It’s a typical day. You wake up and grab a cup of decaf coffee to which you add low fat milk and a low cal sweetener. You drink a glass of orange juice, and grab a bran muffin. For lunch, you snack on a deli-bought tuna sandwich and salad, along with a Diet Coke. Your three o’clock treat consists of a small bag of pretzels, and for dinner, you help yourself to some tempura rolls, followed by a bowl of frozen yogurt. As you head off to bed, you’re pleased you’ve made some wise, healthy food choices.
But the fact is, those seemingly healthy choices are not all that good for you. Once you’ve factored in the sugar, artificial stimulants, sodium and empty calories you’ve consumed, chances are its knowledge will prevent you from a getting good night’s rest.
While most Americans are hopping onto the organic and healthy food bandwagon, a large percentage continue to grab their low-fat, diet food off the shelves. Does this mean that all low fat food is bad for you? Not so. But everything you put into your shopping trolley that is labeled healthy might not in fact be a good food choice, and this unfortunately applies to health store food as well. While we think that our daily consumption of healthy labeled foods and snacks are doing our bodies good, they can in fact be cause more harm that we’d imagine.
There are many words marketers use effectively to lead us to believe our food choices are the right ones. They include:
- Fat Free
- Reduced Fat
- Low Fat
- Sugar Free
- No Added Sugar
- Diet
In reality, most of these foods don’t offer a correct balance. A fat-free product might be free of fat, but it usually is loaded up with sugars and carbs. Similarly, sugar free products can be chock-full of artificial sweeteners and other additives. Below are some foods that most of us consume on a regular basis, believing them to be healthy food choices, when in fact, on most occasions they are not.
Bran muffins: They’ve got bran in them, they have got to be a good for you. Right? Wrong. Bran muffins, like most muffins are loaded with flour, sugar, shortening and occasionally icing sugar. Store bought ones are also supersized, and can contain as much as 600 calories! Depending on where you buy them, they may also contain trans fats which are proven to raise bad cholesterol levels.
Bagels: Bagels and cream cheese makes such a popular breakfast choice; most of us don’t think twice about ordering one. But bagels are a very dense bread and depending on the size, can be equal to four slices of regular bread. Tasty? Yes. Healthy? Not necessarily so. If you must have one, order a whole wheat bagel, divide it into two and share it with a friend.
Tuna sandwiches: Most deli sandwiches are loaded with mayonnaise and butter /margarine. And tuna being a flaky, light meat can absorb larger amounts of both these ingredients. Opt for a reduced mayo tuna sandwich on whole-wheat bread, and ask them to fill it with veggie up the taste factor.
Salad: With that deli sandwich, you might be tempted to order a salad. After all, aren’t salads touted to be one of the healthiest dishes available? Hold on. A typical salad might contain greens and vegetable, but it also has dressing, perhaps fried chicken or bacon, croutons and other add-ons like noodles and pasta. As you should get your greens in, ask for a plate of steamed veggies, or visit a salad bar and make up your own salad instead.
Diet soda: A few decades ago, diet soda made its entrance with a big splash and has continued to be a strong player in the weight loss field. However, more recently, consumers are beginning to understand that the label ‘diet’ being tagged onto a product doesn’t necessarily make it any healthier for you. Diet soda contains caffeine and is also high in phosphoric acid, the combination of which could lead to bone and joint conditions. The consumption of diet soda on a regular basis can lead to excessive phosphorus in the body, which in turn may result in low blood calcium levels. Apart from this, the addition of artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors can be harmful, according to ongoing research. If you dislike the taste of plain water, mix in some fruit juice for a better alternative to quench your thirst.
Energy drinks: Energy drinks are usually more expensive than soft drinks, and as early as 2004, they overtook bottled water as the fastest growing category in beverages. Yet, in terms of what they offer, they can rank at the same level as soft drinks. They might have fancy ingredients listed on their labels, but in a lot of instances, these drinks include large amounts of sugar and caffeine to give you that extra shot of energy. Always read labels before making a purchase.
Soy foods: Many years ago, Americans discovered the benefits of soy, and soy found its way into everything from milk and burgers to cereals and cookies. While soy eaten in small amounts may be good for you, the large amounts we are urged to consume is thought to be linked to increased estrogen in men and increased breast cancer in women. Processed soy also loses a lot of its vital nutrients, but may retain its inherent toxins, which is another reasons to be cautious about over consuming soy foods. Choose high-protein whole food such as whole grains, brown rice, almond milk, nuts, seaweeds, beans, and lentils.
Other foods which seem good for you, but in actuality may be loaded with sugars, artificial sweeteners, sodium, and other additives include:
- Yogurt with fruit at the bottom
- Dried fruit snacks
- Baked beans
- California rolls
- Granola bars
- Fruit juices and fruit cocktails
- Fruit bars or fruit flavored snacks
- Reduced-fat peanut butter
- Pretzels
- Protein bars
- Popcorn
- Pizza
- Frozen diet meals
