Foods that aren't as Healthy as you Thought

Foods that aren't as Healthy as you Thought

Drawing in dieters and health-conscious foodies alike to try out the latest trends. food brands switch up their recipes to be low fat or substitute one meat for another, but at the end of the day the newer, "healthier" foods aren't that different from their unhealthier counterparts. The first example would be whole-grain foods may not be as healthy as people think they are. While companies tout a fiber-rich product and cookery videos  that could lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, a Scientific American article claims the words whole grain can be misleading. One of the main proponents of the article is the growing mentality that more whole grains is synonymous with healthy, but in reality that’s not the case. Multi-grain, whole grain, wheat and white flour varieties can be a tricky sea of options to navigate. Whole grains are a healthy option, but like many things, too much of a good thing could be harmful.

Light Yogurt

 Health experts are coming out against the light yogurt trend and recommending making room for creamier yogurt. When stacked side by side, light yogurt often contains more sugar than regular or greek varieties. Greek yogurt has stolen the show for the last few years as it came out as a protein-packed alternative to regular yogurt, light yogurt is still seen by many as a healthier option, often with fewer calories and fat.

Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter

Reduced-fat peanut butter has few of peanuts’ heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and more of the refined carbs and sugar. The “healthier” version of peanut butter suffers the same complex as light yogurt — it takes away the fat, but it needs to be replaced with something to make it taste equally as good. Oftentimes that replacement is sugar, which then adds the saved calories back into the jar.

Prepared Salads

Trying to execute healthier food choices, resorting to a fast-food chain can be a dieter’s worst nightmare. Choosing between a loaded burger and a packaged salad can seem like a no-brainer, but salads loaded with toppings can quickly add up to about the nutritional and calorie value of a burger. The Consumerist took to debunking fast-food salad myths and chose a few popular menu items, including salads and burgers, from common fast-food joints. In the examples they gave, the salads actually ended up having more calories, sugar, carbohydrates and often fat than their burger alternative.