10 FOODS THAT ARE SECRETLY UNHEALTHY
10 Foods That Are Secretly Unhealthy
Imagine if, all this time, the foods you thought were healthy and doing you good were actually unhealthy? In this article, Beauty and Tips goes undercover as we expose the 10 foods that are secretly unhealthy.
So, as it turns out, there are wolves in disguise in the food world. Yup, just as there are sneakers that are meant to power your workout but which are actually designed to make a fashion statement only, there are also foods that pretend to be healthy – but which are actually intent on causing you some damage. These dietary villains in the grocery store, in blog posts – and possibly in your cupboard. There might even be some in your body right now! Oh no! It’s frustrating, but trying to eat healthily isn’t easy unless you know exactly what you’re doing. After all, we’ve all read conflicting reports. One day wine is good for us, and the next it isn’t. One day a scientist is praising meat, and the next day another scientist refutes the previous scientist and says it’s bad for us! What gives?! Who do we believe? Beauty and Tips is here to help! Let’s take a look at 10 foods that are secretly unhealthy.
Energy Bars
Energy bars sound amazing. Just the name itself sells. When we need energy, we can turn to energy bar. Stuffed with vitamin, minerals and energy they have to be amazing, right? … Right? Um, not exactly. Energy bars might be tiny, and they might contain neat minerals and vitamins, but according to nutritionists, they’re essentially nothing more than slightly healthier candy bars. Most of the time, to make them tasty and addictive, energy bars contain sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, as well as enriched white flour. They’re often rich in saturated fat as well. Crucially, they don’t contain much fibre. The result? They add more calories than you really need. If you must snack on an energy bar, go for one that contains around 200 calories, and pick ones whose list of ingredients is small.
Nuts
Sure, some nuts are ridiculously healthy for you, and we’re not saying that you need to give up all nuts now. But not all of ‘em are created equal. Like most things, there are healthy ones and unhealthy ones. Salted roasted cashews, for example? Tasty and tempting – but bad for you. It’s the same with salted peanuts. You might think that the good (the nut) outweighs the bad (the salt), but it doesn’t. Sorry!
Packaged Fruit Juices
They might be called fruit juices, but sadly most of them don’t contain any actual fruit, and they are also included into our list of secretly unhealthy foods! Instead, they’re often rich in sugar. Oh. Just stick to freshly squeezed fruit juice from now on.
Granola
When you hear “granola” what do you think of? Most of us probably think of our health freak vegan friend who’s always walking somewhere, eats quinoa for breakfast and drinks 50 glasses of water per day. Perhaps that someone is you. However, while many of us think that granola is a great way to start our day – it’s actually one of the worst, and it’s also one of secretly unhealthy foods. Granola is a cereal, and like the most popular cereals it contains little fibre and LOTS of sugar. How much exactly? Too much. In fact, just a single cup of granola could measure 600 calories. That’s a third of your recommended daily amount already gone before the morning is over. Wow. If you need that crunch at breakfast time and therefore don’t fancy oatmeal, find a similar crunchy cereal to Granola that’s more healthily. Alternatively, you could add the likes of dried fruit, berries, quinoa and coconut shavings to a bowl of oatmeal.
Noodles
“No, please not the noodles!” We hear you. We love noodles too, which is why it makes it all the more heartbreaking for us to have to include it into the list of secretly unhealthy foods. Sadly, noodles are bad for you. They take way too long to digest, and they can also cause spikes in your blood sugar levels.
Vitamin Water
Boy, some people must really hate good old water if they’ll do literally anything to avoid having to drink it. “Oh, my nutritionist says I need to drink more water. I think what she meant was vitamin water.” Is it because water isn’t hip enough that so many of us avoid it? Or is it because it sounds too bland, whereas vitamin water sounds a bit less bland? Whatever the reason, if you’ve been drinking vitamin water instead of the real deal, it’s time to stop. Vitamin water might sound like a good thing, but it’s actually rich in sugar. Just drink water, ok?
Canned Soup
Canned soups are super convenient when you want a quick and easy snack, but it’s also one of secretly unhealthy foods. The problem is that they’re rich in salt, and all kinds of colouring agents and flavour enhancers that are just no good for you.
Store-Bought Smoothies
Ah, the smoothie-conundrum. You want to drink smoothies because they’re loaded with lots of fruit and veg, but you don’t want to spend time making them yourself. So you buy pre-made smoothies from the store instead. The problem with these ones is, as you’ve probably already guessed, they contain sugar – and lots of it. Not just this, but pre-made smoothies often contain additives to keep them fresh. If you’re double downing on your health at the moment, they’re best avoided.
Store-Bought Salads
Like smoothies, it’s better that you make your own salads. At least this way, you can control what you’re putting in there. See, while the pre-made one from the store are convenient and look great, and while they do contain lots of nutritious fruit and veg, they’re also rich in salt and bad stuff, such as croutons, olives and dairy.
Frozen Yogurt
Do you liberally eat big spoonfuls of frozen yogurt while telling your friends that frozen yogurt is way healthier than ice cream? Lots of us do. The truth? Not all brands are so healthy. Yogurt contains good bacteria of the kind that our gut needs, but during the freezing process, some of these probiotics are removed. Not cool. Moreover, some brands offer their frozen yogurt with more sugar than is good for you.
Do you know other secretly unhealthy foods?
Stay happy and healthy!
from Beauty And Tips Magazine
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