Wellness
5 ‘Healthy’ Foods That We Should Try to Avoid
Which marketing tactics have we fallen prey too?
Sugar-Free, Fat-Free, Light and Low Fat Foods
Diet drinks are a guilt-free alternative to drinks filled with table sugar, right? WRONG. This is a big misconception.
Diet Coke has been targeting women since 1982 and is currently ranked as the 2nd most popular carbonated drink in the world (regular Coke being the 1st). Still, in today’s health-conscious society we are happy to drink the Its-Not-Sugar-Its-Packed-With-Highly-Addictive-Aspartame-Instead beverage.
Aspartame. (#Yuk!!)
Let’s just stop for a minute and consider the 80s – a lot of bad decisions were made in the 80’s. Perms and leg warmers were bought is large quantities, along with Diet Coke. The fact that its name included the word diet meant that it almost immediately appealed to the weight-loss-obsessed set; and here began the mass onslaught of diet, fat free, and sugar free foods.
Let’s get one thing straight – fat is not the enemy. Our body needs fats for energy, for hormone synthesis, for healthy skin and hair and to protects our vital organs. Of course, not all fats are made equal and should be consumed in moderation. It’s the same with sugar. Sugary foods are extremely unhealthy and will lead to numerous health conditions — but lowfat, fat-free, and sugar-free foods are NOT the answer. These foods are packed to the brim with synthetic chemical sweeteners, salt, MSG and additives to make up for the change in taste.
At the end of the day, these foods are not made with your health in mind; they are made with large profits in mind by praying on people’s weight-related insecurities… and they don’t contain quality, wholesome ingredients because these would impact profit margins. Research has shown that artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar at inducing insulin sensitivity and they actually promote weight gain due to metabolic confusion. The body isn’t fooled by ‘empty calories’ and the cravings for energy continues, giving you the munchies and making you consume more calleries overall.
Hey – you know what? Eat the cookie! A treat here and there is good for the soul and isn’t going to impact your health; no one wants to be around a ‘hangry’ person.
Honey
There is an element of truth to the ‘honey is healthier’ message that we have been bombarded with: Honey in its raw form, from a farmers market or farm shop, will contain free-radical-blocking antioxidants, is organic, and is free from the nasty antibiotics given to commercial bees. This makes is a much better choice than table sugar.
In contrast, much of the honey sold in supermarkets is chemically refined and excessively heated, meaning that the natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes are destroyed, and nothing healthy is left in the product.
If this wasn’t enough to put you off the golden nectar – wait for the next part.
Honey is mainly comprised of fructose, which can’t be used as a fuel source by the body like glucose can. It’s shuttled straight to the liver and is stored in the cells as fat, where it produces waste products such as uric acid that can lead to gout. All this and a bit of insulin resistance (a precursor for diabetes) thrown in — ain’t NOBODY got time for that!
If you do need a sweet fix now and then, opt for fruit, which does contain fructose, just less concentrated, plus you also get the added benefit of fibre!
Kyrah Edwards
If you’re really concerned about manufactured food, don’t eat them anymore. Whole foods are always better because it’s not like someone will inject synthetic sugar in carrots. If you want flavoring in your food, use fresh herbs or ones that you dried personally. Food companies want their products to taste good despite the healthy claim. Without MSG or added sugar, their products will taste like nothing and you won’t buy it. It’s not exactly their fault, they need the sales! ?
Lucia Labruna
Our definition of healthy isn’t even accurate. How do we expect manufacturers to actually produce something healthy?
Lana Carlson
If I was to own a business, the main source of profit is to really fool people. Get it? Don’t get angry if that’s what they do. It’s natural. You’re the one at fault if you get fooled though.
Cassie Johnston
You can actually test if the honey is real or not. Buy from trusted brands and not just anywhere.
Cecilia Little
How do you test it though? I read somewhere that if ants eat it, it has sugar. But if ants ignore it, it’s pure honey.
Kayla Carlson
Manufacturers put sugar-free but they only hide sugar in the list of ingredients. They just put it under different names that other people can’t even read. I hate it when manufacturers do that just so they can sell. Once people get into the habit of research and really checking the label, they start removing it from the list of ingredients like it wasn’t even there. Way to go in covering their tracks!! It really upsets me that they can’t be honest with what they’re selling.
Lucia Lopez
I think it’s the way we see food that’s wrong. I believe that what we have around us is food, yet we seek fast food. Plant f***** fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. That’s food.
Jeanette Bouvin
After reading this, I still think I’m going to consume these things. I’m sorry but I’m going to go crazy if I take note of all these things…
Lucia Pombo
I didn’t even question anything about milk because we’ve grown up knowing that it’s healthy.
Devon Carlson
Even soymilk is bad? What’s going on with this world. All we’re getting is false information from the things we’re eating. I honestly don’t think it’s possible to even be healthy in this world that lies even about nutrition. I pity those people who get allergic reactions from things that they eat because it can’t be controlled. Food is such a tricky thing to discuss and health claims are also very hard to narrow down. One day, we think it’s healthy, the next, it’s not.
Valerie Fritz
I know. There are so many conflicting information about health and food.?
MARIA
They can’t fool us with this. Maybe those who aren’t health conscious wouldn’t mind, but we definitely do!