Not All Health Foods Are Healthy

Food Health Nature Wellness

In the 1970s, there was a health and exercise craze. A number of celebrities made a fortune pushing their favorite diets or making exercise videos. That led to the craze of aerobic exercises led by people like Jane Fonda and her workout videos.

Then it seems America went through some years of fat and plenty – filled with greasy fast foods and sugary foods and drinks. The government tried to push some regulations to help consumers have options for healthier food, but many companies found ways around those regulations.

For instance, did you know that in order for a product to be labeled ‘lite’ or ‘light’ that it could just be color and not calories? Some so-called lite products can actually have more calories than the regular version, but companies rely on consumers being ignorant or not readying and comparing labels. The next time you go to pick up some lite beer, start comparing the labels. The lite beer could be lighter in color, lighter in alcohol, lighter in one or more ingredients but not necessarily any better than a regular beer.

The same is true with a number of so-called health foods and health products. Because of how they are labeled and marketed, people think they are eating healthier when in fact, they aren’t.

According to the following report, here are some examples:

 

  • Veggie Sticks – Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University refers to veggie sticks as ‘produce pretenders’. Most are made with potato flour, starch, salt, oil and a bit of vegetable powder for coloring. She points out that an ounce of Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws contains 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, less than 1 gram of fiber and 210 mg of sodium. She says they aren’t much different than good ole potato chips. She recommends air-popped popcorn, pointing that 4 cups contain about 120 calories and 5 grams of fiber.

 

  • Rice Cakes – Although they are often made with brown rice, they contain very little fiber (fiber helps control appetite). They may also contain arsenic. Flavored rice cakes can pack a bunch of sugar and calories. An example is 2 Lundberg Family Farms Salted Caramel rice cakes since they contain 160 calories and 6 grams of sugar.
  • Spinach Wraps – Most spinach wraps have a very small amount of spinach in them. In fact, some companies add food coloring to give them the color of spinach. It’s recommended to use wraps made with whole grains.
  • Protein Powder – Studies have found that most Americans get enough protein in their daily diet so they don’t need to take extra protein powder, and that goes for older folks who often need more protein that the younger folks. Additionally, some brands of protein powder have been found to contain some heavy metals and toxins.
  • Ground Turkey – Isn’t turkey supposed to be a healthy choice of protein? Yet, ground turkey usually contains both light and dark meat along with the skin and other fats from the turkey. Consider this comparison – 4 ounces of Butterball 85% lean ground turkey contains 230 calories and 17 grams of fat (5 grams of fat are saturated) – 4 ounces of lean ground beef contains 243 calories and 17 grams of fat (6.5 grams of it is saturated). Not that much difference.
  • Bran Muffins – Most commercially baked bran muffins are large (up to 5 ounces) and made more like a bran cupcake, loaded with sugar. A raisin bran muffin from Au Bon Pain contains a whopping 430 calories and 31 grams of sugar.
  • Granola – Many granolas are made with added sugars and fats that help to keep the healthy oats, fruit and nuts together in clumps. A half-cup of Quaker Simply Granola oats, Honey & Almonds pack 200 calories and 10 grams of sugar.
  • Instant Oatmeal – The processing of making the oats instant mean that they digest quicker in the body, thus causing a spike in blood sugar. Many types of instant oatmeal are flavored and those flavorings contain sugar. A single-serve cup of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brown Sugar and Maple instant oatmeal contains over 2 teaspoons of added sugar. If you want your oatmeal quick and healthy, just microwave regular rolled oats. You can add fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg or nut butter for flavor if necessary.

 

 

The bottom line is that many products appear to be healthy but aren’t. Manufactures know the tricks of getting you to buy their products thinking you are eating healthier when you’re not. If you want to eat healthy, do some research and read labels and compare labels. Don’t be fooled by fancy labeling and marketing gimmicks.

Related Posts