When “Health” Foods Aren’t Any Healthier…

by | Nov 11, 2015 | Blog, Eat Real Food Based on Your Needs, Recipes |

Food

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Key Points:

  • Beware of foods with labels that sound healthier… reduced fat, gluten free, low calorie, etc.
  • Reduced fat foods usually swap good fats for sugar and chemicals. Instead, stick with the whole fat version. Your body and hormones will thank you!
  • Gluten free foods aren’t any healthier (unless you have an allergy) than their gluten containing counterparts.
  • Flavored yogurts and oats are definitely not the way to go. Instead, make your own and use real, whole foods to add a ton of flavor!
  • Beware of smoothies purchased at the local smoothie shop. Experiment and make your Super Shakes.

In order to be healthier, you eat reduced fat peanut butter, gluten free bread, yogurt and drink smoothies. You are on the right track, right? Not necessarily…

First, give yourself a big pat on the back for making an effort, being aware that you need to make a change, and trying to take control of your life! Second, slap yourself for buying into media hype.

You see, with the media constantly hyping diet trends like gluten free, low fat, low carb, etc., manufacturers took the cue and played on people who only read headlines and don’t look deeper. So, let’s look deeper!

There many foods that claim to be “health” foods but aren’t. To keep from boring you with a detailed list, I choose five of the more prevalent unhealthy, health foods. Let’s break them down, find out why they aren’t healthier, and what to do instead.

Reduced Fat Peanut Butter

On the easiest ways to reduce calories is to reduce fat intake. That is because one gram of fat has twice the calories of protein and carbs. So, manufacturers began making reduced fat peanut butter. The problem is that “reduced” isn’t really reduced. Instead, it is swapped. What do I mean?

Well, consider that Jif Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter has 190 calories and 12 grams of fat while Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter has 200 calories and 16 grams of fat. You save 10 calories and 4 grams of fat by going with the reduced fat version. So, it’s better right… WRONG!

First, the fat is an awesome fat that your body needs. Second (here’s the “swap”), if you pay close attention, you will notice that a reduction of 4 grams of fat should reduce the total calories by 36 calories (4 grams x 9 calories per gram). But the Jif Peanut Butter is only 10 calories less. What gives?

Well, Jif adds corn syrup solids (Huh?) and sugar to replace the fat and taste. So, you swapped the good fats for chemicals and sugar. Not a good trade!

To drive the point home, simply compare the ingredients list:

Jif Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter

PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUGAR, PEA PROTEIN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, MOLASSES, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, NIACINAMIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, ZINC OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, FOLIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE.[1]

NOTE: Sugar is the 2nd most abundant ingredient!

Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

PEANUTS, CONTAINS 1% OR LESS OF SALT.[2]

Gluten Free Foods

Unless you have been specifically diagnosed with a gluten allergy or intolerance, there is no reason to avoid gluten. The problem with most of these foods is that the manufacturers replace the healthy whole grains (oats, millet, barley, etc) with less nutrient dense carbs. Also, to increase the taste, additional chemicals, fats, and sugars are added.

An additional problem that arises is that just because a snack, cookie, or energy bar says it is “gluten free,” some take the approach that the food is healthy. A gluten free cookie is still a cookie and most likely loaded with unnecessary fat and sugar.

Flavored, Instant Oatmeal

Again, unless you have some specific allergy, oats are great! Oats are loaded with nutrients, healthy carbs, and fiber. However, flavored oats have a ton of crap added that you don’t need.

Take a look at Quaker® Instant Oatmeal – Apples and Cinnamon:

WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, DEHYDRATED APPLES (TREATED WITH SODIUM SULFITE TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CINNAMON, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CITRIC ACID, GUAR GUM, MALIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*, CARAMEL COLOR[3]

Notice that sugar is 2nd ingredient which means that other than the oats, sugar is the most prominent ingredient. Maybe the label should be Sugar and Dehydrated Apples instead of Apples and Cinnamon.

Instead, here is my personal recipe:

  • 2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill, Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 1 tbsp Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, or Hemp Seeds
  • 1 tbsp All Natural Nut Butter
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
  • ¼ cup Blueberries, organic
  • ¼ cup Strawberries, organic, chopped
  • ½ Banana, chopped
  1. Cook the oats as directed.
  2. Once the oats are ready, stir in the seeds, nut butter, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Add in the fruit and mix well.
  4. Enjoy!

Flavored Yogurt

Yogurt has a host of benefits. Greek Yogurt takes it up a notch with the added protein. However, just like the flavored, instant oatmeal, flavored yogurt has lots of added sugar and other chemicals. Consider Yoplait Original Yogurt Mountain Blueberry which is low in protein, high in sugar, and has a lot of added flavoring:

CULTURED PASTEURIZED GRADE A REDUCED FAT MILK, SUGAR, BLUEBERRIES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, KOSHER GELATIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, PECTIN, VITAMIN A ACETATE, VITAMIN D3.[4]

Again, notice that there is more sugar than blueberries. So, what do you do if you have a yogurt craving?

Try my recipe:

  • 1 cup Greek Yogurt
  • ¼ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ tsp Stevia
  • ½ cup Blueberries, organic (I prefer frozen for the texture)
  • ¼ cup Almonds, chopped
  1. Mix the yogurt, vanilla, and stevia.
  2. Add in the blueberries and mix well.
  3. Top with almonds.

Smoothies

It seems like everyone is selling smoothies these days. While I personally drink a Super Shake (i.e. smoothie) everyday, don’t be fooled by the pre-made smoothies. They are loaded with sugar and unnecessary calories.

Smoothie King’s 32 oz The Activator® Strawberry has 740 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 158 grams of carbs (133 grams of sugar), and 28 grams of protein. You can make it Skinny and reduce the carbs and sugar to 123 and 99 grams, respectively. Yikes! Diabetic coma waiting to happen!

Instead, make a Super Shake that contains everything you need and uses real fruit as a sweetener!

To make a Super Shake, mix 1 cup of frozen fruit, 1 cup of vegetables, 1 tbsp of fat (nut butter, coconut oil, avocado, etc), and 1-2 scoops of Whey Protein. Don’t turn your nose up at the vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, kale, carrots, cucumber, and celery are ones that can be hidden in a shake and you will never know the difference.

Here is my personal, go to recipe:

  • 1 cup Strawberries, organic, frozen
  • 1 cup Broccoli, organic, frozen
  • 1 tbsp All Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein
  • ½ cup Ice
  • 8 oz water
  1. In a high powered blender, add all of the ingredients.
  2. Blend on high for 30 – 60 seconds.

 

[1] “Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter – Jif Peanut Butter.” Jif. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

[2] “Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – Peanut Butter – Smucker’s.” Smucker’s. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

[3] “Product: Hot Cereals – Quaker Instant Oatmeal – Apples and Cinnamon| QuakerOats.com.” Quaker Oats. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

[4] “Yoplait – Original Yogurt 25% Less Sugar.” Yoplait. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.