Watch Those Ingredient Labels
All of these “healthy” foods have a dirty little secret listed somewhere in their ingredients.
This secret either says they are loaded with sugar/calories, highly preserved, or highly processed. They can easily be substituted with a much more healthy option that can help you keep your weight from creeping up even though you are eating “healthy.” Check out our list of healthy foods that can be bad for you!
“Healthy” foods that can be bad for you
Dried Fruit
Manufactures usually cover their dried fruit with sugar and other additives to help maintain its shelf life causing you to consume a large amount of unwanted sugar. Also, remember that you are consuming more carbohydrates in a smaller package!
Try this: dehydrate your own fruit own at home.
Trail Mix
While this stuff can be great when you are hiking and burning a ton of calories, it’s not an ideal snack for the office because the excess sodium and sugars can quickly add up. Not to mention the version with chocolate pieces in it!
Try this: purchase plain or raw nuts.
Wheat Bread
Most wheat bread is not much more nutritious than regular white bread and can contain the same amount of calories.
Try this: make sure the bread your purchase says 100% Whole Wheat.
Smoothies
Smoothies are great but don’t think that just because the concoction you buy at the store is healthy just because it says “smoothie” (which is usually full of sugars).
Try this: homemade smoothies are way better and super easy to make.
Fruit Cocktail
While it sounds completely healthy when purchased at the store, it is usually coated with syrup to increase its shelf life and taste (check out the ingredients).
Try this: a super easy solution is to buy your own fruit and cut it up.
Cereal/Granola Bars
While convenient, granola bars can be loaded with salts and sugars to help preserve them, not to mention have a lot of calories with their nutrient content comparable to a snickers bar. Also, many versions contain chocolate as well which can add a substantial amount of calories,
Try this: roast your own oats or granola at home.
Light Salad Dressing
While this is a lot better than normal salad dressing, look at the list of ingredients next time you are making a salad (the ingredient list is a mile long). There is a ton of sugar and sodium in this stuff.
Try this: balsamic vinegar can be amazing on a salad.
Fat-Free Yogurt
While it might have a reduced amount of fat compared to its counterpart, it has an enormous amount of sugar for flavoring. This sugar of course adds up to a bunch of calories!
Try this: Greek yogurt is a great substitute. Plus it can be a great source of probiotics.
Fruit Juice
The amount of sugars in this stuff is amazing, and in some instances can be more than the sugar content of soda. Don’t be fooled by the label “fruit” many times this simply means fruit flavoring…with a huge dose of sugar!
Try this: buy only 100% fruit juices!
Corn Chips/Tortilla Chips
This is one that I’m guilty of consuming a lot (I love salsa). Corn chips have a massive amount of sodium and are full of fats and calories which can quickly add up!
Try this: you can make your own, though that can be time-consuming.
Wrap-Up
We aren’t saying that you have to avoid these foods completely (they are a better choice than many other snack foods) but they may not be the “healthy” foods that you think they are.
So the next time you grab that “healthy” food make sure to check out the label. It might be one of those foods that can be bad for you!
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