Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to be healthy and
then someone tells you what you’re eating isn’t as good for you as you thought
it was? Well, I’m sorry to be that person today—but it’s a job someone has to
do. The problem with the food industry is that it wants you to want their
food—and today that means marketing anything that can be as “healthy,” even
when it might be just the opposite.
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| Instead of flavored yogurt, buy plain Greek yogurt and add honey or fresh fruit. Image: Shutterstock |
Sure, there are foods that fall on one side or the
other—wonderfully healthy or terribly unhealthy. For those black-and-white
cases, it’s easy to follow the rules. Unfortunately, most foods fall somewhere
in between, in a gray area that makes it easy for food companies to twist
healthfulness to their whimsy.
Flavored yogurt,
such as Yoplait and other brands, might seem like a good choice at the
store, but let’s take a second look. Looking at the back label might reveal a
relatively low calorie and fat count, but check out the sugars, too. Flavored
yogurt often contains up to 30 grams of sugar in one cup, which (by the way) is the entire recommended daily
allowance for most women.
As an alternative, buy plain Greek yogurt (lots more
protein, anyway) and flavor it with fresh fruit like bananas or strawberries,
honey, or cinnamon.
Instant oatmeal
is something I ate for years thinking it was super healthy. While it isn’t
unhealthy, it’s super processed (for faster cooking), has a high glycemic index
and your body digests it very quickly—meaning you won’t be held over until
lunchtime. Try steel-cut oats instead. Not only do they taste better (in my
humble opinion), but they’re also way better for you. They take a while to
cook, but they also keep for up to a week in the fridge.
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| Instead of instant oats, try steel-cut oats. Image: Shutterstock |
My favorite is slow-cooking steel-cut oats with chopped
apples and a little cinnamon. Naturally sweet, it’s a delicious start to the
morning (and I won’t get hungry an hour later!).
Packaged egg
whites generally have less than half of the amount of protein of a
whole egg. They also often contain artificial ingredients like maltodextrin,
which is a sweetener, and are missing crucial healthy ingredients like choline
and lutein. Stick with a whole protein-rich egg—just don’t overdo it!
Bottled salad
dressing can really ruin a wonderfully healthy salad. Bottled dressings
and sauces often contain high amounts of sugar, especially in the “low-fat”
versions. If you’re cooking meat, try a dry-rub powder instead or make your own
dressing at home—sans sugar.
Sugar-free protein
/ granola bars may be getting their flavors from other places. It’s
better to have a bar that’s naturally low in sugar with a few ingredients than one that contains a
whole laundry list of unpronounceable names but no sugar. Sorbitol is a common ingredient in
sugar-free bars, and it’s hard for your body to break down and can cause
bloating.
