It is hard enough to stick to a diet or fitness regimen, or to simply eat more healthfully.
The lure of binge-watching Netflix and eating Shake Shack can be pretty strong, after all.
But sometimes even if you are doing everything right, too much of a good thing can hurt you.
For example, we know that drinking water is important to our health.
Then there are things we consume that wethinkare healthy, but are not really good for us at all.
Here’s a look at some of the so-called health products out there that are anything but.
Butsome yogurtis better than others.
“It is important to read the labels,” wellness expert Carol Michaels ofRecovery Fitnesstold me.
“There are many brands with a high sugar content.”
Consider the nutritional information of plain yogurt as opposed to fruit-flavored yogurt.
But when you add fruit, the sugar content goes up way up.
They’re naturally low in sugar."
A one-ounce serving (about 12 chips and let’s face it, nobody stops there!)
ofFrito-Lay’s Ruffles Potato Chipscontains 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 160 grams of sodium.
Enter veggie chips, springing up to provide a healthier alternative to their classic potato cousins.
Popular brandTerra Chipsmarkets all sorts of exotic vegetables, in addition to potatoes, in their snacks.
Their original blend contains batata, parsnip, sweet potato, taro, and yuca.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim, a physician nutrition specialist, delivers the sad truth when it comes to veggie chips.
“A fried chip is a fried chip,” she says.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a potato or a taro chip.”
Dietary supplements are treated more like a food when it comes to their regulations.
Instead, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to confirm the product is safe.
The$37 billionsupplements industry cashes in on weight loss supplements in particular.
“Every year, over23,000 consumersend up in the emergency room due to unsafe consumption of supplements.”
But she points out that “granolas are super high in sugar and are very caloric.”
It certainly isn’t diet food.
To put that in perspective, a 3/4 cup serving ofKellogg’s Frosted Flakescontains only 10 grams of sugar.
Jacobs suggests extremely small portion sizes of granola.
Instead of eating it as a cereal, she recommends “sprinkling it on yogurt or chia pudding.”
An 8-ounce container of Vita Coco has just 45 calories, but 11 grams of sugar.
Zico has 50 grams of calories, and 9 grams of sugar.
Coconut water may be delicious, but just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s sugar-free.
But these healthy products can be problematic for several reasons.
That drinks more like a soda, than a health food, she points out.
To contrast, eight ounces ofCoca-Colahas only 100 calories, and 26 grams of sugar.
Even though the apple juice does have vitamins, it is still a sobering comparison.
Jaelin recommends eating the fruits themselves, instead for the fiber.
Smoothies
Thinking about ditching those pressed juices?
Look out for your breakfast smoothie, as well!
For instance, Jamba Juice’s smoothies are even higher in calories than their juices are.
And don’t even start with the largeAmazing Greens Smoothie, weighing in at 610 calories!
“Gluten-free has become synonymous with healthy, but that’s justnotthe case,“Dr. Youdimtold me.
Gluten-free was originally meant for those with Celiac Disease, or a wheat sensitivity.
She says that simply removing gluten does not automatically make a baked good become healthy.
So, Skippy and other peanut butter brands are now marketing reduced-fat peanut butter.
And it has 1 gram more sugar, and a laundry list of added chemicals.
Smaller portions can help with the calorie load, too.
And they may “sabotage weight loss efforts” as well.
She said to ensure to closely read labels.
So what to do if you want to eat healthy?
None of the health and wellness experts I spoke with were into fad diets.
Instead, they emphasized whole foods as in actual real foods, not necessarily as in the grocery store.
They also talked about things like eating fruits and vegetables and not drinking them.
And they recommended avoiding junk food even if it is made with so-called “healthy” ingredients.
When you have optimum wellness in mind, it’s worth a little extra effort to make healthy happen!
