A healthy diet is essential if you’d like to age well. But what does that really mean? There’s so much confusion about what it means to eat healthy. Healthy sounding foods might be getting in the way of your long-term weight loss goals and putting a strain on your good health.
There’s a lot of marketing behind any new food product. And what sounds nourishing may just be good marketing. This is so frustrating, especially if you’re working hard towards your health goals.
So today we’re going over 12 healthy sounding foods with lots of hidden sugar. Keep them to a minimum. Because once you think a food is healthy, you may eat it every day! And if it’s not really healthy, you may pay the price in extra pounds and body inflammation.
Whole Grain Granola
Granola is meant to be the healthy alternative to sugary breakfast cereals. But most granolas are only slightly better than their sugary alternatives. They’re sure healthy sounding. But they often don’t live up to the hype.
They may contain more healthful sounding sugars. But sugar is still sugar. Even if it’s healthier sounding coconut sugar or honey, you still want to keep consumption very low. Otherwise you may find yourself gaining weight or dealing with inflammation.
Low-Fat Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt sounds light. But it might not be helping your health goals. One of the main ingredients in yogurt is sugar. And don’t try to cheat by using artificial sweeteners. Those varieties aren’t any better. Artificial sweeteners can be just as disruptive to blood sugar as the regular stuff!
Plus, if you’re over 50 and suffering from arthritis, yogurt might be problematic in another way. Dairy can be very irritating to arthritis symptoms. So flavored low-fat yogurt may be healthy sounding. But it’s a food you want to keep to a minimum as part of a healthy diet.
Protein Bars
Let’s call protein bars what they are – candy bars marketed to a health-conscious audience. They’re often filled with sugar and processed ingredients. And many of them are also very low in their namesake – protein.
Yes, there are healthier bars made only from nuts, eggs and dried fruit. Those are better quality but still need to be consumed in moderation. Dried fruit is more concentrated in sugar than whole fruit. Which can cause an array of health issues when consumed regularly.
Fruit Juice
Did you grow up with your parents telling you that a morning cup of OJ was healthy? It sure sounds nutritious. But a healthy sounding glass of orange juice will add a lot more sugar to your day than a simple piece of fruit.
When you make juice, you’re literally squeezing the sugar out of the fruit. And all the healthy fiber that helps you metabolize the sugar is left behind. Not to mention that some juice varieties contain added sugar as well! Juice can have as much sugar as soda!
Low-Fat Salad Dressing
Salads are a great option when you’re trying to eat healthy. But their health value really boils down to what you put on top of them. Did you know that many healthy sounding salad dressings are overflowing with sugar?
One serving of salad dressing is usually listed as a tablespoon or two. But let’s get real. You’re likely having a lot more. So anything more than a couple grams per serving is going to be too much. Make sure to read the nutrition label to see how much sugar your favorite contains.
Almond Butter
Almond butter is like peanut butter sexier sibling. While the kiddos go for the peanuts, adults choose almond butter as a healthy treat. But buyer beware. Many healthful sounding almond butter brands are packed with sugar.
Again, a serving on the package of almond butter is small. So you’re likely consuming a lot more than you think. And some varieties have up to 8 grams of sugar per serving. Almond butter is healthy. But you have to make sure to pick a variety that is just almonds, with maybe a touch of added salt.
Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is often considered innocent because it’s associated with soy sauce. But soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are not one and the same. Soy sauce is likely just soybeans, wheat, and water. Teriyaki sauce is a whole lot more.
And one of its main ingredients is sugar. You’ll often find it used in healthy sounding ethnic foods. But cover your healthy vegetables and meat in teriyaki sauce, and you’re now eating more sugar than you’d normally find in desert. Have plain soy sauce instead.
Gluten-Free Pastries
People often choose gluten-free cookies and cakes because they think of them as healthier. But that’s simply not the case unless you’re sensitive to gluten. These goodies have gotten a healthy reputation in error.
In fact, gluten is what gives bread and pastries texture. When you take it away, you need to put something in its place to make it palatable. And very often, that something is sugar! So eat a gluten-free pastry if you have a problem with gluten. But otherwise, know you’re choosing something as decadent as the regular variety.
Dried Fruit
It’s already been mentioned that dried fruit has more concentrated sugar than regular fruit. Dried fruit is surprising high in sugar, and quite low in fiber. But dried fruit can be a hidden sugar double whammy.
This is because dried fruit is often covered in sugar. Think of dried cranberries, dried pineapple,and dried dates. These are all regularly packaged with added sugar! Making them a nightmare for healthy blood sugar and weight loss.
Condiments
Things like ketchup, relish, and chutney can make a tasty finishing touch. And while these all taste different, there’s one thing they all have in common. They are all loaded with sugar you’re not even accounting for since who really counts condiments?
With all of these, a serving size is small. So don’t get fooled if you just see a few grams of sugar on the food label. You’re likely getting lots of added sugar once you’re finished covering your food.
Bottled Health Drinks
You may grab a bottled Kombucha, or maybe a flavored water because you’re trying to eat healthier. But sadly, this may not help you cut back on sugar. The sneaky secret is that many of these drinks are heavily sweetened.
When these drinks are marketed, manufactories give focus only to their health beneficial qualities. And the sugar can only be found by looking at the label. So don’t rely on marketing. Look at the label yourself before overindulging on these drinks.
Dairy-Free Milks
There are tons of dairy-free milk options. You can get varieties like hemp, flax, coconut, almond, and more. But if you don’t look for the word ‘unsweetened’ on the label, you’re getting something with your milk that you never would with dairy. Lots of added sugar.
A serving size for milk is usually a cup. And that may cost you about 7 grams of sugar. Sugar you might not even appreciate because you’re likely mixing your milk in with cereal, a smoothie, or something else with flavor. Don’t waste your sugar on calories you can’t even notice.
Now it’s up to you
You can use this knowledge to let yourself become discouraged. Or you can use it as power. It’s not about never eating the foods on this list. It’s about you starting to read labels so you can make the best choices possible.
There are healthier versions of all these foods. It’s now up to you to find them. Sugar causes inflammation, weight gain, and impairs healthy aging. So why not save the sweet stuff for sweets that really count. And don’t waste it on foods you were eating because you thought they were healthy!
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