Top 10 Healthy Foods That Are Not Really Healthy
Transformers: Unhealthy Foods In Disguise (Part 1)
Transformers: Unhealthy Foods In Disguise (Part 2)
Transformers: Unhealthy Foods In Disguise (Part 3)
Energy Bars
Energy bars are not healthy because they are not meant to be healthy. They are made to provide energy to people who are exercising for extended periods of time. They are not meant to be eaten as snacks or meals.
Unless you are an endurance athlete you do not need the energy boost from an energy bar. If you are trying to lose weight, your energy should be coming from the fat you are trying to get rid of.
Energy bars are high in sugar. Stay away from them. Real foods are cheaper and healthier.
Fruit Juice or Dried Fruit
Fruits are great in moderation because they are very nutritious and when incorporated into a balanced meal, they help keep you satisfied longer. They help to keep you satisfied because of their high water and high fiber content.
Fruit juices remove the best aspect of fruits by eliminating the fiber. They then add extra sugar making it even worse. You are much better off eating a fruit than drinking a fruit.
Dried fruit removes the water from fruit. Now the fruit becomes less satisfying and you eat more to compensate. Dried fruits are also bad because they are typically sugar sweetened, which makes them worst. Unless you are an astronaut and concerned about your foods spoiling, skip the dried fruits. Eat real fruit instead.
Wraps
Many of you believe that wraps are healthy because the wrap it self has less calories and carbohydrates than two slices of bread. However, wraps can be just as unhealthy as most sandwiches if they are filled with creamy sauces, fatty cheeses, fatty meats, and/or fried meats.
To make your wrap healthier, fill them with lean meats, fat-free cheeses, and fresh vegetables. You can make it even healthier by eliminating the wrap and using lettuce instead. Lettuce wraps taste great.
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts are healthy. They are high in protein and low in saturated fat. They also taste great when grilled. However, most grilled chicken sandwiches are not healthy.
At most restaurants and fast food places, they take a perfectly great piece of chicken and put it in between two high-calorie white buns. They then serve it with a high-fat creamy sauce, high-fat bacon, and/or ketchup.
If you want to make your grilled chicken sandwich healthier, make it special. Tell your waiter that you do not want sauce, ketchup, or bacon. Tell them you only want mustard. If they have 100% stone ground wheat bread/bun request it. If they do not, simply remove one of the white bun halves.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as a healthy food. Any food can be made healthy or unhealthy if you do not know what you should and should not be eating. Follow the principles in the Don’t Go Broke Nutrition Plan and you should have no problem keeping your meals and snacks healthy.
Weight loss can be enhanced and better maintained with strength training. For more information on my favorite strength training tool, read my review of the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells.
Photo by Ayelie.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great advice Dr. Kal!
You know I was a little surprised about the information based on wraps. But as a alternative using lettuce is such a great idea and safe.
To add to that I have even seen someone using collard greens leaves for a wrap in a raw foods recipe. I am going to add that to my lunch to eat list. Great Post!
I love lettuce wraps. Collard green wraps sound good also. But, I have never had collards that weren’t cooked.