Supposed 'healthy' foods that are loaded with sugar/salt?

kevada1

Read the ingredients label before buying anything. Eat nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label, if you can't pronounce it, have no idea what it is...stay clear. Although the should be the rule of thumb it is not however practical for quick fix but identifying why you need the quick fix is. We all go astray from time to time but it has been part of the re-educating yourself program in weight loss achievement.

Topher1978

One thing that got me, is Greek Yogurt that isn't plain. I will still get a single serving flavored one if I am going to be out over night, but the amount of carbs (I love carbs, the majority of my food is carbs) is just way to high...

melaniecheeks

Fruit juice
Granola
Cereal bars
Salads in restaurants
Cereal in general
Flavoured waters

xxcandywrathxx

Wraps, weather wholegrain or not.
They usually contain a bucket load of sodium. You have to buy specially marked packets for them to be healthy.
(132 calories, 180 grams of sodium and that's on a reduced salt packet I brought.)

Might not seem like a lot, but if you think about it, it really is.

jaybird90

Thank you everyone, some interesting responses here!

It's interesting that cereal crops up a lot, yet it is portrayed as the standard breakfast for both kids and adults, and usually marketed as healthy. I wonder just how many others aren't fully aware of the amount of sugar and/or salt it can contain? I'm aware it can definitely be included in a healthy diet (and up to the consumer to check nutrition content!), but I think the difference between nutrition content per serving size on the product packaging vs. nutrition content in a realistic serving size can be quite alarming!

What is the exact topic of your dissertation? It sounds interesting.

Thank you for your response!

My dissertation is assessing to what extent food marketing is having an impact on obesity levels in the UK. So opinions on food products marketed as 'healthy', or also as you say 'low calorie', which are actually full of rubbish, are very useful. I am specifically focusing on product packaging so foods featuring health/nutrition claims, "one-of-your-5-a-day" for example, and the display & understanding of nutrition labels. Lots of work but I am enjoying it :-)

jennaworksout

granola bars...loaded with sugar....might as well eat a candy bar :laugh:

thelovelyLIZ

If anyone says "fruit" I will cut a *****.

umachanxo

I switched to -mostly- clean eating (I cheat every once in a while) and I don't even shop in the middle aisles anymore. So much crap just full of sugar. I make my own stuff now.

jaybird90

Very true, almost all of the middle aisles are filled with processed foods, I almost always avoid them now too!

Another question..

Did anyone find it confusing at first when trying to eat healthy due to all of these so-called 'healthy' products? Or did you find it quite easy to read & understand the nutritional information and make an informed decision yourself?

I know that for me, I find that some of the nutritional labels can be difficult to locate and read (small writing, concealed under flap of wrapper etc)

sbrownallison

Great topic with many good observations. With respect to your dissertation, I think one of the aspects of food labels that many people overlook is the "serving size". Years ago when I was first starting to read labels, I was startled to look at a cookie (i.e. biscuit in the UK I think) wrapped in cellophane to be sold individually -- it was two servings! Who ever ate half a cookie? I try to read labels and restrict my intake of processed foods. As far as cereal goes, I only eat old-fashioned oatmeal with fruit and almond milk for breakfast. Good luck with your paper!

melaniecheeks

I fancied something chocolatey yesterday, so I went for a "Go-Ahead" chocolate thin.

The large numbers on the front of teh pack said 70 calories.

In smaller writing it adds "per slice"

So those 2 little snack slices came to a rather hefty 140 calories, and even more shockingly 27 g carbs, just in one snack! I'd have been better off with a Flake.

Shadowknight137

I'd have been better off with a Flake.

You're always better off with a Flake, Flake's are awesome.

trud72

ALOT of food labled HEALTHY are rubbish for instance weight watchers cakes,pittas,are the same as "normal" ones if you look at the calories! :sad: total waste of money.
If YOU cook it from scratch you know whats in it is my motto!

jenilla1

Factory fruit juices. What a waste of calories.

shaunap3

I'm guilty of having a freezer full (for emergency, on the run, lunch alternatives) but any of the Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice type meals are all horrifically loaded with sodium. I always drink LOTS of water when I have one.

And anything SlimFast or similar in brand is loaded with sugar. I bought a chocolate powder mix on an impulse assuming it would be "good" for me. Then my boyfriend brings home a huge container of whey protein powder. Quadrupedal the protein, wayyy less sugar, less calories AND it tastes better. Who knew.

neanderthin

I am always surprised by the amount of foods on supermarket shelves marketed as 'healthy' but contain masses of sugar and salt!? I'm not quite sure how they even get away with calling themselves 'light' or 'healthy'!

Any foods in particular that you have been put off by properly studying the nutritional information?

For me it is definitely certain cereal, pasta sauces and soups. I used to eat the soups and pasta sauces all the time when I was 'dieting'.. definitely not any more!

Just to add, I am currently researching for my dissertation on this topic so any opinions you have I may reference to, if this is an issue please just say and I will not include your comment! I am very interested in what you all think though :-)

Supermarkets are designed by food psychologists and marketing genius's. Packaging, positioning and pricing are paramount for separating you from your money. Light and healthy directly correlates with the increase in our waistlines and the need to fix it. Terms like healthy will be correlated to undesirable ingredients like fat, cholesterol, added sugar, refined grain etc and light with calories and sometimes color like olive oil. The basic dissection of nutrition into components like macro's and micronutirents has spawned a desire in people to fix their overweightness with all the new foods and nutritional awareness that will cover just about any concern they might have. Basically bull shyt baffles brains, is very much alive and well. An unfortunately and ironically, that information is based on a lot of very flawed data.

animemoon5

The thing that amazes me is how quickly you really can "un-train" yourself to expect those strong sweet/salty flavors. After giving up sugar and added salt, I'm amazed at how much flavor is in things I never noticed before. Fruits and veggies are more satisfying because I can actually taste their subtlety now. I wish manufactures would realize that they could save money and make healthier food by weaning us off sugar and salt en masse by gradually lowering how much they use in their products.

Although I still have issues with salt, i must say that I certainly noticed this with things like butter and cheese! Take potatoes for example... I would eat baked potatoes "Loaded" with everything, bacon, cheese, butter etc.... Or whenever I would buy instant mashed potatoes, they would be the hydrogenated "Buttery" or "Four cheese" flavors..... When I finally got off of that stuff..... Well heck, potatoes for me right now don't need butter, or cheese or anything for that matter.... when I have mashed potatoes, that's exactly what they are ;p regular plain potatoes "Mashed" and I'm completely fine with it.... foods that I used to insist upon having grated cheese over them, are fine without.....

Actually as I've been learning to stretch out my calories, I find when I offer some to my husband to taste, the first thing he tells me is "Needs more cheese! Needs butter... needs this and that!" =x I'm thinking "what? there is 1/4 a serving of cheese in there! you can't taste that? ;p " lol...

Back on the subject.... I agree with anything pre-packaged or processed... those "Lean" TV dinners with a hundred ingredients, those low-fat foods that replace good fats, with sugar.... Or even some sugar free stuff that replace sugar with other chemical ridden artificial ingredients.....

lauren3101

Cereal
Canned Soup
Stock cubes (I was especially shocked at stock cubes, the ones I used on a regular basis had virtually your whole days sodium allowance in one)
Baked beans (I always thought were fairly good for you (for canned food) but they are also high in sodium)

Tbh most processed food is high in salt and/or sugar. I don't eat 'clean', but I have cut down the amount of processed foods I eat by some way and I feel a lot better for it.

What annoys me is why they have to load every meal in a restaurant with salt. There are plenty of other herbs and spices you can use!

melaniecheeks

Smoothies.

baileysmom4

natural cheese
frozen bagged chicken breasts (OMG!) People think they are so tasty and tender but then look at the sodium they have injected into them. Ugh.....