The world is going through a food revolution. More specifically, the world is going through a health food revolution. There are so many ways to lose weight, eat better and live healthier that there is a lot of misinformation flying around. The misinformation is because of the sheer amount of material available online, and the sudden spurt of “health gurus” that have come up recently. Now, most of this misinformation is harmless. However, just as being smart about credit spending is better than having to seek refuge in helpful financial services from firms like National Debt Relief, being knowledgeable about wrongly hyped super-foods is much smarter than spending on misleading and expensive ‘organic’ food brands. Do you know that the following foods are very unhealthy?
Nuts
Health gurus have time and again propagated nuts as a healthy food. Most web pages have nuts listed under ideas for healthy snacks. However, they fail to warm users about not having too many. Nuts are fatty and very high in calories. Though they contain “good” fats, their caloric value is enough to warrant extreme caution when consuming them. Over and above this, we usually buy salted nuts form the store. Consuming large amounts of salt is very bad for your heart.
Diet Soda
Soda is bad for you, period. Doesn’t matter if it is in ‘diet’ form, doesn’t matter if it has 1 calorie or zero calories. Healthy foods have more than acceptable artificial food flavors and carbonated water in their ingredients list. Studies have shown diet sodas to increase the appetite, which leads to considerable weight gain as you eat more. Also, the aspartame used as a sweetener in many of these has been shown to be cancerous. Instead, doctors recommend having smaller amounts of full-fat soda.
Protein Bars
Protein bars and energy bars are the worst. They are sold everywhere, including gyms, and that leads people to ascribe a “healthy” image to them. Feeling like munching? Have a protein bar. Mid-morning snack? Protein bar. Protein bars are often very high in sugar and preservatives, both of which affect you adversely. On top of that, the soy protein in them is highly processed. While good as a pre-workout snack for an energy boost, anyone trying to diet should stay away from them. Try making them at home for the truly healthy version.
Packaged Soup
Soup is always a go-to for tired dieters. It is healthy, easy to make and filling. However, how you make your soup has the answer to whether it is healthy or not. If you’re pouring it in powdered form out of a packet, it isn’t healthy. The amount of sodium, salt, unnecessary fats and preservatives that is mixed into that powder is not good for you at all. What’s worse, because they have the “healthy” image, people tend to have more servings. Making soup isn’t a tedious process, with ample rewards. It can be frozen ahead of time as well, making the preparation as easy as packet soup.
Sauces
Store-bought sauces have the same problem as packaged soup – they are very high on sugar, sodium, carbohydrates and preservatives. Thus, all your efforts of making healthy grilled chicken breasts is negated when you slather it in barbecue sauce. Those baked kale chips aren’t that healthy when teamed with your favorite hot sauce. You could make your own sauce with a little effort at home, and it pays off grandly in the long run. Nothing tastes better than homemade sauces, and you end up eating better food, too!
Processed Cheese
Interestingly, there are many processed cheeses which are legally not justified in being called cheese. These products are highly processed, to the extent that they aren’t even real food anymore. The salt levels are so huge that you could easily eat more than recommended levels in two or three servings. They are very high in fat, to preserve moisture. The preservatives are also very high, and these fake foods are bad for your system. Spend a little more and buy expensive cheese which you know doesn’t have a truckload of chemicals dumped on them. Even a little processed Parmesan on top of your food adds up. Small amounts of goat cheese and ricotta are much better than the fake cheese you buy.
Fruit Juice
Fruit juice comes from fruit, which dieters often are unwillingly fed. Fruit is a universally recognized diet food, so fruit juices must be good for you, right? Wrong.. Check the ingredient label of any store-bought fruit juice. These store-bought varieties are pumped full of sugar and flavor enhancers to enhance the taste. They have no pulp, which negates the fiber you would have consumed from real fruit. It is much better to make pulpy fruit juice at home. You could also skip the juice part and have real fruit.