Most everyone knows that almost three quarters of Americans are overweight or obese. We are inundated with advertisements for food that is “low-fat”, “sugar-free”, and “healthy”, yet as a nation we continue to grow larger. Most people try to eat healthy, at least some of the time, but have little information as to the nutritional value of what they are eating. Having busy schedules and eating on the go also contributes to the health problem.
Here is a list of foods that people think are healthy, and that they are good to eat, however they are usually less than stellar.
* Fruit Juice — Most fruit juice that you buy at the grocery store or in juice boxes for school lunches has added sugar, usually fructose.
* Yogurt with fruit at the bottom — It is filled with sugar, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners.
* Reduced fat peanut butter — It usually has the same amount of calories as regular peanut butter but has more sugar to make up for the “reduced fat”. Also, the fat in nut butters is actually the “good” fat that your body needs.
* Sports drinks — These are usually sugar-water. Check the labels.
* Veggie chips — They have only about 10 fewer calories than potato chips and are filled with preservatives.
* Muffins — They are more like a mini cake. They have unhealthy fats, refined flour and added sugar. Even blueberry or other fruit varieties have very little fruit or vitamins actually in them.
* Granola and granola bars — They are loaded with added fat and sugar (corn syrup) making them as unhealthy as candy bars.
* Broccoli and cheddar soup — Made with fat cheddar cheese, butter and cream…all unhealthy fats. The nutrients from the broccoli are mostly cooked off.
* Pretzels — They are void of vitamins, minerals, fiber or protein and are full of sodium.
* Yogurt covered raisins — The yogurt is mostly oil and sugar with trans fats.
* Diet soda — Most people who drink this are replacing much-needed water from their diet. It can also leach calcium from their bones and they are high in artificial sweeteners. They are dubbed “cancer in a can” in the survivor circle.
* Fast food salads — They are topped with sugary dressings and white flour croutons. If made with iceberg lettuce there is very little nutritional value.
* Vitamin-enriched water — You do actually get some nutrients from this but with a side of sugar and calories.
* Spinach wraps and spinach pasta — There is very minimal spinach actually added to these and they are not made with whole-grain flour.
* Breakfast cereals — They are often high in sugar and salt. The vitamin and mineral content is chemical based.
* Packaged turkey — Just loaded with sodium!
* Bread — We know white flour is void of nutrition and bad, but whole grain and whole wheat varieties can still have corn syrup and trans fats. Sprouted is best.
So in your quest to eat healthy take a look at labels and try to replace a few of these items with fresh fruits and vegetables, purified water, and nuts and seeds. Your body will thank you, and heck, you may even lose a pound or two