There’s a lot of misinformation in the health and nutrition industry, and a significant percentage of the products that are marketed as “healthy” are anything but. Below you’ll find a few examples. These are foods you may currently think of as being good for you, and if so, prepare to be disappointed.
Smoothies
Ask just about anyone and they’ll tell you that smoothies are really good for you. After all, they’re made of fruit, and websites all over the internet say that most fruits are superfoods, so how could smoothies be bad for you?
The first thing to do is to check the food label and see how many carbs your favorite smoothie has. If it’s got more than 15 grams of carbs per serving, consider it to be a non-starter.
Gluten-Free Anything
Grains cause inflammation in a staggering percentage of the population, which is why the phrase “gluten-free” has gotten so popular in recent years. The problem is that when you remove the gluten from any given product, you take away the thing that provides the food’s delicious, chewy texture. If manufacturers want their product to sell (and of course they do), they have to replace it with something equally attractive, which usually means sugar. The result? Most gluten-free snacks on the market today wind up having more calories than the snacks they’re replacing. It’s just not a good trade.
Protein Bars
This is a big one because many people who are serious about dieting rely heavily on protein bars. Unfortunately, if you compare food labels, you’ll quickly discover that most of the ones being sold today have as much sugar in them as most candy bars. True, you are getting a few healthy ingredients in addition to that, but much of their benefit is blunted by all that sugar.
There are plenty of other “healthy” foods that actually aren’t. The biggest favor you can do for yourself is to avoid processed foods altogether, be aware of sugar content, and eat mostly fresh fruits and veggies. If you insist on eating processed foods, become an avid food label reader.
