Does this make my butt look fat? “Healthy” foods that are actually bad for you.
It’s not easy to eat healthy on campus unless you completely avoid Hokie Grill and eat a salad for every meal. When we’re in a hurry to get to class or the lines are too long to get something delicious, we often pick things that seem healthy. Here’s a list of common “healthy” foods that are actually bad for you.
Note: There may be occasional exceptions to this list if you are buying at Whole Foods or other health-food stores, but make sure you are checking the labels.
1) Light/fat free salad dressing- These can be extremely tempting because you automatically think because they are deemed “light,” they must be better for you. These dressings may have less calories or fat, but they are so full of preservatives, sodium, and sugar that they can actually be worse for you than regular dressings. Better options are olive oil and vinegar. At West End’s Leaf and Ladle, the regular dressings are way better for you because they make them there and they don’t make any of the fat-free dressings.
2) Fat-free yogurt- Once again, fat-free does not mean healthy. In one cup of yogurt, there is normally around 16 grams of sugar and sometimes up to 24 grams. A better option is plain Greek yogurt with honey or fresh fruit in it.
3) Parfaits- Parfaits, unless made at home with fresh fruit and probably Greek yogurt, can contain around the same amount of fat and calories as other desserts. The granola topping at ABP – just the topping– has 230 calories. (WHAT!)
4) Frozen Dinners- I know we’re busy (and sometimes lazy) college students and frozen dinners sometimes seem like a good idea. Most diet dinners, and regular frozen dinners, are filled with preservatives and too much sodium. Not to mention, they are often flavorless and unfulfilling. Boil up some pasta or make a sandwich instead.
5) Wheat Bread- Wheat bread is healthier than white, but unless the package says “100-percent whole
wheat” or “whole grain,” it’s just not cutting it. Nine-grain wheat breads are a scam, they may have less calories (not by much), but they are not healthier than regular white bread.
6) Margarine or other nasty fake butters- It’s still better to use healthy oils (extra virgin olive oil) when cooking. Real butter, in moderation, is also better than fake butter.
7) Muffins- although muffins may be a delicious, easy-to-pick-up breakfast, these softball- sized treats average around 500 calories. Find smaller muffins if you can, or resort to English muffins with a little butter and some peanut butter or jelly.
Other tricky items:
· sports drinks
· reduced- fat peanut butter
· granola bars
· frozen yogurts
Sources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22027686/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/are-you-going-eat/, http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/50-seemingly-healthy-foods-are-bad-you?page=51