As many of you know, about 5 years ago I lost close to 100 pounds and have kept a good portion of it off. After losing all that weight I wanted to learn about nutrition and become a health coach. My desire in writing this newsletter is to pass information on to my readers to help them lose weight and keep it off, just as I have done. This months’ article is on food items which are marketed as healthy, but really aren’t healthy at all.
- Breakfast cereal – It tastes good, it is quick and easy, but many brands are very high in sugar. This sugar is “refined” table sugar or “sucrose”. It lacks vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Because it lacks all of these the body must work extra hard to absorb the sucrose properly and it depletes the vitamins and minerals in your body. This sucrose or sugar causes your blood sugar to skyrocket, then after it gets absorbed into your system your blood sugar drops to a very low state, which can cause depression, fatigue, weakness, or other health concerns. If you want to eat cereal find a brand low in sugar and high in fiber.
- Yogurt – It’s marketed as a health food and many of us like yogurt, but several brands on the market are high in sugar – 10 grams or more in one container. The yogurt that’s highest in sugar content are those pre-flavored with fruit – added blueberry or strawberry. If you want to cut back on your sugar and still eat yogurt, buy unflavored Greek and add fresh fruit to it and a little raw honey for added sweetness.
- Frozen Entrees – In our fast paced world many people live on frozen dinners, but are they healthy? Many of them have added sodium and trans fats, as well as lacking in necessary vitamins and minerals. There are a few brands on the market that are healthier. They don’t have added sodium, they’re gluten free, and are non-gmo. One of the brands I’ve tried is “Amy’s” – they can be purchased at Wal-Mart and Publix as well as health food stores. If you need or want the convenience of frozen entrees, I would recommend trying these.
- Diet Soda – One of the most dangerous items to ever be invented was the ‘diet’ soda. By trimming certain things from the ingredients list, soda manufacturers guaranteed a giant market share, consisting largely of people who are attempting to be health conscious. Unfortunately, diet soda messes with your body’s ability to recognize and manage sugar properly. Drinking diet sodas are more likely to cause diabetes and weight gain than sugary drinks. Artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking that sugar is on its way, which causes the body to pump out insulin, which leads to more body fat. They confuse your metabolism, so you burn fewer calories per day and they make you hungrier so you eat more and crave more sugar, which leads to more body fat.
- Popcorn – Not all popcorn is to be avoided. A good way to determine if your popcorn is at war with your good health is: Is it in a prepackaged bag that simply has to be tossed in the microwave to be cooked? Those prepackaged popcorn packages offer no benefit. The bags microwave popcorn is cooked in are loaded with chemicals which have been shown to cause cancer. When heated, the chemicals go into the popcorn. Then there’s the butter, or fake butter. The chemicals in the fake butter have been proven to cause lung cancer. If you’re going to eat popcorn, you’ll need to pop it the old-fashioned way and use real butter if you must.
- “Skinny” Desserts – The word “skinny” is alluring. It’s what you want to achieve; thinness! Unfortunately, marketers are not tied to some code of ethics that prevents them from using words that aren’t factual. What they are tied to is doing whatever it takes to sell more of their product. A great way to do that is to toss the word “skinny” on your favorite dessert item. You’ll buy it, thinking you’ve saved yourself valuable calories, but all you’ve probably done is buy a smaller portion of the same stuff, only there isn’t any natural sugar and flavor. It’s all artificial with a lot of additives that will make you fatter instead of helping you to lose weight.
- Granola Bars – This one may have you scratching your head when you consider that your favorite kind is crammed with every fruit and nut you can imagine. But read the ingredient label and you’ll soon see that there is probably more sugar—make that high-fructose corn syrup—than goodness your body can use. Many of the granola bars and protein bars on the market have more sugar than a candy bar, and cost 3 times as much. If you want a quick and easy snack you can take with you when you exercise, you can make your own, or take some raw mixed nuts with you.
- Light salad dressings – Salad dressing in general are not good for you, but the ones that say “light”, “sugar free”, or “fat free” are actually worse for you. The ingredient lists on these dressings are usually a mile long and are filled with additives and preservatives. The best type of dressing to use is a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can add spices or some fresh fruit for added taste.
I hope this information has been helpful to you. Please feel free to give me a call or drop me an email if you have any questions.