There are many misconceptions out there about what is a “healthy option.” Everywhere you look in the grocery store, there are advertisements about how some food is fat free, or even sugar free. Here is a list of common foods that are misleading, and are portrayed to be “healthy.”
Smoothies:
Some smoothies can have as much as 650-1000 calories, and are full of sugar.
- Smoothie King’s Hulk Strawberry is 964 calories, and 125 grams of sugar.
- McDonald’s 22 ounce banana strawberry smoothie has less calories (330 calories), though there is 70 grams of sugar.
Greek Yogurt:
This may be a great source of protein, however, there are many Greek yogurt brands full of sugar! Sugar turns into fat. It is very important to pay attention to the nutritional information. Here are some examples:
- Yoplait Greek Vanilla is 140 calories and contains 18 grams of sugar.
- Dannon Activia Greek Vanilla is 140 calories and 21 grams of sugar.
- Dannon Oikos nonfat yogurt would be a better option, as it is only 80 calories and 6 grams of sugar.
Salads at Restaurants:
At some places, you might as well order and cheeseburger with fries. Adding bacon, cheese, croutons and a creamy dressing is not a good choice. Here are some salads from restaurants which are loaded with calories:
- Chilis’ Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad is 1040 calories.
- Panera’s Chicken Cobb with Avocado is 640 calories, and the Steak & Blue Cheese Salad is 680 calories.
- Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad is 780 calories and 51 grams of fat!!!
Diet Soda:
You may be cutting back on the calories, though you are at increased risk for developing metabolic syndrome and heart disease. According to Brooke Alpert, a registered dietitian and author of The Sugar Detox, “artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage.”
Frozen Veggie Burgers:
Make sure you are purchasing veggie burgers that actually have vegetables in the patties. Some brands are misleading and processed in soy, textured vegetable proteins, and other chemicals such as hexane).
Protein Bars:
You might as well eat a candy bar. The shorter the ingredient’s list, usually means the healthier option. You need to keep an eye on the amount of sugar in the bars. Here are some popular brands for protein bars which are full of sugar and calories.
- There is the Cliff Chocolate Almond Fudge bar which contains 23 grams of sugar and 250 calories.
- The Met-RX Big 100 Colossal Brownie has 18 grams of sugar and 390 calories and.
- The Power Bar Oatmeal Raisin contains 22 grams of sugar and 250 calories.
- A snickers bar contains 27 grams of sugar and 250 calories, which is similar to the Cliff’s protein bar.
Granola:
Most store bought granola is full of sugar. Some store bought granola may accumulate to 600 calories for just one cup. You should focus on cereal that is high in fiber, and less sugar. Healthy options of cereal include:
- Cheerios (3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar and 100 calories per serving), and Wheaties (3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar and 100 calories per serving).
Trail mix:
Most trail mix includes nuts, raisins, seeds or dried fruits. There are some trail mixes now which include yogurt raisins or chocolate pieces. As most of the other foods listed in this blog, these are most often full of sugar and fat.
Muffins:
You might as well eat donuts! Here are some interesting facts when comparing donuts to muffins.
- Donuts have fewer calories than muffins.
- Donuts have less sugar than muffins.
- Donuts have less fat than muffins.
- Donuts have less sodium than muffins.
- Muffins do contain more protein than most donuts.
Author: Darci Mertz
Kansas City Bone & Joint Clinic
Sources:
https://greatist.com/health/best-healthy-cereal-brands
http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-protein-bars
http://fitnationmag.com/unhealthy-protein-bars/
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/secretly-unhealthy-foods
http://www.today.com/health/7-foods-arent-healthy-you-think-1D80152392
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu-categories/salads.html
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512_2,00.html
http://www.eatthis.com/11-best-worst-greek-yogurts-weight-loss
