We know healthy foods right from our childhood. And as we grow older, we become curious by trying out new things we learn from other people and media- new diet, new food formulations, new recipes. We know healthy foods give us nutrients and energy, but are these foods really healthy?
Unfortunately, not all foods we think healthy are really good for our health. Today, there are a lot of commercially claimed fortified healthy stuffs that are popular. But do you know that some are only masked with little nutrients, but are still full of chemicals?
There are brands that claim they are "healthy" but if you're going to critically check the content of the ingredients, the hidden unhealthy items are there. Here are foods that you often think are healthy but are not:
Trail Mix
Trail Mix is one of the widely known healthy foods. Yes there are certain brands that offer low calorie nuts, dark chocolates and dried apricots. But today, there are trail mix that is blended with deep-fried banana chips, yogurt-covered raisins, candy-coated pieces, and sesame sticks that just stuff with extra calories, according to Dr.Oz.
Frozen Diet Entrees
Your frozen diet entrees contain healthy foods as claimed in the package. It contains vegetable, protein source and rice, but are you aware that they are also full of salts? They are low in calories but the sad news is they are also low in nutrients.
Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
Reduced fat peanut butter is true, but sugar is added to augment its natural taste. Aside from that, other additives such as tocopheryl acetate is mixed in. Check the ingredients. Your peanut butter is not just peanuts and sugars, but has lots of chemicals too. Go for natural peanut butter that are undeniably healthy foods.
Low Fat and Skim Milk
Low fat and skim milk contain less to no fat at all. But fats are essential as it contains monounsaturated and saturated fats that keep you feeling full, supports your body functions and metabolism. They also contain fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K that is less found in low fat and skim milk.
Fat-free sweets
We may think that fat-free sweets are healthy foods as they are free from fats and calories. However, they may be free from fats, but not from sugar. In the end, they are still not healthy foods as they even give higher calories.
100 Percent Fruit Juice
When we see the label 100 percent fruit juice, we often believe that it's natural and sugar-free. However, drinking 100 percent fruit juice that you buy commercially on package is just like drinking a glass of sugary fruit juice everyday.
There are "healthy foods" that are labeled "healthy," but not all are really healthy. Inspect the ingredients before buying something. It's time to be knowledgeable and smart enough to distinguish which one is really good and which is not.
