Mistaken Healthy and Unhealthy Foods

Healthy or Unhealthy?

When most people adopt ‘healthier’ life-style changes, they inevitably stop coffee and start on fruit juices, start snacking on ‘healthy’ granola power bars, and opt for low fat, low sodium, or sugar free foods, with the believe this is going to miraculously keep their blood sugar levels down, improve their cardiovascular health and perhaps drop some weight.
Here are a few “healthy” foods that are surprisingly unhealthy, and some universally believed so-called “unhealthy” foods that are actually quite good for you.

 

 

[colored_box color=”yellow”]Surprising Unhealthy Shockers[/colored_box]
Granola bars, cereals and other healthy power bars:
They sound very healthy, and look healthy too, packed with vitamins and minerals and other healthy ingredients. But when you read their ingredients lists , most of these “healthy” snacks are packed with sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS,) preservatives, stabilizers, hydrogenated fats, artificial sweeteners and other additives.
Sugar and HFCS will spike your blood sugar and make it slump just as quickly. You start getting hungrier than you were to start with. On top of that, many of these bars are just as high in fat and calories as a regular candy bar. And most of the time, they taste quite awful.

Healthier snack choices would include : Fresh fruits and berries, raw veggies with hummus, cheese, pumpkin seeds, nuts and other natural treats.

Contrary to what you are made to believe, eggs definitely make for a much healthier breakfast choice than cereals, or any meal replacement power bar!

Chef’s salad, chicken salad and others:
One of the first things many people do to improve their health is start eating salads topped with dressings and flavorings. But the fat, sugar, carbs and calories found in these salads makes them just as “unhealthy” .Between the toppings, dressings and sauces the health value is pretty much cancelled out by low fat dressings which contain high levels of dangerous HFCS. So you’re not doing yourself any justice by opting for these types of dressed salads.
Some healthier salad choices: Mixed green salad with avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, boiled eggs, nuts and freshly cooked beef or chicken. For dressings, choose olive oil, lemon or vinegar, herbs and spices.

Fruit juices:
Just the idea of drinking fruit juices makes you feel healthy and nourished. Although most fruit juices taste pretty good, many packed juices have very little real juice in them. Manufacturers add loads of sugar to make them tastier. Some juices, even contain the unhealthy High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Healthier juice choices: Make sure they are 100% pure and natural with NO additives. Check the sugar content. Drinking fruit juice on its own can elevate your blood sugar levels. It would be better to eat the whole fruit to get the added benefit of pulp and fiber to offset the natural sugar found in the fruit.

Many food items are given marketing makeovers to look healthier than they really are.
But there is some encouraging news.
Some foods items that have long been discouraged by medical professionals may in fact be very good for you. Let’s take a look at a few that have been mistakenly pointed at as health hazards for decades.

[colored_box color=”green”]Mistaken True Healthy Foods[/colored_box]

Coffee
Coffee is one of the very first thing that people think they have to eliminate in order to improve their health. But this is far from true.
In fact, a cup of coffee holds many healthy surprises for you.
Drinking coffee regularly can lower your chance of diabetes, reduce risk of Alzheimer’s, protect your heart and also greatly decrease your risk of cancer. So there’s no reason to replace your morning coffee with anything else. It’s perfectly alright to enjoy your caffeine boost just the way it is.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you are using real freshly ground coffee and NOT instant. Instant coffee does not deliver the same effects and can contain other unhealthy additives. Also make sure you don’t destroy the benefits by adding tons of refined sugar.

Wine
Alcoholic drinks are associated with numerous negative outcomes like cirrhosis of the liver. But moderate consumption can come with some healthy benefits. On top of the healthy list of alcoholic beverages is red wine.
Moderate wine drinkers have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers. Wine can raise HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure and has a preventive effect against strokes, arthritis, diabetes and many other health conditions.
It is important however that you don’t overdo it.
The healthy dose for women is one serving per day, and two or less servings per day for men.
One serving counts as 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.

 

 

Chocolate
Chocolate is by far the most delicious way to boost your health. Not any kind of chocolate delivers health benefits. The real healthy super-power can only be found in dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate can increase your brain power, balance cholesterol levels, reduce your risk of stroke , lower inflammation and much, much more. But please note that it is also very high in calories so go easy. To gain health benefits from this amazing super food, you will need at least 1.5 to 3.5 ounces per week.
[colored_box color=”yellow”]Moderation[/colored_box]
For all of the above healthy ‘once forbidden’ indulgences, moderation is the key.
This does not mean that you can lounge around drinking gallons of coffee and eating chocolate all day long, and getting drunk every night. One cup of fresh coffee in the morning, a serving of red wine with your dinner, and perhaps a few ounces of chocolate per week is about right.

To your good health.