money. And packaging foods as “healthy,” “smart,” and “natural” is an easy way to make a buck. Unfortunately, apart from suckering us into eating foods that really aren’t any healthier than whatever it is you’re trying to sub out, those healthy labels can make you overeat big time.
That’s especially true if you are noshing on any of these 10 “healthy” foods that can have the reverse effect on your body.
JUICES AND SMOOTHIES
If you’re set on having a bottled juice or smoothie, first check the ingredients label and make sure it contains no more than 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
What to look for? Ideally, it should only contain one serving of fruit. The rest should be veggies.
VEGGIE CHIPS
If your carrot chips are carrot chips and your parsnip chips are parsnip chips, that’s one thing. But, more often than not, veggie chips are just potato chips with some veggie powder sprinkled in for coloring. Take time to look at the calorie, fat, sodium, and carb counts. Many veggie chips are just as fattening as the potato chips you’re likely trying to avoid.
DIY: You can make better, healthier (and better-tasting) veggie chips at home. Thinly slice beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake them at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until they’re crisp. Sprinkle them with herbs and spices for some extra flavor. (You’re welcome!)
SMART CEREALS
Far too often, “smart,” “whole grain,” “healthy” cereals aren’t all that different than the sugary stuff you ate as a kid. Case in point: On average, foods displaying the yellow Whole Grain Stamp contain more sugar and calories than do whole-grain foods that don’t sport the label, according to research from Harvard University.
Simple tip: Instead of looking at the front of the box to make your selection, look at the back. The cereal should contain fewer than 10 grams of sugar per serving, at least 5 grams fiber per serving, and contain bran in the ingredients.
QUINOA PASTA
Quinoa is, without question, an incredibly healthy food. It contains fewer carbs and sugars than regular pasta, and it’s packed with protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle. Unfortunately, many quinoa pastas contain more corn flour, a cheap gluten-free flour, than anything else.
The result: It contains just as many calories, more carbs, and fewer grams of protein than if you just stuck with wheat pasta. Before buying any quinoa pasta, flip over the box. Look for brands that contain one ingredient: Quinoa flour.
MULTIGRAIN BREAD
Multigrain breads only indicate that the bread contains multiple grains. It says nothing about their degree of refinement. Refined grains have been extensively processed, and their bran and germ, the fiber-, vitamin, and mineral-containing part of the grain, have been removed, leaving only simple carbs that spike your blood sugar and promote weight gain.
What to look for? Look for breads that have some sort of whole grain—whole wheat, whole rye, whole oats—as their first ingredient. If it has multiple whole grains, that’s great—just make sure they’re whole so that you’re getting as much fiber and as many vitamins and minerals as possible
