Eating healthy can sometimes be tricky, especially when certain foods are marketed as "healthy”, but they are actually loaded with hidden sugars, unhealthy fats, or artificial additives. While it seems that these foods always taste the best, it is very important to follow a balanced and wholesome diet. Consuming these foods regularly can lead to unintentional weight gain, blood sugar spikes, and increased risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. They can also contribute to poor digestion, inflammation, and lack of vital nutrients in your diet.

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 Understanding which foods are deceptively unhealthy is crucial for making informed dietary choices and maintaining overall well-being. To help you make better choices, here’s a list of 9 commonly misunderstood unhealthy foods and their healthier alternatives.

Also Read: How To Stop Craving Junk Food? 9 Effective Tips For A Healthier Living

Unhealthy Foods And Healthier Options

Flavoured Yogurt

Flavoured yogurts often contain added sugars, preservatives and artificial flavours that negate their potential health benefits. Most of them are high in added sugar which can lead to weight gain, sudden spikes in sugar levels and can also impact gut health.

Healthier Alternative: Opt for plain Greek yogurt and sweeten it naturally with fresh fruits or a drizzle of honey.

Granola Bars

Granola bars are usually considered to be healthy energy snack bars, but most of them are heaped with added sugar, calories, unhealthy oils and artificial ingredients. Consuming these bars regularly may promote weight gain.

Healthier Alternative: Make your granola bars at home with oats, nuts, seeds, and natural sweeteners like dates.

 Store-Bought Smoothies

Pre-packaged smoothies can be calorie bombs with added sugars, syrups, and artificial flavouring. They are made from cheaper, more processed ingredients like fruit purees, and these purees pack concentrate sugars while depleting most of the nutritional incentives of the whole fruits like dietary fibre, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Healthier Alternative: Blend your smoothies at home using whole fruits, vegetables, and unsweetened nut milk.

Veggie Chips

Many vegetable chips are highly processed and contain minimal actual vegetables, along with excess sodium and unhealthy fats.

Healthier Alternative: Bake thinly sliced vegetables like zucchini, sweet potato, or kale at home with a sprinkle of olive oil and seasoning.

Fruit Juices

Even 100% fruit juices lack fiber and are high in natural sugars, which can spike blood sugar levels and make you gain weight rapidly when consumed regularly.

Healthier Alternative: Choose whole fruits instead, as they retain fiber and help control sugar absorption.

Also Read: Junk Food Vs Healthy Food: Advantages, Disadvantages And Healthier Food Choices

Low-Fat Salad Dressings

Low-fat dressings often compensate for the lack of fat with added sugars, salt, and artificial ingredients to keep up the flavour profile and texture, making the nutritional profile low and less valuable.

Healthier Alternative: Use olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or homemade dressings made with simple, wholesome ingredients.

 Sports Drinks

 Sports drinks are loaded with sugar, sodium, caffeine artificial colours, and flavours, which can lead to numerous health issues if taken regularly.

Packed with simple sugar and high sodium content, it can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, uncontrolled blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. While high caffeine content can result in nervousness, headaches, poor concentration, sleep and constant urination.

Healthier Alternative: Rehydrate with water or coconut water, which is naturally packed with electrolytes and free from added sugars.

Breakfast Cereals

Many breakfast cereals marketed as “healthy” are high in sugar and low in fiber and protein. They contain refined grains and are low in nutritional content beyond carbs, which makes them a source of empty calories, that contribute to weight and other medical issues when consumed regularly.

Healthier Alternative: Choose whole-grain cereals with no added sugar or opt for oatmeal topped with nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit.

Gluten-Free Packaged Snacks

Gluten-free snacks can be unhealthy as they are heaped with calories, sugar, fat, sodium and low in nutrients. It’s vital to read the nutritional label to ensure you’re choosing healthy foods.

Healthier Alternative: Stick to naturally gluten-free whole foods like fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.

Conclusion

Being mindful of what’s in your food is the key to a truly healthy diet and augmenting overall health. By replacing these deceptive "health" foods with their wholesome alternatives, you can take a big step towards better health. Always read labels, choose whole foods, and when in doubt, make your meals at home where you control the ingredients.

(This article is reviewed by Kalyani Krishna, Chief Content Editor)

Author Profile:

M Sowmya Binu:

With over 15 years of expertise and a Postgraduate degree in Nutrition, M Sowmya Binu is a seasoned professional in the field of nutrition. Specializing in tailoring personalized diet plans, she underscores the significance of a balanced approach to health, emphasizing the integration of medication with dietary intake for holistic wellness. Passionate about equipping individuals with knowledge to make informed decisions, Sowmya adeptly develops insightful content encompassing a wide array of topics including food, nutrition, supplements, and overall health.

References:

Consumer beliefs about healthy foods and diets

Jayson L Lusk 1,

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6793866/

Perceived healthiness of foods: A systematic review of qualitative studies

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833521000460