Check the labels on "health foods" to avoid nasty surprises
Are you trying to lose weight or simply eat healthier? Choosing healthy foods may not be as easy as you thought.
Unhealthy health foods can fool even those who pride themselves on their nutritional know-how unless you’re careful. Just because you find it in a health food store or a certain section of your supermarket doesn’t mean it’s any better for you.
Some of the worst offenders try to fool you with product labels including words like Fat Free, Reduced Fat, Low Fat, Sugar Free, No Added Sugar and Diet.
Food labels with those words on the front warrant an immediate fact check of the real ingredients on the back before deserving a place in your shopping cart.
Chances are you’ll be surprised these are the foods higher in calories, unhealthy fats and sugars. Not to mention the numerous additives you’re trying to keep out of your diet when eating healthy.
Top 10 Unhealthy Health Foods
#1: Diet Soda — You already know diet soda isn’t good for you, but just how bad is it? Artificial sweeteners, combined with artificial flavors and colors in a carbonated beverage is a recipe for disaster. Diet soda is nothing but water and chemicals. Some of these chemicals are known to cause cancer. Choose water with a twist of lemon instead.
#2: Bran Muffins — Beware of portion size. Many bran muffins are huge and pack in a ton of fat, calories and sugar, leading to a late-morning energy crash. Even Starbucks’ popular and relatively healthier Apple Bran Muffin has 350 calories and 9 grams of fat, which still won’t be any major help in keeping your waistline trim. It might be a good idea to avoid muffins altogether. Instead, consider a bowl of bran cereal and small serving of fresh fruit.
#3: Frozen Yogurt — Don’t be fooled. This soft-serve treat may be low in fat, but it’s high in sugar. Just 8 oz of your favorite frozen yogurt can easily contain over 50 grams of sugar and 240 calories or more. Sprinkle with yogurt chips and that’s another 20 grams of sugar and 140 more calories. You could end up with more sugar than a can of soda and some candy bars combined.
#4: Granola Bars — Check the fine print. Granola bars may seem like a healthy alternative to cookies and candy bars but they can actually have significantly more calories. Most granola bars are loaded with sugar and fat. One serving ofNatureValley’s Roasted Almond Crunch granola bar has 8 grams of fat and 11 grams of sugar.
#5: Fruit Juice — Try eating whole fruit. Some fruit juices contain so much sugar you might as well be drinking pop. Just because the packaging says “contains real fruit juice” doesn’t mean the beverage inside is good for you. Eat whole fruit instead and you’ll get tons more antioxidants and fiber, without the insulin spike and crash you get from juice.
#6: Salad — Salads aren’t a health food once you pile on the toppings. Many restaurant salads are packed with add-ins, such as cheese, bacon bits, creamy dressings, and croutons. With added toppings and dressing a salad is a waist-expander, rather than a low-fat lunch. Having lunch at TGI Friday’s. Their Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad has 1760mg of sodium, 36 grams of fat (including 70% of your daily intake of saturated fat) and 590 calories. You would have been better off ordering their Prime Rib Stroganoff if you’re watching your weight with half the sodium, a third the fat and only 390 calories.
#7: Smoothies — Make your own. Most smoothies are not diet friendly unless you make it yourself at home. The average large smoothie contains a whopping 520 calories and 100 grams of sugar. Choosing a smoothie for lunch may seem like the lighter option, but the truth is you’ll get lots more energy from a whole sandwich and vegetables, plus you’ll get fewer calories and less sugar.
#8: Instant Oatmeal / Boxed Cereal — Watch out for additives. The flavored packets of instant oatmeal generally have less protein and fiber, and more sugar, salt, and additives. Boxed cereal may brag about the vitamins and minerals it contains, but a closer look will reveal 10 grams of sugar. Try whole grain oatmeal or shredded wheat for a healthier alternative.
#9: Fat Free or Low-Fat Salad Dressing — Try a small portion on the side. Drenching your veggies with a dressing labeled fat-free means adding more calories and sodium to your meal. The fat in low-fat dressing has been replaced with sugar or artificial flavors and sweeteners. Try substituting with a dressing made with olive oil, or just use olive oil and vinegar.
#10: Frozen Diet Meals – Don’t be deceived. Most of the health benefits from frozen diet meals come from the small portion size. While low in fat, the majority of frozen dinners are high in salt. For a healthier option try preparing batches of food ahead of time and freezing them in small containers. You’ll have a quick and easy meal, without the salt and additives.
The Real Health Food Drink That Burns Fat
Good food choices can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression. Healthy eating starts with adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet and cutting back on foods that have a lot of fat, salt, and sugar.
As you can now tell, finding foods that are both healthy and can actually help you lose weight can be a challenge. That’s why I want to tell you about a delicious Chinese tea I found that actually helps your waistline without harming your health.
Cultivated for over 400 years without additives, preservatives or chemicals, authentic Wu-Long Tea has been called “Nature’s Weight Loss Secret.” It naturally boosts your metabolism, burning fat up to 43% faster. Studies show Wu-Long Tea helps you burn 2½ times as many calories as green tea.
Discover more about Wu-Long Tea here…
New Wu-Long Tea drinkers often begin losing an extra pound a week when combined with a healthy eating and activity program. Imagine being 50 pounds slimmer by this time next year just from drinking some tea!
And that’s only half the story. Wu-Long Tea boasts a number of powerful benefits. Of course, you have to get the real stuff grown in Anxi County in the Fujian Province of China, known as the Tea Capital of the World. But now you can get it right here in the United States in Okuma’s Original Wu-Long Slimming Tea.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your health and lose weight I strongly encourage you to give Okuma’s Original Wu-Long Slimming Tea a try.
The real culprit under in most North American diets is the cooking oil. All veg oils are equally to blame, although Canola oil is by far the worst. If you research SOLID science you will find that PUFAs should make up no more than 4% of body fat intake. Added to this the extraction process for veg oils and you have an added risk. Interesting enough, veg oils cause many of the problems they are claimed to cure, such as arterial lesions. The body then uses cholesterol as a repair patch. Traditional diets, proven over thousands of years show that healthy, organic saturated fat, gelatinous soups, and herbs that increase bile flow dramatically increase life expectancy.
Good Health to you.
Don’t forget soya. The way it is processed involves acids and alkalines which can’t possibly be good for you. Quorn is a better option but you have to be careful with some of their stuff which contains vegetable oil and high salt content.
Want a great and tasty salad dressing that isn’t fattening? Take a half cup of water, one packet of Stevia, (has the sweetening of 2 teaspoons of sugar) and 5 or 6 tablespoons of white vinegar, (to taste). Combine and stir these three together and you will have a tangy sweet salad dressing that will compliment your salad and your weight loss!!!!! I have never tried it with cider vinegar but that is always an option.