We’re constantly bombarded with information about the newest and best foods available that are supposed to help us lose weight or stave off illness. These superfoods are seen as miracles — but are they really?
The truth is, many of the amazing health foods you’ve heard of aren’t as healthy as you think they are. They may sometimes be better than their alternatives, but not by much.
Granola
When you consider most of these foods, the problem isn’t that they’re outright bad. The true issue is that people assume these foods are 100% healthy, latch onto this idea and then ignore other problematic aspects of the food in question. This is the case for granola.
Often used as a cereal substitute, granola is lauded as being a great alternative grain for those looking to remove sugar from their diet. However, it’s still high in fat due to the oil it’s usually cooked in. It’s alright to continue to eat granola, but don’t think it’s a food you can excessively eat without repercussions.
Turkey
In many cases, turkey is definitely a better choice as compared to alternative meats like ham and beef. Thus, those who are health conscious will often swap out beef or pork hotdogs and burgers for ground turkey substitutes. Again, the issue here isn’t so much the turkey, but instead how the turkey is made.
Using the same manufacturing and cooking methods, turkey alternatives usually have just as much sodium and fat as their beef and pork counterparts, which also means they have equivalent calorie counts. The same goes for turkey bacon — if you’re frying it the same way as you would pork bacon, the difference is minimal.
Hazelnut Spreads
If you’ve never heard of Nutella, or other brands of chocolate hazelnut spread, then you’ve been living under a rock for years. Fans of this treat boast about its health benefits, especially in comparison to tried and true peanut butter. However, many don’t actually think about how this type of treat might actually be worse for you than what you’re trying to replace in this first place.
First of all, chocolate spreads are exactly that — chocolate. Many aren’t actually true cacao, meaning they add in milk and sugar to sweeten the spread for flavor. There’s also an issue of nutritional value: peanut butter actually contains more powerful nutrients than chocolate hazelnut spread and the same amount of calories.
Veggie Chips
Kale chips are all the rage right now, and many other potato chip alternatives are trailing just behind. The idea is to substitute the fattening aspects of potato chips with healthy alternatives while creating a snack that’s just as addictive.
First of all, addictive foods are always going to be a problem, no matter what they are. Foods that you binge eat don’t promote good eating habits, and creating a healthier alternative creates an excuse to eat more. At the same time, the fats these veggie chips are fried in don’t actually make these chips all that healthy.
