Hey everyone, I hope you’re all having a fantastic start to the week so far. Today I want to explore the topic of diet foods and how they may not be as healthy as you may believe.
We’ve all heard of magic diet foods that keep you feeling full for longer and are full of fruits and vegetables, sugar-free, gluten-free and a ton of other supposed benefits to your health. But how true is it? Do these foods really improve your health in the long run? Read on to find out more…
Gluten-free Products
For some reason, many people seem to be obsessed with the idea of gluten-free foods. Plenty of foods are now labelled gluten-free, but what goes into it to make it taste similar? Peek at the ingredients on any of these foods. Does it contain an unusual amount of additives and sugar? If so, it’s probably to replace the wheat protein that is in the original product. Often times, the calorie count for these products are similar to the original product with gluten, or even more as it’s packed with other ingredients to maintain the taste!
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| Gluten-free is not necessarily healthy (pic from capitalberg.com) |
At any rate, you should only opt for gluten-free products if your body is unable to process gluten efficiently or suffers from gluten induced allergies. Otherwise, there really is no solid reason why you should opt for gluten-free foods.
Smoothies
The natural diet of any gym junkie or those looking to lose weight is likely to have a smoothie in it. Full of vegetables or fruits, many people assume that this should naturally be a healthy drink/food. Its health benefits are undeniable, but you should be wary of the amount of sugar that’s in these smoothies.
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| Not as healthy as you thought! (pic from kenwoodworld.com) |
Because smoothies are essentially broken down versions of fruits/vegetables, this means that it still contains all its natural sugars. While you may not necessarily consume more than two bananas or oranges in a single sitting, it’s very easy to blend up to 10 fruits and vegetables together to create a “healthy” drink. Unfortunately, this means all the sugars also go into the smoothie. Some smoothies have even been shown to have
more sugar than a glass of Coke!
Fat-Free Products
There are a ton of food products out there that are advertised as fat-free. Some simple examples include salad dressings, cookies, muffins and more. Many people make the mistake of confusing fat with calories, and therefore freely consume these fat-free products under the assumption that it is the healthier option. These are about as healthy as a Diet Coke!
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| Don’t be fooled by labels; always check the ingredients (pic from munfitnessblog.com) |
These products often have much more sugar in them to make up for the lack of fats. If you glance at the ingredients, they often contain corn syrup, more sugar, and a lot of other additives. Corn syrup is also a key ingredient of Coke, and what makes it so sweet, so you can imagine the effect this ingredient has on supposed “fat-free” foods. As the calorie count is racked up, the chances of you shedding a few kilos by consuming such products also go down dramatically.
At the end of the day, make sure you know what ingredients make up the food or drinks that you consume. Never fall for labels, and ensure that you are fully aware of what you put into your body. You’ll be in much better health!
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