Foods that Can Fool You
Often times, foods you THINK are healthy choices can fool you! Unfortunately, some foods can surprisingly be deceiving. Now you might be asking yourself, “Have I been fooled?” and “How am I supposed to know which foods to look out for?” Not to worry, I have compiled a list of foods that might have snuck right under your radar in the past, but NOT anymore! Check out the foods below and remember to always check all labels before making a selection on what foods to choose.
Packaged cereals:Check for excess sugar and sodium, and lack of fiber.
Multigrain or seven-grain products:Unless the label says ‘whole grain’, you’re not getting full benefits.
Deli Foods:Even “fresh” turkey or chicken breast can be loaded with sodium, while salads are frequently made with high-fat mayonnaise and other unhealthy oils.
High-energy bars and drinks:In many instances, the “high energy” claims come from the high level of calories – mostly from sugar and fat.
Cereal bars:Many contain no fiber, lots of sugar and substantial fat.
Low-fat or non-fat dairy products that replace fat with fillers: Fillers can jack up carbohydrate loads and increase sugar content, which can be a problem for many people.
Granola bars or cereal:Many contain saturated fats (from ingredients like coconut), sodium as a preservative and lots of sugar.
Trail mix: Contain things like chocolate chips and sugared fruit. Most types weigh in at whopping 190 calories for a couple of ounces, and won’t keep you full for very long.
“Trans fat-free” cookies, crackers, snack chips and baked goods: Check portion sizes and look for hydrogenated oils on the ingredient panel.
Soy milk, chocolate covered soy nuts, soy bars: The buzzword here is soy which can indeed be healthy. But many of these products also contain lots of sugar and fat.
Banana chips: Even though these chips include the word “banana”, they are STILL chips! They still contain the calories, fat and sodium packed into your average bag of chips.
Prepared Turkey Burgers: Check the label before preparing your next turkey burger as they can be loaded with sodium and higher in fat than you think.
Salad Bars: Often time the “fixings” you add to your salad such as bacon bits, croutons and cheese, can push the calorie content of a seemingly healthy salad over the edge.
Foods labeled “light”: Just because a label says light doesn’t mean they are light in calories or fat! It could mean light in color.
I hope that you find this list useful and feel confident that you will not be fooled by any of these foods again! Print out this list, share it with your friends, hang it on your fridge or better yet take it along the next time you go food shopping. These foods have nothing on you!
Are there any other misleading foods you can think of?
This article was very interesting. I also think that often times people do get fooled by the labels and then misunderstanding what the food really contains.
However, the “light” misunderstanding that you mentioned really struck me and I will keep an eye out for that in the future when I shop! Thank you.