Eating Healthy
When you make the decision to start eating healthy, there is a lot of information online to give you some ideas of what you should eat. While some of this information is accurate, some of it isn’t. There are foods that you may think are good for you, but they actually aren’t. Here are 10 supposedly ‘healthy’ foods that actually do more harm than good.
Fruit Juice
Since fruit is healthy, most people assume that drinking fruit juice is just as healthy. The reality is that most fruit juices are far from healthy. Most fruit juices get their color and taste from chemicals. Even if the label reads, “100% fruit juice,” you are consuming a great deal of sugar and none of the beneficial fiber that actual fruit contains.
Granola Bars
Granola bars may be high in fiber, but they are also high in sugar. What is worse is that granola bars have minimal nutrients. If you are looking for a healthy snack to give you some energy, try a handful of almonds instead.
Baked Beans
Beans are very nutritious, and they are packed with natural protein. Baked beans; however, are loaded with sugar and sodium. The sauce that the beans are cooked in is also very high in calories. Just the fact that there is a massive chunk of salt pork in the baked bean can should tell you that baked beans aren’t the greatest food choice when you are dieting. If you are eating healthy, stick to kidney beans, but make sure that you cook them first.
Pretzels
Many people who are trying to eat healthy keep pretzels in the cupboard and make them their go-to snack. Sure, pretzels are low in fat, but that is the only thing that they have for them. They are very high in sodium, and they contain very little nutrients that will improve your health or help you with your diet. Rather than eating a bag of pretzels, stick to just a few with some low-fat hummus. Better yet, try a sliced apple.
Veggie Chips
Many people eat veggie chips to feed their salt craving. They eat veggie chips to ease their guilty conscience. Unfortunately, veggie chips are just as harmful to your diet as regular chips. By the time the veggie chips have been fried and processed, all of the nutrients are gone. If you are looking for a healthy vegetable snack, you should just stick with the real thing. They are much healthier, and you won’t need to worry about losing any of the nutrients in the process.
Most Foods That Say “Low-Fat” On the Label
When saturated fat was declared to be bad, food manufacturers raced to get it out of their food. They wanted no trace of this type of fat in the food that they sold. Unfortunately, when they removed this fat, the food lacked flavor. To resolve the issue, they added more sugar, which is actually less than fat. It is also essential to understand that fat in moderation is necessary for a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Rice Crackers
Rice crackers are many dieters go-to snacks. Unfortunately, they aren’t as healthy as you might think. First, they aren’t very filling, which means that you will need to eat several of them if you are going to feel full. They are also very high in carbs and have very little protein. Overall, when you eat rice crackers, you are eating an empty calorie food. You are better off finding a snack that is filling and higher in nutrients.
Sports Drinks Can Harm Than Good
Sure, sports drinks can help balance your electrolytes if you are sick or hungover; however, if you are dieting, you should avoid making sports drinks your go-to drinks. These drinks are high in both sugar and salt, which isn’t suitable for a diet. Rather than drinking sports drinks, you should stick to bottled water. You can go with sparkling water, flavored water, or just plain water.
Nuts Harm Than Good
Nuts are a superfood; however, if you are going to eat healthy, you need to be eating the right kind of nuts. The right nuts are raw nuts. If you are buying nuts that are salted, sugared, roasted, or dipped in chocolate, you aren’t doing your diet any good. If you are going to eat raw nuts for a snack, you need just six to feel full. Every more than that will be added calories that you just don’t need.
Organic Or Gluten-Free Food
Just because a food is organic or gluten-free, it doesn’t mean that it is healthy. These foods still contain high levels of oil, refined grains, and sugar. Going organic may seem like the healthy thing to do, but you are better off sticking to carrot sticks or celery sticks.
