Living a healthy lifestyle can be tricky and the food and diet industry isn’t helping us to make the best decisions. With more people wanting to live a healthy lifestyle and lose/maintain weight they saw their chance to earn more money by using clever marketing campaigns.
Fat-free, low-sodium, sugar-free, etc. are only a few examples of smart word choices to trick us into believing certain foods are healthy and will help us to lose weight and improve overall health. Here are a few common food items often confused as being healthy, but are actually nothing more than smart advertising!
1. Soy
Many people use soy milk and tofu as a healthy alternative to meat and dairy, but it is even worse. Many studies link nonfermented soy products (like soy milk and tofu) to a wide range of health problems such as thyroid dysfunctions, birth defects, infertility, digestive disorders, malnutrition, heart diseases, and cancer. Click here to learn more about the dangers of soy.
Alternative: If you are a vegetarian or vegan I recommend getting your protein from lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, and leafy greens.
ALSO READ: The Top Plant Protein Sources
2. Fruit Juices
Commercially available fruit juices are loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives, and preservatives, we all know that. Even the 100% fruit juices have added sugars. But did you know that real, fresh fruit juices aren’t that healthy as we may think? They have been stripped of the good stuff or fibers. So actually fresh fruit juices are nothing more than sugar and vitamins. To give you an idea, one glass of orange juice contains as much sugar as a glass of coca cola.
Alternative: It is best to eat the whole fruits, or opt for freshly made veggie juices or smoothies. SCROLL DOWN to get my FREE green smoothie eBook.
ALSO READ: Juicing vs Blending, Which One Is Better?
3. Agave Nectar
Today there are many sugar-free products on the market that are sweetened with agave nectar. This natural sweetener has the name of being a healthy alternative to sugar due to its low glycemic index. But a low GI isn’t what makes any of these sugar alternatives healthier. The primary harmful effect of sugar and agave nectar is its high unnatural amounts of fructose. Fructose is metabolized by the liver for energy, but when we consume high amounts of fructose our liver can’t handle all the work and the fructose will be turned into fat instead of energy. While regular sugar contains almost 50% fructose, agave nectar is even worse with amounts as high as 90%. And let’s not forget, agave nectar is highly processed and hardly any better than refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Fructose is metabolized by the liver for energy, but when we consume high amounts of fructose our liver can’t handle all the work and the fructose will be turned into fat instead of energy. While regular sugar contains almost 50% fructose, agave nectar is even worse with amounts as high as 90%. And let’s not forget, agave nectar is highly processed and hardly any better than refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Alternative: raw honey, dates, stevia, yacon, or molasses.
4. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks were made for athlete’s to replenish electrolytes, sugars, and rehydrate their body after intense training. So actually sport drinks are nothing more than sugar water.
Alternative: If you are not doing super intensive workouts, there’s no need for extra electrolytes and sugar. Water will do just fine to rehydrate your body.
ALSO READ: Refreshing Flavored Water Recipes To Keep You Hydrated
5. Low-fat Or Fat-free
I must admit that I fell for this one myself in the past. But fat-free or low-fat doesn’t equal healthy. Fat is what gives our food its great flavor. So manufacturers have to load their fat-free products with artificial sweeteners, sugar, MSG, and other chemical substances to avoid their products tasting like crap. Fat isn’t the bad guy when you want to live healthily and lose weight, sugar is.
Alternative: Avoid all fat-free or low-fat products and opt for whole products instead.
Scroll down for more not-so-healthy health food.
6. Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils And Margarine
The media has created a fear for saturated fats and have been promoting polyunsaturated fats and margarine for better heart health. But are they actually healthier than saturated fats like coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee? The answer is no. Industrial seed and vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, soybean, and corn oil are extracted with harsh chemicals and contain way too much polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids than is healthy for us to consume.
As soon as those oils are heated they go rancid and from harmful carcinogenic free radicals. Click here to learn more. Margarine, on the other hand, is highly processed and loaded with trans fats and unhealthy artificial ingredients. So definitely not the health food they are promoting.
Alternative: coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, avocado oil, or olive oil.
7. Gluten-Free Junk Food
With 1/3 of the Americans trying to eliminate or avoid gluten, the food and diet industry had to jump on this new trend of eating. They offer a wide range of gluten-free “health” foods. But if you give them a closer look they aren’t that healthy at all. Those products are made out of other starches which are usually highly refined and loaded with sugar and artificial chemicals.
Alternative: natural gluten-free foods such as organic meat or vegetables.
8. Whole Wheat
Although whole wheat is better than refined wheat, this doesn’t mean you have to incorporate it into every meal. Wheat is the main source of gluten and can cause many health issues as a large part of our population may be sensitive to gluten. Whole wheat is rich in gluten and may cause digestive disorders, vitamin D deficiencies, and may raise LDL cholesterol.
Alternative: instead of having your normal sandwich try to wrap your sandwich in romaine lettuce leaves. If you’re not gluten intolerant I’m not saying to ditch all whole wheat, but try to limit whole wheat bread, cereals, or pasta to one small serving a day.
ALSO READ: No Bread Sandwich Ideas You Can Do At Home
9. Store-bought Energy or Granola Bars
Although most granola bars contain healthy oats and nuts, they are glued together with sugar, sodium, and fats. So definitely not the healthy low-calorie snack we think they are. You might as well have a Snickers. Energy or protein bars are in the same category as the sports drinks. They are highly processed, full of sugar and artificial flavors. So again if you’re not a top athlete you don’t need those sugar-laden snacks to get your daily nutrients.
Alternative: a small piece of dark chocolate, fruit or veggie snacks.
10. Healthy Breakfast Cereals
Those are often labeled as healthy and great for weight loss. But in fact, they are loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates. Don’t let the food and diet industry fool you by the labels low fat, added vitamins, or whole grain.
Alternative: try my green breakfast smoothies for breakfast. Click here to download my FREE ebook.
Actually, there are many more foods being promoted as health food. Always read the labels and opt for whole, fresh ingredients.
Thanks for reading. I hope this information was helpful. Until next time!
Amy Goodrich
Crazy cat lady, life and food lover, certified biologist, and holistic health coach.
