Seven more unhealthy health foods to avoid
Intro
Part one of this series listed seven unhealthy foods that might be disguised as health food. In addition to eliminating those items from your diet, here are seven more you should try to steer clear of.
Essentially, you should look for smaller quantities of sodium, sugar and fat, each of which are dangerous in large amounts. Saturated fats can be especially bad. Some doctors say the recommended daily allowances are far too high for saturated fat. You should also avoid additives, coloring and flavoring (even “natural flavors” can be a range of potentially dangerous chemicals). Here are some more specific suggestions.
Fruit juice
The previous article appropriately critiques Sunny D as sugary D. Other store-bought juices are equally lacking in nutritional value. They are packed with more sugar and calories than vitamins and minerals. One brand-name “cranberry juice cocktail” packs 120 calories per 8 oz. serving — 20 more calories than the same amount of Pepsi.
Juice has more vitamins than soda, but the bad sugar far outweighs the good stuff. The addition of colors and preservatives further tips the balance. It’s better to get your vitamins (and sugar) in whole fruit form. A whole apple is more filling and nutritious than clear, filtered apple juice.
Granola
The previous article mentioned breakfast cereals in general, but it’s worth singling out granola. You might be tempted to skip all the corn flakes and Lucky Charms and pick up small, heavy boxes of granola. If so, be careful. Granola is often packed with additives and mystery “natural flavors” and can be higher in fat than many other cereals. If you want a healthy cereal, focus on simple organic cereals with a short ingredient list.
Light oils
Many of us are well-trained by beer makers and others to translate light as low-fat. It’s not always true. Light oils are typically only lighter in color and flavor, but are still loaded with the same amount of fat. Having said that, olive oil, hemp seed oil, and other pure vegetable oils can be very healthy in small doses.
Lean frozen entrees
Low-fat does not equal healthy. Even if a frozen meal contains fewer total grams of fat than a comparable item, it may contain just as much saturated fat and hydrogenated oils. It also might contain even more sodium to boost the flavor. A brand-name box of “salmon with basil” sounds harmless, but has 2 grams of saturated fat and 660 mg of sodium. Better to take the extra time to pack some leftovers or make a healthy sandwich.
Enhanced water
Every nutrition guide tells you to drink more water, so the lightly colored, flavored water seems like a great way to get your water and slip in some vitamins and minerals. It’s also a way to pack in a lot of sugar. Keep moving to the pure water (preferably in your own refillable bottle, but that’s a whole other topic). If you want to add flavor to your water, consider drinking lemon water.
Multigrain snacks and breads
Over on the healthy end of the cracker aisle, there are probably boxes that advertise their “seven grains,” but that can be seven processed, refined grains. The seven grains are only good if they are also labeled as whole grains.
Bran muffins
At the coffee shop, the bran muffin looks like the healthiest alternative to donuts, blueberry muffins and scones. But they can also be packed with fat and may lack the benefits of whole grain goodness.
The bottom line
Plenty of other foods label themselves with some kind of health claim. My favorite is the hard candy labeled “fat free.” They’re not lying. There’s technically no fat, but it is literally pure sugar.
Your best bet is to follow a few basic food rules, as recently popularized by writer Michael Pollan.
• Avoid packaged “food products” from the middle of the supermarket. Instead, focus on simple pure produce, dairy and meats from the perimeter of the store.
• Ignore health claims on the front of packages. Instead, study the nutrition information and particularly the ingredients list.
• Avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce or that your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize (I’m looking at you, high fructose corn syrup).
This post is part of the series: Unhealthy “Health” Foods
Just because something is advertised as being healthy, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. In this article series, we’ll look at several different foods that are presented as healthy when, in fact, they are actually not.