There are a lot of foods out there that claim to be healthy for you, and just because the label says “healthy” or “organic” or “low-fat” doesn’t always mean that what you are eating is going to be the healthiest option for you.
Below, we’ve listed the top 9 foods that people typically think are healthy, but should be looked at differently.
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat bread has been marketed as a healthy carbohydrate and an alternative to white bread. It’s not bleached, and it’s more natural and good for you, right? Right. However, the real question is how many carbohydrates should you be eating in the first place? Are two pieces of wheat bread good for you specifically? The average amount of carbohydrates needed in a woman who is trying to lose weight is only about 100 grams or fewer per day.
Two slices of wheat bread are 40 grams of carbohydrates. Even the flatbread has 38 grams. Almost half of your carbohydrate requires for the day! If you’re going to go to the snack bar and order a sandwich, take off the top layer of bread and throw it away. That little trick right there will save you about 20 grams of carbohydrates and about 80-100 calories and get you losing weight faster.
Cheese
Love to snack on a piece of cheese? High in protein? Yes. But very high in fat? Definitely. Cheese is primarily fat. For every 1 ounce of cheese you eat, you are consuming 7 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat. And although it can taste delicious, you need to use cheese very sparingly.
Sports drinks
Most sports drinks are loaded with sugar that your body is just waiting to store as fat. The average “Vitamin water” has 32 grams of sugar in it. The average total grams of sugar you need in an entire day is about 25 to 50. Stay away from sports drinks. There are even studies coming out now that state that your body reacts the same way to sweet-tasting things (like zero-calorie drinks and drinks sweetened with Splenda) as it does with actual sugar. Meaning while you know you’re not drinking sugar, your hormones don’t, and they go into fat storage mode. Just drink some water or tea!
Protein bars
Not all protein bars are made the same. Many protein bars are built for “muscle head” guys who want enormous amounts of protein in their diet and those are typically also loaded with fat that you don’t need. For weight loss, you have to be aware of the calories that go into your body.
Tail mix
Trail mix is designed for those that are expending a ton of energy, hiking long routes, and don’t have the capacity to carry food with them. Meaning trail mix is perfect if you need to get a lot of calories and fat in your system because you are burning a ton of calories. 1 cup of trail mix, on average, is about 700 calories, and 40 grams of fat. That’s about 2 meals worth of calories and enough fat for your entire day plus some. Nuts are going to be high in fats so use sparingly. Just a small handful of raw almonds will be much better for you.
Fruit juices
Have you ever seen those commercials that tell you starting your day with a big glass of fruit juice is a good idea? The truth is it’s probably one of the worst things you could do to your body. When fruit is concentrated, what’s removed from the fruit is the precious fiber and other nutritious elements that many companies discard during the concentration process. The fiber in fruit is what reduces blood sugar spikes, and without fiber, you are essentially left with sugar water!
And what does too much sugar do to your body? It raises insulin which essentially puts your body into the fat-storing mode, telling your body to store anything you eat as fat! This hormonal imbalance with insulin can be the cause of a lot of your weight gain. And because of the raised blood sugar levels, most concentrated fruit juices have just as much or even more sugar than soda! No matter what the commercials tell you, starting your day with a big glass of concentrated juice is a really bad decision.
Granola
Take a quick guess on how much fat is in a cup of granola. Keep in mind your average woman over the age of 18 only needs about 30 grams per day. If you guessed 40 grams in a cup you’d be right. And even if you got the low-fat version, granola is still packed with sugar and high in calories. It’s very similar to the trail mix we discussed earlier. It’s a high-energy food that’s meant for campers and hikers with little access to foods and a need for a lot of calories.
9 unhealthy foods conclusion
It’s not always easy to know what foods might be good for you, or healthy, and what foods are actually doing you harm in your weight loss battle. It’s time to get more information for the sake of maintaining health and optimal weight!