8 "Health" Foods You Should AVOID!

This "salad" has over 90 grams of fat and is LOADED with sodium...

I eat "healthy"..... 

Don't I ??!?!

Here are 8 "Health" Foods To Avoid!

Big companies and their marketing teams have caught on to our attraction to items labeled "healthy", "all natural", "low fat", "Multi-Grain", and other terms indicating healthy choices and boy have they risen the charge. Walking through the grocery store, you would assume that healthy choices are easy to spot and that your cart is full of high quality products offering amazing health benefits. This is not always true. Labels can be deceiving and sometimes when a product is altered to meet criteria or a label...it takes away everything that WAS good about it.

Since labels are conusing, I thought I would break down a little about some popular labels.....

"All Natural" - the FDA has no regulation or what items are deemed all natural. The "all natural" standards are set by the company who makes the product! This term is also scary to vegetarians...just a few years ago, Coffee giant Starbucks was blasted for using red bugs to add color to their muffins and smoothies as as opposed to an unnatural dye. Dunkin Donuts also admitted that they used bird feathers as a dough conditioner. Both are natural solutions but not appetizing to me! Read more Here......

"Fat-Free" - Check out your next bottle of Fat-Free dressing. The company has simply done a bait-and switch (or lack of better words). They have removed heavy creams and oils and replaced them with tons of sugar! Sugar still becomes at once in the body so even though you didn't eat fat....you get the idea. Still we load up our carts with fat free items every day.

"Baked not Fried" - This is huge in the cracker and chip aisle. We assume that since it has been baked, it is a healthy option. This is not always the case as most are made with refined grain or starch, which provide plenty of calories and few nutrients. Look for breads and items with "WHOLE GRAIN" listed as the first ingredient!

Now that you have seen some of the labels....Here are 8 products that seem healthy that I would AVOID!

1. Mio "Fit" Water Enhancer - So now we taven taken something healthy like water and added to it propylene glycol, malic acid, sweetners, and dyes. Check out the label to the left taken directly from the Mio Fit website. No calories so healthy, right? Certainly not true...they labeled it "Fit" so this product will FLY off the shelves!




2. Fat Free Peanut Butter - To make this peanut butter "fat-free" the company simply removes the nut's natural oil. Problem is that the oil is the healthiest part of a nut, containing most of the nutrients, so why would you take that out?  In fact, it’s worse because it robs the peanut butter of its health benefits. Eating 1 to 2 ounces of nuts each day is associated with reductions in heart disease and cancer risk and studies show that people who eat this amount of nuts have lower body weights.

3. Diet Soda - This is my personal vice so those of you who know me...this proves that I tell the truth and that I am human. Diet soda has zero fat and zero sugar yet it raises your bodies insulin levels in the same way as the sugary stuff does leading to weight gain. Studies are also showing that the sweeteners in the diet drinks may alter your bodies cravings and cause you to crave other sweets leading to snacking and (of course) more weight gain. So yes, my diet soda is making me fat!

4. Processed lunch meats - Thinking your turkey sandwich for lunch was a smart move? Okay...so it is better than a fast food burger but check out the ingredient list and nutritional information. Many lunch meats are loaded with preservatives, additives, and have high sodium levels. The nitrites found in lunch meats are used to preserve  the color of the meat and to ward off botulism and are also a known carcinogen (causes cancer) .  It is said that vitamin C can counteract the nitrites so have a tomato on your sandwich or better yet...make a little extra meat at dinner time and use it for your lunch!

5. Fruit Juices - Fruit juices are high in vitamins and minerals but they are also loaded with sugar and junk! Be very cautious with your labels as many fruit juices are actually fruit cocktails and have natural or artificial "flavors" listed as an ingredient. If they are so great...why not just list the ingredients for what they are? It is because they can actually be a blend of cemicals made to taste like fruits or even perfumes of fruits made by the perfume industry! That's right... the same people who brought us CK One could also be flavoring our breakfast drink! As for the sugar,  fruits do have naturally occurring sugars but many juices have the same amount of sugar as a can of soda so enjoy the health benefits sparingly!

6. Sports & Energy Drinks - These drinks are loaded with salt and usually sugar! It is true that if you have a session of intense activity, you may need to replenish your body's salt lost during the session BUT a quick walk or run may not warrant the overdose of sodium from your favorite sports drink. The popular brand Vitamin Water comes with cute "fitness inspired" names and loads of vitamins but with zero fruit juice and as much sugar as a soda....may be best to o for a great multi-vitamin and a glass of water.  As for energy drinks like Red Bull, Rockstar, etc. Just read the labels....as much caffeine as 3 cups of cofee and LOADS of sugar! Look for natural energy boosts from whole foods like berries, greens, and whole grains!

7. Yogurt - HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE! The majority of yogurts on the market are good for you BUT take a look at the label to be sure that you are buying one of them. There is a new trend of yogurt "parfaits" and specialty yogurts that add in tons of extra sugars and additives. Go for Greek yogurt which packs 2 times the protein of regular yogurt and try making your own parfaits with fresh fruit. Check out these facts for the 99% "Fat Free" Strawberry Yoplait yogurt taken from Eat this not That....

Yoplait 99% Fat Free Strawberry (1 container, 170 g)

170 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
26 g sugars
  

THIS IS A GREAT CHOICE!

8. Energy Bars and snacks - A dieters dream right? NO WAY!  So it says chocolate and healthy but again, the ingredients tell a different story. TONS of sugar and TONS of unnecessary junk. I LOVE the LARABAR Brand. They are made with minimal ingredients - the one in my hand has only 8 ingredients : almonds, dried cherries, brown rice syrup, pecans, raisin, cashews, dates, honey, and sea salt. See...I could say them all, spell them, and they  are all good for me! Yes, 12 grams of fat per bar but healthy fats!


So...The point is to read your labels and research ingredients. Eating healthy isn't about deprivation...it is about moderation and understanding what is going into your body. Be leery of information given online and only get your facts from trusted sources. There are tons of "conspirator" food theories out there that would have you eating and drinking nothing (including water now) and the best bet is to look at the print on your product and go from there.  The food and beverage industry has a way of making items look cute and healthy in their packaging and tasting good with sugar! Some of these foods started out in an extremely healthy form (think oatmeal) and now have the nutritional value of a candy bar. Avoid these hidden mysteries in pre-packaged items and make your own with whole foods that you can pronounce and spell....it means better health for you!

If you know of any "Health Food Items" that are truly bad...please share!

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