12 Surprisingly Unhealthy Foods
#1 Multi-Grain and Wheat Breads
Look past the
nutritious-sounding labels if you want to find out whether your bread is
healthy. Specifically, if the first flour listed in the nutrition facts is
listed as "refined," then what you're eating isn't whole-grain, and
you aren't getting the full value out of the calories you're consuming.
#2 Banana Chips
It's important to know
that the only real difference between a potato chip and most banana chips (or
any "natural" chips, for that matter) is that there are less trans
fats in natural chips. The fact that they still have to be cooked at extremely
high temperatures means that they still contain carcinogenic substances, and
you shouldn't eat too many of them.
#3 Prepared Salads
It's a commonly held
belief that, at a restaurant, you should order a salad if you want to eat
healthier. However, remember that you can't control the portions of the
ingredients they use- many restaurant salads have high quantities of
mayonnaise, or other fatty substances you may not have eaten by choice. Make
your own salads, or possibly order the dressing on the side, if you want to
avoid this health pitfall.
#4 Smoothies
Before you get upset, we
admit that there's usually a lot of nutritional benefits to smoothies-
antioxidants, tons of vitamins. However, most smoothies come in large serving
sizes (16 oz or more) and contain enough juice, sugar, sorbet, and other rather
unhelpful ingredients to make a smoothie no better than the dessert you
substituted it for.
#5 Rice Cakes
You've been eating them
for years because they were low in fat and calories, but did you know that rice
cakes have a ridiculously high glycemic index? This means they have the kinds
of carbohydrates that make your blood sugar level go way, way up- something
that can cause a lot of problems down the road.
#6 Bran Muffins
The problem with these
apparently healthy items isn't really the ingredients as much as it is the
portions. Your average coffee shop's bran muffin come out to being around 600
calories. So just don't eat too much of it in one sitting, alright?
FYI:
Big Mac from McDonald’s
has 550 calories
#7 Cream Cheese
Everyone's favorite
breakfast condiment isn't as healthy as you might think. It has a high fat
content, and doesn't have the protein or calcium of other cheeses. Light cream
cheese is exactly the same way minus the fat, so don't necessarily trust that
either.
#8 Packaged Deli Meats
Sometimes we just don't
have the time to prepare meat from scratch, but don't use packaged meats for
every meal: Frequently, they contain a ridiculously high quantity of sodium,
much more than if you prepared your food from scratch.
#9 Ramen
Some of you may not be
surprised by this, but for those who rely on ramen for cheap meals, what you
are eating is essentially empty calories, with no protein or nutrients and a
large amount of sodium. Never eat ramen alone, or find a way to skip it altogether.
#10 Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
Less fat sounds healthier
on paper, right? Not really. Most reduced-fat peanut butters have the same
amount of calories as their regular counterparts, only with more sugar.
Additionally, regular peanut butter can be a source of monosaturated fats,
which are actually good for you.
#11 Power Bars
Some power bars are
moderately healthy for you, but a lot of them are unbelievably high in sugar
and calories, causing a crash later on rather than keeping you energized.
Remember: Always look at the ingredients list when you're buying a power bar,
because it may not be much better for you than a candy bar.
#12 Granola
If you shop for cereals
looking for "granola" as an indicator of nutrition, you're making a
mistake. Most granola cereals have too much sugar, not enough fiber, and can
come in at 600 calories per cup! Granola is best when sprinkled in small amounts
on top of yogurt, or something similar.
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