10 Foods You Thought Were Okay, but Really Aren’t

You probably have a few of these health food masqueraders in your pantry or refrigerator right now.

While almost every food is okay in moderation, make sure you aren’t fooled into thinking you can consume these foods with abandon.

The best policy for a healthy diet? Pack as many unprocessed fruits, vegetables and lean protein into your meals and snacks as possible and save packaged and processed foods for an occasional treat or time-saver.

Bad Foods That Seem So Good

1. Granola bars – These treats seem so wholesome, many of them advertising that they are made with good for you ingredients like oats, dried fruit and nuts. Many brands are extremely high in sugar and some contain saturated fat, making them more like candy bars than a health food. In fact, many varieties contain chocolate chips, marshmallows or M & M brand candies!

Be sure to read the labels before you buy and look for brands with low added sugar and no trans fats and less than one gram of saturated fats.

2.Flavored yogurts – Yogurt has a great reputation for being the secret to health and longevity. The live cultures it contains contribute to digestive health and it’s a rich source of calcium and protein.

Most brands of flavored yogurt, however are extraordinarily high in sugar and contain artificial colors. There are varieties that use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar or corn syrup but these may not be acceptable to all consumers.

It’s even difficult to find plain yogurt that doesn’t contain stabilizers such as gelatin, which is a no-no for many vegetarians. Additionally, some yogurts do not have the number or variety of live cultures that are necessary to get the benefits of eating yogurt.

A great and economical solution is to look into making your own yogurt. You can use organic, hormone free milk and strain it to your desired thickness, then flavor and sweeten with fruits, honey or even a modest amount table sugar to taste.

3. Fruit Juice – Fruit is great for you, so shouldn’t the juice be as well? Although fruit juice does contain vitamins and other nutrients, it’s missing the fiber of whole fruit. You’ll find yourself ingesting a lot of sugar and calories when consuming the juice of the fruit far more than you would if you’d eaten the fruit whole.

Fiber is important for a healthy life as well as giving a feeling of satiety, or fullness. Fruit juice is not a balanced source of nutrients but can crowd out other, more nutrient dense food in the diet, especially for children.

There is no need to cut out fruit juice completely, but be sure to watch portion sizes, an 8 ounce cup of juice is more than enough. Try cutting your juice with water or seltzer to make it go further and consider buying or making juice that contains the pulp.

4. Bagels – Bagels became wildly popular during the low fat craze and have remained a part of our diets in America ever since. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional bagel with a schmear and some lox, having one every day can pack on the pounds.

Bagels have become supersized over the years – a 4.5” diameter bagel can have over 300 calories and that’s a plain bagel before any toppings have been added. Flavored bagels can have well over that, with some varieties approaching 500 calories.

Add in sandwich toppings like meat, cheese, butter, cream cheese, eggs, mayonnaise and so on and you’ve got quite a hefty dose of calories!

Additionally, bagels are usually made with white flour and don’t offer a lot of nutritional benefits for the calories. You’d be better off sticking with plain, whole grain breads or wraps for your sandwiches and saving the bagels for a special occasion.

5. Diet Soda – Without even delving into the debate surrounding the safety of artificial sweeteners, there is a lot of evidence that diet soda is not a great choice for those looking to watch their intake of sugar and/or calories.

There is some evidence, still in dispute, that the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners can cause more overeating as the body produces insulin in anticipation of a rise in blood sugars that never happens. Over time, this can lead to the body not reacting as it should to all sugars and producing obesity.

Diet sodas can also be high in caffeine and there is a concern that the phosphoric acid in diet sodas can lead to bone loss.

6. Smoothies – Just like the fruit juice mentioned above, smoothies can pack a lot of calories into one easy to drink package.

Most smoothies do contain fruit and/or vegetables which are healthy for you, but may also contain added sugar and fat from added ingredients like milk and chocolate. Because smoothies are sipped, not chewed, the body is not as efficient as registering fullness and you might find yourself hungry a lot sooner than you would if you’d had the same amount of calories as a food.

You can still enjoy smoothies, just be mindful of the portion size, added sugar and/or fat and be mindful of how many calories you are taking in over the course of the day.

7. Pretzels – Like bagels, pretzels became favorites when low-fat was the big idea in dieting. Pretzels are low in fat, but they are also pretty much devoid of nutrition and can be high in salt. If you eat them with dips, you could also be consuming far more fat, sugar and salt than is good for you.

Pretzels are lower in fat than most potato chips, however they should be considered an occasional snack and not a substitute for healthier nibbles like carrots, celery, apples and grapes.

8. Canned Soups – What could be more wholesome than a nice hot bowl of soup? Canned soups are extremely convenient and affordable, but look at the labels before you buy. Many brands have over a day’s worth of sodium in one serving (which is often half of a can of soup, not the full can that many of us would eat in one sitting).

While there are varieties of canned soups that are lower in sodium, most of them aren’t very tasty. The good news is soup is incredibly easy to make for yourself at home and can easily be frozen to provide a quick, healthy meal in minutes.

9.  Frozen vegetables – To be certain, frozen vegetables can be a great way to get affordable, easy to use produce at any time of the year. They give fresh vegetables a run for their money in terms of nutrition and there are no concerns about them going bad before they can be used.

The problem is that so many manufacturers dress up their frozen vegetable offerings with sauces and seasonings that pack on the salt and fat. When shopping for frozen vegetables, look for brands where the vegetables are the only ingredients. Season them at home while you are cooking to be able to control the amount of sodium and fat that is going in to your vegetables.

10. Healthy frozen entrees – This is another instance where you have to be vigilant about reading labels. Don’t just look at the total calorie count and percentage of fat, check to see how much salt and sugar you’re getting with your meal.

Most of these meals have a low calorie count, but be realistic about how satisfying you’ll find 350 calories worth of frozen pasta with chicken. There’s not much good in packing a frozen entrée for work at lunch if you’re ravenous by 3 pm and stuffing quarters in the vending machine.

You’ll likely be able to do better by brown bagging it with food you prepare yourself at home, in terms of nutrition, satisfaction and cost. You can even make your own frozen dinners at home to have on hand for an easy meal when you’re in a crunch.

If you choose to continue buying frozen entrees, make sure to supplement with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and be mindful of how much sodium you are consuming.

The important thing to remember is to never blindly allow a food products packaging or public relations campaigns lull you into thinking that they are a consequence-free food. Read labels and strive to make balanced choices over the course of your days and weeks. There is no need to cut any food out of your diet permanently but be mindful that most of your choices are packed with the nutrition you need to be your best.

Tracy O’Connor is a freelance writer, wife and mother of five boys. Follow her on Twitter.

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