Concept
In the old days, differentiating healthy foods from unhealthy foods was simple; fruits and vegetables were healthy, sweets and fried foods were not. However, in today’s heavily marketing-driven consumer environment, the distinction has become more muddled and confusing. So-called "healthy" products, according to their manufacturers, regularly pop up on supermarket shelves. Often the products' names and the claims on their boxes (excluding the nutrition facts labels) trick consumers into assuming they are healthy. The following bite reveals some common "faux health foods"--unhealthy foods perceived as healthy offerings.
Nutrition Facts and Figures
Here are six foods incorrectly assumed to be healthy:
Products “Made with Whole Grains”
As soon as one sees the words “made with whole grains" a product like cereal or crackers is often mistakenly thought to be 100% whole grain. However, this is not always the case. Just because a product says it is made with whole grains does not tell you how much whole wheat, whole grain, or oatmeal is in the product. The only way to determine that is by looking at the ingredient list, because ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. You may find that the whole grain is far down on the ingredient list, or that there are many refined grains listed as well, so the product is not even remotely 100% whole grain. If, for example, either white flour, wheat flour, enriched flour or refined wheat flour (all not whole grains) is listed as the first ingredient, that means that, by weight, there is more refined flour than any kind of whole grain flour in the product! Ideally, you want the first ingredient to be “whole grain” or “whole wheat”—so always check the ingredient list and nutrition label before putting a packaged food product in your shopping cart.
Dried Fruit
While dried fruit is obviously made from healthy fresh fruit, it is not equivalent in terms of calories when comparing equal portions. While one cup of fresh cut apples contains 60 calories, 1 cup of dried apples contains 210 calories. Likewise, one cup of fresh apricot halves contains 74 calories while one cup of dried apricot halves contains 315 calories. To understand why this is so, you have to put in perspective how much you are eating. One fresh apricot is equivalent in calories to one dried apricot (it is simply missing all the water in the fresh fruit); however, while it is easy to consume 10-15 dried apricots, it is NOT so easy to consume 10-15 fresh apricots in one sitting! So, if you are not likely to stick to just the 1/4 cup standard serving of dried fruit, you are better off opting for fresh fruit instead. Note: the worst offender of dried fruits is dried banana chips...unlike most other dried fruits these are fried, which not only increases their calorie count, but their fat count as well!
Granola
For many, a heaping bowl of granola with fresh fruit and yogurt is the gold standard of healthy breakfasts. While some granolas do contain a number of different nutrients, they are loaded in calories and fat! A cup of granola contains ~600 calories and 30 grams of fat; this alone can comprise half of some people’s daily calorie and fat intake. Therefore, unless you are just sprinkling a little low-fat granola on top of your yogurt or fruit, you are better off opting for a high fiber cereal that is far lower in calories and fat.
Bran and Oat Muffins
In an effort to avoid ordering a high calorie/fat bagel with cream cheese on the way to work, many have turned to what they assume is a healthier choice: muffins, particularly those made with healthy-sounding fiber-rich ingredients like bran or oats. Unfortunately, most muffins, even bran, carrot, multigrain, and oat ones, do not usually offer any more nutritional benefits than a bagel. In fact, some contain even more calories, sugar and fat! For example, a typical Starbuck's muffin has 450 calories, 20 grams of fat and only a few grams of fiber at most. Many other store bought muffins, even those that are low-fat, contain close to 400 calories and very little fiber. Therefore, unless you are making the muffins yourself (and keeping their size in check) OR checking the nutrition label on muffins you do buy to make sure they are healthy, you are much better off opting for a whole wheat English muffin topped with some nut butter or cheese.
Agave Nectar
Agave nectar is regarded by many as a healthy, natural sweetener. It is touted for providing sweetness without the unpleasant "sugar rush" and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars due to its low glycemic index. However, the truth is that there are no healthy sweeteners-- agave nectar is just another type of processed sugar that should be limited in any diet. While it does have a low glycemic index due to its high percentage of fructose relative to glucose, that does not make it a “healthy” sugar. In fact, some studies suggest that consuming large amounts of fructose (as found in agave nectar) can promote insulin resistance (thereby increasing diabetes risk), boost triglycerides, lower good HDL cholesterol and have other potentially harmful effects on the heart and liver. Therefore, when it comes to added sugars, it doesn’t matter if you use table sugar or agave nectar—they are both just added calories with low nutritional value.
Enhanced Waters
Enhanced waters claim to do everything from protecting your skin and improving your mood, to boosting your immunity and increasing your energy levels. The reality is that there’s no science showing that enhanced waters have more health benefits than far less expensive tap water. The fact is that it’s better to get nutrients through whole foods rather than through supplements and vitamins. Furthermore, an even bigger disadvantage of most enhanced waters is that they contain calories. Regular 16-20 oz bottles of some vitamin enhanced waters contain almost as many grams of sugar and calories as many 12 oz cans of soda! Lastly, drinking bottled vitamin water is expensive. If you drink one bottle of enhanced water a day for one year, you could easily spend $700 over the course of the year. Instead, reach for good old H2O (filter it if you can), and use it to take a daily multivitamin--which for most people is about the only supplement that should be consumed.
Alyse's Advice
With all the tricky food product marketing occurring in the supermarket, it is very important to be a savvy shopper and read food labels to ensure that what you eat is, in fact, good for you. No longer can you judge how healthy a food is solely by its name.
Los Angeles nutritionist Alyse Levine MS, RD, founder of NutritionBite. Visit her profile on LIVESTRONG.COM.
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