In recent years, people have paid increasing attention to health, hoping to enhance their physical fitness and prevent diseases through their own conditioning to achieve the effect of a longer, healthier life. They are especially more cautious about their diet, believing that only healthy foods are the best. But are the so-called healthy foods that everyone is talking about really healthy? How many foods are just using the "healthy food" label to attract our attention?
For these so-called healthy foods, their ingredients may differ from other foods, and their nutritional value may be higher. But you must know that they all contain more or less some unhealthy factors. Many of these foods hide excessive amounts of sugar and fat, causing you to consume a lot of calories without even realizing it.
So, which "healthy foods" in our lives are deceiving our eyes? Let's take a look at these so-called "healthy foods" together!
1. Yogurt with Fruit
The refrigerated shelves in supermarkets are filled with all kinds of yogurt, and the most eye-catching are the yogurts with fruit. They like to package themselves with various nutritional terms such as "organic" and "all-natural," and they are also rich in fruit pulp, so choosing them is surely the right choice!
The Truth
Beneath this glamorous appearance, it also contains a large amount of sugar. A 200g box of yogurt with fruit can have over 200 calories. Instead of drinking yogurt with fruit, it's better to have plain yogurt with fresh fruit, which is more nutritious and lower in calories.
2. Fancy Granola
People's pursuit of food is no longer just about nutrition; they also hope to obtain a variety of nutrients and have an appealing appearance that stimulates the appetite. Recently popular fancy granola, for example, is a mixed cereal made from oats treated with maple syrup or honey, plus nuts and dried fruit.
The Truth
Just looking at the appearance and ingredients, it seems like a healthy combination. However, we must admit that it also contains a fair amount of fat and sugar, and if you calculate it carefully, the calorie count is very high. Although it's delicious, you should still control your portion size.
3. Fancy Sushi Rolls
Sushi is a traditional Japanese delicacy that many young people and children love to eat today, considered a perfect food. The protein and unsaturated fatty acids found in seafood, paired with a small amount of rice, make for a nutritious meal. Add some vegetables, and it's indeed a healthy and nutritious meal.
The Truth
Although sushi is a nutritious and healthy food, not all sushi is that healthy. For example, tempura rolls or other fancy rolls are not only fried but also contain mayonnaise. It's worth noting that the soy sauce used for dipping sushi is not low in sodium. Therefore, it's best to eat brown rice hand rolls with fresh vegetables and no sauce.
4. Vegetable Salad
A mix of brightly colored vegetables tossed in a salad is an appetizing dish in the hot summer, deeply loved by people. The fruits and vegetables in salad do contain rich vitamins and minerals, but most salad dressings are high in fat and calories. If you add fried chicken strips or something similar to the salad, it moves further away from being a healthy food.
The Truth
The calorie content of a salad can be very high. A large, prepared vegetable salad can have up to 800 kcal, which is even more than a hamburger. Therefore, when making your salad, always remember that fresh vegetables are the star. You can add a moderate amount of lean meat, a boiled egg, and a small portion of whole grains. Most importantly, use less salad dressing.
5. Fried Fish
Fried ribbon fish, small yellow croaker... crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a light fishy aroma in your mouth, it's a delicious dish on the dinner table and can even be eaten as a snack. Fish is praised as a delicious, low-calorie healthy food, and even the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week.
The Truth
We have always said that fish is a healthy food, and eating fish is not wrong in itself. But you must pay attention to the cooking method. Once the fish is thrown into a deep fryer and served with various high-oil, high-salt, and high-sugar sauces, it has nothing to do with being healthy. The best way to cook fish is to steam it.
6. Fruit Juice
As we all know, fruit juice is rich in vitamins, so many people like to order a fresh glass of juice when dining out. Although fresh juice has the taste of fruit and some vitamins, the dietary fiber from the pulp is lost during juicing. Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility that some juice shops add extra sugar to fresh juice for better taste.
The Truth
In fact, fruit juice is a major source of hidden sugar. If you choose a juice drink, it's even worse. They contain only about 10% pure juice, and some are simply a mixture of colorings, sugar, or sweeteners. Therefore, whether drinking juice or eating dried fruit, it's not as healthy as eating the fruit directly.
7. Whole Grain Biscuits
In recent years, the health benefits of whole grains have been heavily promoted. To meet market demand, various whole grain biscuits have appeared on the market, claiming to be high in dietary fiber and looking like healthy foods at first glance. These fibers do exist, but unfortunately, they are coated in fat!
The Truth
We know that insoluble fiber has a very rough texture. However, in order to make the product more appealing, manufacturers add a lot of sugar and fat to many whole grain biscuits. Therefore, the fat content in whole grain biscuits is very high, and they should be consumed with caution.
8. Vitamin Drinks
Compared to other beverages, vitamin drinks are considered healthier. This type of drink combines two healthy ingredients (vitamins and water), but drinking vitamin drinks as if they were water is not a good choice.
The Truth
These drinks taste a bit sour but have a very good mouthfeel. Besides that, you may not realize that the amount of sugar added to these drinks is also considerable, and the proportion of vitamins may not be suitable for everyone. If you want to maintain a healthy diet, it's best to quit all packaged drinks; plain water is your best friend.
In addition, there are many other foods wearing the "healthy" label that continue to deceive our eyes and affect our ability to discern. In fact, there is nothing wrong with pursuing a healthy lifestyle; the key is to develop your own ability to distinguish foods—to know which ones are truly healthy and which ones, when consumed long-term, can harm our bodies.