15 Foods That Deceptively Appear to Be Healthy
Thought you were making healthy nutritional choices with those seemingly wholesome snacks from the grocery store? It’s time for a reality check! A recent inquiry in an online community sparked a compelling question: “Which foods do people commonly believe are healthy but, in truth, may pose a threat to their well-being?” The ensuing flood of responses revealed a slew of deceptively labeled unhealthy foods that often disguise themselves as virtuous alternatives.
1. Flavored Yogurt
Are you a fan of flavored yogurt? Then you might reconsider your choices. A user said, “ It was marketed for years as a “healthy snack” when most of those tiny Yoplait cups have more sugar than a Coke.”
“When I was in college eating at the cafeteria, I thought I had found the most nutritious purple-flavored yogurt taste great and healthy for you, right? When I discovered an ungodly amount of sugar in flavored yogurt, I was highly disappointed as I might as well have just been pounding Twinkies and Snickers bars.” Another user added.
2. Packaged Juices
While juices are (sometimes) derived from fruits, the juicing process removes the beneficial fiber in whole fruits. As a result, the juice becomes concentrated with sugars. A user said, “I learned that unless it’s 100% juice, you’re just drinking sugar water. Little to no nutritional value, and you’ll be sending your blood glucose levels into a frenzy.”
3. Chocolate Spreads
Chocolate spreads, like Nutella, are made from a combination of chocolate, sugar, and various oils. While they contain some healthy content, such as antioxidants, they also tend to be high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. A user said, “Nutella ran ads 20+ years ago. Less fat than peanut butter. Less sugar than jam. Technically the truth, but still huge amounts of both.” Clever!
4. Herbalife Products
Herbalife is a multi-level marketing company, and users believe the products cause more harm than good. “The more Herbalife salespeople I talk to, the more cult-like the company seems.” A user said.
“I’ve taken care of a patient who took Herbalife supplements. It basically wrecked his kidneys and liver. The dude was in his 20s with a failing organs, and swollen legs with +4 edema.” Another user added.
5. Granola Bars
A comment said, “They’re chocolate, oats and sugar for the most part. Oats can be healthy by themselves. But a granola bar is unhealthy due to all the sugar, chocolate and stuff along with them. Same for apples. Apples are healthy, apple pie, not healthy.”
6. Veggie Straws and Other Salty Snacks
Veggie straws are snacks that gained popularity as a healthier alternative to traditional potato chips or fried snacks. However, it is not as healthy as you think. Someone stated, “A surprising number of people didn’t check the back of those packages to find that they’re just pringles that included a little bit of vegetable dust in the potato chip mix. People actually think they’re just eating salty, crispy vegetables.”
7. Cereal
“A lot of the sugary cereals are now packed with vitamins and minerals. Still not healthy, but sadly it might be the most healthy thing some kids eat all day.” A user said. Sugar is the second or third ingredient on most cereals, meaning its packed!
8. Anything Labeled as Fat-Free
Fat-free fads are a total scam, as we now know fat doesn’t make us fat- especially the healthy ones. Where fat is removed, chemical flavors and sugar are added for taste.
A user has to say, “Fat’s fine in a vacuum and has clear biological uses, but I would also caution against going full blast in the other direction and scarfing down gobs of it at the expense of cutting out some other thing everyone wants to blame. Ultimately, eating a balanced and varied diet in moderation should be the end goal.”
9. Panera Bread (The Restaurant)
Panera Bread is a popular bakery chain that offers a variety of baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other menu items. However, users believe their food is not as healthy and clean as they claim. A user said, “Twice I bought the Panera mac & cheese bowl from Walmart and ate the whole thing for lunch before being notified of the ungodly amount of sodium in it.”
10. Salads With Unhealthy Dressings and Toppings
Someone wrote, “I used to work in a place with a salad bar. You have no idea how many people would say, “I’m just having the salad bar. “I’m on a diet,” but then put three or four lettuce leaves on the plate underneath a pile of cheese, ham, and ranch dressing. By the way, ranch dressing is mostly mayonnaise.”
11. Most of The Brown Bread
According to this person, Most brown bread in the market is brown-colored refined flour bread. Always read the ingredients on brown bread to see how much-refined flour (if any) they contain.”
12. Halloumi
Halloumi is a type of grilling cheese that is delish in the right quantities.
A user said, “ There were two meals virtually the same, only difference was that one had chicken, the other had halloumi as the veggie option. The halloumi option was almost double the calories of the chicken one.”
13. Trail Mix
Pre-packaged trail mix can sometimes contain added sugars, unhealthy oils, and excessive calorie counts. Try making your own with less refined sugar and more nuts and naturally dried fruits.
14. Anything Packaged
In reality, most things that are packaged have added preservatives to keep them shelf stable. And added artificial or “natural” (still lab made) flavors that help keep it tasting decent. These add extra additives are not ideal when there are plenty of whole foods to explore. Yet, finding ones with fewer ingredients (rather than a laundry list) is a great place to start.
15. Meal Replacement Drinks
Sadly, many of the pre-packaged meal drinks and powders on the market are pack with sugar, synthetic flavors, and tons of preservatives. Always read labels and look for a brand that you trust.
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