What foods did you think were healthy but actually aren't??

SamanthaAnnM
SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I think one of the biggest issues with trying to be healthy is that it's really hard to differentiate between what is healthy and what isn't without scrutinizing the nutrition label (and even then, you have to know what to look for). For example, I used to eat the Lean Cuisine paninis a lot in high school thinking they were healthy and they tasted pretty good too. UM, no. They are pretty low calorie for a sandwich, I'll give them that, but it has tons of chemicals and refined wheat and sodium! Ugh! Way to sacrifice general health for a low calorie food :( Anyone have any others?
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Replies

  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I don't think there really is anything I can think of that I thought was healthy but isn't because I was raised by a nurse who was pretty stickler towards the fruits/veggies/whole grains/lean meat concept from the start. For me, the biggest shock was just how many calories are in xyz item and the concept of portion control. I seriously had no idea.
  • hemlock2010
    hemlock2010 Posts: 422 Member
    Fage yogurt. 16 grams of sugar. Nuff said.
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    Orange juice...technically not a food, but oh well.
  • mkalinski333
    mkalinski333 Posts: 17
    I always thought that when going out to eat, salads were a healthy option. While they can be healthier than most other options, many restaurants put cheese, bacon, fried chicken, and other unhealthy toppings which ruin the salad and that doesn't even include the dressing and portion size! I try to eat out less in order to solve those problems but I was still surprised to discover how unhealthy the seemingly healthy option of a salad was!
  • SamanthaAnnM
    SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
    ^^^ That's another one I found out! Fat-free yogurt, despite having lower calories, has a ton more sugar! But they don't tell you about that part, haha. So frustrating.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    Pudding (it boasts calcium!)
    Diet soda (no calories must mean healthy, right?)
    Eggplant Lasagna (better than meat lasagna, but not by much)
    Anything that said low fat/low sugar/low sodium/etc... but I've learned that these things are still processed in different ways.
  • lauraniwa
    lauraniwa Posts: 131 Member
    I was pretty upset when my dentist told me raisins were bad for my teeth ('cause they're sticky). Not sure if it counts.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    I always thought that when going out to eat, salads were a healthy option. While they can be healthier than most other options, many restaurants put cheese, bacon, fried chicken, and other unhealthy toppings which ruin the salad and that doesn't even include the dressing and portion size! I try to eat out less in order to solve those problems but I was still surprised to discover how unhealthy the seemingly healthy option of a salad was!

    Amen! I read an article about the unhealthiest salads in major food chains... one clocked in at over 1000 calories!
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    there are no unhealthy foods.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Orange juice...technically not a food, but oh well.

    ^YEP. And my issue was a lot of restaurants...salads for 1,000 cals? NO thank you!
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
    Haven't Been thrilled with the new studies and findings of soy. Used to drink soy milk a lot more than I do now.
  • stagegoddess
    stagegoddess Posts: 101 Member
    smoothies. too many of the chain stores add frozen yogurt and sherbert. its better if you get the all fruit smoothies but ugh. you just drink the calories way too fast and hundreds and hundreds of calories that you would enjoy more and eat less of it you just had the fresh fruit. that being said, i live in a huge agricultural area in so cal with road side stands everywhere--but still! i do get the wheatgrass shots at smoothie stores though
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    pretty sad about reading why meat is better for you not well done.

    also the hydronated oil consumption is 400+ % and the use of actual real butter is down 60+% in the last 100 years ago and the sugar consumption has doubled (at least).......yet some peoples idea of 'diet' food contains tons of all of that listed.

    these new books i have to read are very interesting and informative but they're making me very sad lol
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    Peanut butter... not the natural kind. Everyone says that peanut butter is a good source of protein, but I have always over-eaten it (comfort food), but the natural kind is what's best and only in moderation... bummer.
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
    Pretty much any (most) types of granola bars!

    Way to much sugar, carbs.. Barely any nutrients & protein.
  • marvelscale
    marvelscale Posts: 135
    bagels

    I used to eat whole ones with plenty of "light" cream cheese on both sides
  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
    Raisins, I always thought that they were a great, low cal snack. But I'd eat them by huge handfuls. One day I was reading, and learned that raisins are helpful in promoting weight gain, haven't touched a raisin since!
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
    Pretty much any (most) types of granola bars!

    Way to much sugar, carbs.. Barely any nutrients & protein.

    Yeah, this one. Also, most deli meant. What a travesty! I have found some healthy ones at the local Whole Foods, though.
  • marvelscale
    marvelscale Posts: 135
    Raisins, I always thought that they were a great, low cal snack. But I'd eat them by huge handfuls. One day I was reading, and learned that raisins are helpful in promoting weight gain, haven't touched a raisin since!

    Raisins aren't bad as long as you eat them in moderation; they're one of my sources of potassium if I need some more.
  • My_Own_Hero
    My_Own_Hero Posts: 71
    Dried fruit...so much sugar!
  • NikkiSixGuns
    NikkiSixGuns Posts: 630 Member
    Since my first criteria for determining if a food is healthy or not is its calorie count, I'd include several items on my list. These shocked me when I first started getting educated about how much I really need to eat: granola, pasta, dried fruit, peanut butter, grapes, "fruit on the bottom" yogurt, and most breads.

    Not that these foods are bad for you, just shocked me how loaded they can be.
  • Feisty_Red
    Feisty_Red Posts: 982 Member
    twinkles...:blushing:
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Fage yogurt. 16 grams of sugar. Nuff said.


    See, here's the thing with foods with natural recurring sugars...they are not added or refined, so take fruit (fructose a natural sugar) or milk (lactose a natural sugar)...so you decide. Take O.J, well, when you take the juice away from the fruit, you have a big problem, the sugar is natural but it takes 4-5 oranges to make a cup (8oz) of juice. Is that "normal" , I say no, so it is also about the balance.

    A LOT of healthy foods won't stay that way if you OVER EAT them>>>Fruit is Healthy but if you eat 4,5,6 oranges a day, or a pound of grapes - problem, Nuts Very healthy but if you eat more than 1-2 oz - Trouble, Sweet Potatoes Very Healthy eat 1 medium max., Name it, if you over do it, it becomes bad for you. Heck, I LOVE Home Grown tomatoes, so I pulled some off the vine and rinsed them off and ate one with a little salt...Man was it good! So I go get another one, My Sister says, "You sure you want to do that, these are NOT the tomatoes out of the store." I say, yeah, I got this...so I eat another tomato, and 20 minutes later I break out all over itching from the acid. TOO MUCH...a Great food, low cal, vitamins up the wazoo, but you gotta know when to say when, before it is no longer healthy for you.
  • halhix
    halhix Posts: 48 Member
    Haven't Been thrilled with the new studies and findings of soy. Used to drink soy milk a lot more than I do now.
    Same here. I'm soy intolerant now and the stuff is in everything.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    White rice, cheerios, deli luncheon meat (ugh, the sodium!), skim milk.

    Foods that I thought were bad, but are actually ok or good:

    Nuts and nut butters, eggs (especially the yolks), coffee, butter and bacon.
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    dairy, and most breads.

    i use to live on the stuff. now i avoid it like the plague.
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    burrito wraps for sure. Just the wrap is ~600cal. RIDICULOUS!
  • sz8soon
    sz8soon Posts: 816 Member
    I'd have to second, third, or whatever were at now the salads from restaurants! Most of them are awful-almost 1000 calories.
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
    Fruit
  • fruitful9
    fruitful9 Posts: 32
    Caesar Salads

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