When it comes to your health and fitness, nutrition is 85% of the equation.
However, food manufacturers usually don’t have consumer’s health in mind when they’re creating new products or marketing to the masses. There are also general misconceptions and fads that have been propagated as being facts in the past but are indeed false.
Here are 5 common foods that are propagated as “healthy” but in actuality, they’re not even close.
1. Frozen Yogurt
I’ll be honest, froyo is my kryptonite. I love that stuff just as much as anyone else, but it’s not any healthier than its ice cream ‘cousin’.
Lower in calories, yes; but at the end of the day, if you’re just going to double portion sizes since it’s “healthy” and load up on enough toppings to send a small elephant into a diabetic shock, then it’s not really any different.
In any case, this does not apply to the plain and healthy plant-based yogurt. You can even add fruits and/or berries of your choice and freeze it. This is a lot healthier than the store-bought frozen yogurt with unhealthy additives that should be avoided.
2. Cereal
Just because a marketing team labels cereal as “high protein” doesn’t make it healthy or even remotely good for you. Not to mention, if you look at the fine print underneath the logo, it’ll likely say something along the lines of “with milk”.
In other words, cereal isn’t high in protein, but when paired with the usual river of bovine moo juice, the protein count is slightly elevated. Strong marketing, huh?
You ate cereal when you were 6 years old and your pancreas could handle the insulin roller coasters you ingested. You’re an adult now; it’s time to eat like one.
Again, if you must take cereal, it is advisable you buy the whole grain cereal with no additives as this is a healthy option.
3. Gatorade
If you’re not an endurance athlete completing 2-3 hour long exercise sessions, then you don’t need any sort of sport beverage. You’re likely drinking back all of the calories which you just expended during your exercise session.
If your goal is weight loss related, then you essentially just ‘shot yourself in the foot’. Not to mention the insane amounts of sugar you’re consuming with little to no micronutrients, fiber, or protein.
4. Margarine
The war on saturated fats has long been debunked if you’ve kept up with research on the subject. However, if you’ve relied upon the mass media for your nutrition information, you’re going to be behind the times.
Here’s the truth: margarine is a scientifically manufactured conglomeration of vegetable oils infused with harmful trans fats. The Framingham Heart Study showed that those who replaced butter with margarine were actually at a higher risk of heart diseases.
5. Vegetable Oils
Canola and soybean oil are two of the key offenders but in actuality, all vegetable oils are pretty terrible for your health. Canola oil undergoes a very complex sterilization, stripping, and bleaching process which increases their shelf life and deep frying results.
However, this can quickly become an issue due to the fact that they have a very low oxidation temperature (i.e. where their fatty acid structure decomposes and carcinogen production can potentially increase) and frying requires high temperatures for best results.
Remember, “Nature doesn’t make bad fats, factories do.” Hence, the major reason why it is advisable to eat olives instead of olive oil, and nut/seed butters without additives, instead of nut/seed oils.
About author: Mike Wines has trained a wide variety of athletes and clients and seeks to provide programming and movement based solutions to match each individual’s goals. He is also the content editor at Muscle & strength
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