You might be surprised that some of the “healthy” food you choose to eat instead of the regular stuff might actually be worse for you. We have an abundance of food options all around us so sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between what’s healthy or not. After doing some research I found 10 foods/drinks that you might want to consider crossing off your “healthy” list.
1. Ready-to-Go Smoothies
These smoothies you can find at your local grocery store may seem like they are filled with vitamins and fruits—and they are—but there are also many different sugars and syrups that may be included in this tasty drink too. These sugars defeat the purpose of being a healthy beverage. I suggest stick to making your own to know exactly what you’re drinking!
2. Trail Mix
Yes, of course there are some trail mixes that are very healthy if they contain raw nuts and dried fruit. But if the mix includes chocolate chips, M&M’s and roasted peanuts, it is most likely that this snack will be unhealthy.
3. Energy Bars
Some of these delicious bars can have more calories than your favorite candy bar so don’t be fooled! The packaging might promise high fiber and protein but they also contain a large amount of sugar and artificial flavoring. Shop smart!
4. Frozen Yogurt
Fro-yo does have less saturated fat and sugar than ice cream. But once we load up on other sugar and fat filled toppings like cheesecake bites and white chocolate chips, this dessert dish ends up having the same amount of calories as a Dairy Queen ice cream cone.
5. Frozen “Diet” Dinners
Even though these meals are super convenient and are very tasty, they are filled with many preservatives, sodium and very few veggies. Try making a home cooked meal instead of this microwave dish—it’ll be worth the extra time.
6. Veggie Chips
Yes, these chips are made out of veggies, but they are so processed, baked or fried so the nutrients from the veggies are nonexistent. Instead just eat normal veggies and get 10x the nutrients!
7. Fast-Food Salads
Just some quick advice: never get a salad from a fast food restaurant. Many times it can contain even more calories than a cheeseburger. The croutons, cheese, flavored nuts and ESPECIALLY the fat filled dressing can turn this into a calorie packed meal.
8. “Diet” Drinks
Just because the word “diet” is in a product name does not mean it is necessarily healthy. These drinks are filled with artificial sugars and flavoring which ultimately defeats the purpose of “diet.”
9. Turkey Bacon
Turkey is transformed and processed into meat that looks and tastes like bacon, which along the way loses protein and nutrients. Even though it is a better replacement of regular bacon, it still has a large amount of sodium and cholesterol.
10. Pretzels
These salty snacks always seem like the healthier snack food we should eat but that is not always the case. They are mainly made of starch, oil, sugar and A LOT of salt. There is no nutritional value so you might as well go for something else!