Eight Healthy Foods that Aren’t Really Healthy

Do you think you eat healthy foods and healthy recipes? Here are Eight Healthy Foods that Aren’t Really Healthy.

If your healthy diet includes lots of salads, granola bars and wraps, I’ve got some bad news. The foods you’re eating may not be as good for you as they seem. Despite their nutritious reputations, many so-called healthy foods are packed with calories, fats and carbs you wouldn’t expect upon first glance.

Here are a handful of the worst offenders:

• • Smoothies
    Smoothies have mastered the art of marketing themselves as a healthy alternative to other sweet treats. While there’s something inherently healthier about indulging in a fruit-based drink than a big bowl of ice cream, they’re still often packed with sugar, making them a less-than-ideal choice if you’re watching your waistline. Steer clear of juice-based drinks from smoothie shops and stick to a healthier base of water to keep things balanced.

• • Granola bars
    There are definitely some good-for-you granola bars on the market, but many of them aren’t too far off from candy bars in terms of nutritional content. Most granola bars are loaded with sugars and carbs, and while nuts do add a healthy element to the mix, they’re high in fat content. Stick to granola bars comprised of oats, seeds and natural sweeteners.

• • Wraps
    People often opt for wraps thinking they’re a healthier alternative to normal old sandwich bread, but they’re wrong. The flatbreads or tortillas used for wraps are far denser than regular bread and can pack twice the calories of the standard slices. Stick to normal bread – or better yet, opt for a whole-wheat pita.

• • Salads
    Don’t get me wrong – when prepared properly, a salad can be an incredibly healthy addition to your diet and a great way to fill up without too many calories. However, if your idea of a salad is a bunch of iceberg lettuce drowning in dressing, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

    Most salad dressings are packed with fats and sugars, and if you’re primarily chowing down on lettuce, you’re eating lots of empty calories.

• • Fruit and veggie chips
    Whether you get these as chips, sticks or some other dehydrated and processed snack, these foods don’t pack the same nutritional punch as their fresh counterparts.

    It can be easy to think these snacks offer a healthy alternative to potato chips and other high-carb, high-fat snacks, but many pack nearly the same fat content as standard chips, and they often come loaded with sodium, too.

• • Gluten-free anything
    Gluten’s reputation has soured over the last few years, thanks to an apparent uptick in the number of people who feel they shouldn’t be eating the stuff. While this is definitely true if you suffer from celiac disease or another condition that keeps your body from processing gluten, avoiding gluten in your diet needlessly won’t necessarily make you feel better.

• • Frozen yogurt
    As summer approaches, it’s common to indulge in a few sweet treats now and again, and ice cream tops most folks’ list of cool snacks to indulge in on a hot day. However, frozen yogurt has made a name for itself in recent years, largely by marketing itself as a healthy alternative to traditional ice cream. While a plain frozen yogurt is a little better for you than a bowl of vanilla ice cream, it’s easy to go awry and overload your treat with sugary add-ons at the choose-your-own-toppings bar.

• Microwave Popcorn
  When asked to name some healthy snacks, popcorn is one that comes to mind easily. The kernels in the ready-to-microwave bags come coated with loads of added fats and sodium, along with other fun-sounding chemicals. Steer clear of this stuff and stick to all-natural popcorn instead. Whether you invest in an air popper or prep your popcorn in a pot on the stovetop, adding your own seasonings is a smart choice.

Are you guilty of convincing yourself these foods are good for you? Which is your favorite offender on the list? Have you found any ways to make your favorite treats a little more health-conscious? Leave a comment and let me know!

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