Not-So-Healthy Healthy Foods

Not-So-Healthy Healthy Foods.

It’s very easy to define the bad from the good when you’re talking foods like chocolate bars and deep fried potato chips. However, sometimes it’s not so easy to spot the ugly ingredients sitting in wait to clog your arteries and play havoc with your health. Yes, that’s right. There is a list of surprising foods that foster false sense of securities.

Take a look at our hit list of some surprising foods that harbour more than porky pies with the “healthy” classification.

1. Dried Fruit

This shrivelled up version of a usually healthy snack is merely a concentrated source of sugar. Preservatives and oils are used during the preservation method. Drying of the fruits also extracts most of the water, which makes the fibre contained in the fruit harder for your digestive system to cope with. If you are going to consume fruit, opt for no more than two pieces of low-fructose, fresh fruit per day instead.

2. Margarine

This scientifically-mastered spread may have lower fat than butter. However, it is made from vastly processed vegetable oils. The product is a result of chemically extracted, deodorised, flavoured and bleached blends, not good for any standard palate.

3. Apple Juice

Marketed as a great source of vitamins, fruit juices lack the real fibre that slows the absorption of sugar and are generally just liquefied sugar. Apple juice happens to be one of the worst. A small bottle of this juice has even been compared to equivalent amounts of sugar in a can of Coca-Cola.

Natural, herbal teas are an alternative option worth considering. You can check out the list of Bondi Beach Tea Co. tasty blends of goodness, for your mind and your body online here.

4. Low Fat Yoghurt

Yoghurts lower in fat generally happen to be higher in sugar to compensate for the flavour lost when removing said fat. Lower fat yoghurt also does not have the fulfilling sensation like that with higher fat content, and this usually makes you reach for something more (generally a quick-fix sugary snack!). Greek yoghurt is a much better alternative. Add some fresh fruit pieces or tasty berries for more fibre and health content.

5. Pre-Made Sauces and Dressings

Pre-made convenient pasta sauces, and good old Tommy and barbeque sauce are hubs for sugar and artificial ingredients. The sugar contained in one bottle of Dolmio Bolognese sauce, for example, reaches a massive count of more than nine teaspoons. Hmmm, sauces that are convenient for your taste buds; but there is nothing convenient about the health implications that could arise from excessive doses of sauces like these commonly purchased food stocks.

For a healthier alternative, create your own sauces from fresh ingredients. You might like to try these healthier tomato sauce recipes we have sourced online from Martha Stewart and this one from Kim’s Cravings. If you try them, be sure to leave us some feedback and let us know how you went.

Eating fresh is always a better option when available, and you should do your best to incorporate your daily recommended levels of nutrients each day. If you would like to know more about your individual nutrient requirements, check out this interesting calculator we sourced online from Eatforhealth.gov.au.