I just read a great article on MensHealth.com… It was a great reminder that just because the label says it's goodfor you doesn't mean it is. They ran down 12 foods that seem to behealthy that actually are not, and give all the reasoning why, plussome good alternatives. Here are the highlights:
1. Yogurt with Fruit at the Bottom
Seems harmless, right? Well, if you check out all that corn syrupthat's in there, you'll realize it's not. Look for low-carb, low-sugaralternatives instead.
2. Baked Beans
You think: Beans = fiber = good … right? Well, once they bake them andput them in that yummy sauce, they're now swimming in white and brownsugars. 1 cup of baked beans contains 24 g sugar: That's about the sameamount in 8 ounces of regular soda. Opt for red kidney beans instead.
3. California Roll
Two major components are white rice and imitation crab, both of whichare packed with fast-digesting carbohydrates and almost no protein. Getsushi made with tuna or salmon instead, and opt for brown rice or norice at all.
4. Granola Bars
These are just candy bars in disguise, glued together withhigh-fructose corn syrup, honey, and barley malt — all of which quicklyraise blood sugar. Grab a low-sugar meal replacement bar instead.
5. Pasta Salad
While the word "salad" here may fool you, remember that unless it'smade with whole-grain pasta (which most are not) you're in troublehere. Go for egg salad instead.
6. English Muffins
Has half the calories of two slices of bread, right? Yes, but they areempty calories, devoid of fiber, protein and vitamins. If you've got tohave your morning crunchy muffin, try whole-grain or sprouted-grainversions instead.
7. Croutons
These puppies have the same refined flour that's used in white bread, afood with a higher glycemic index than sugar. Be adventurous and trysliced almonds instead.
8. Fat-free Salad Dressing
Packed with sugar (to make up for the taste they removed by removing the fat). Go for the olive oil instead.
9. Fruit Cocktail
Again, it's something good swimming in a sugar bath. Eat the real stuffinstead. Or if you have to have canned, look for ones marked "100%juice" instead of syrup.
10. Reduced-fat Peanut Butter
Here we are replacing flavor with sugar again. Plus, the fat in peanutsis good fat, so you actually do want some. Go for an all-natural,full-fat peanut butter with no added sugar. Trust me, you'll never missthe old stuff.
11. Pretzels
Yeah, they're low in calories. But they're all white flour and have oneof the highest glycemic indexes of any food (even more than ice creamand jelly beans). Try cheese crisps instead — baked pieces of cheesethat crunch like chips.
12. Corn Oil
This stuff has lots of omega-6 high (note: NOT omega-3, the good fattyacids found in fish). And if you eat lots of omega-6 fats relative toomega-3 fats, you get an increase in inflammation, which boosts yourrisk of cancer, arthritis and obesity. Go for olive or canola oilinstead, which has better ratios.
So remember: "Fat-free" is often code for "high-sugar" — which of course means it's is the opposite of healthy.
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Comments: 32 ( 1 removed by Catherine H. )
I do disagree, however, about regular pasta not being part of a healthy diet. If you eat 1/2 cup at a sitting and it's not laden with butter and cream, it isn't that bad. Your glycemic index does not skyrocket as some believe.
Thank you!
Whole Foods Market makes sushi with brown rice - yummy.
For our better living !
Duck Soup - Gourmet Dining. Anyone ?
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No cinnamon for you if you are already low-blood glucose. It lowers sugar levels for everybody. Don't take my word for it, you can find this out with footnotes and all by Googling.
There are also some wonderful beans, Tongue of Fire, that are fairly high-sodium naturally. They are tasty without any added sodium. The best cooked bean I ever tasted.
I found out about these things at a Slow Food event. I highly recommend Slow-Food events.
As to all that fat-free stuff. I'm a firm believer in eating the real thing or nothing. The problem with the folks that buy that stuff, is they want to eat more than lots, not realizing that just one of the real thing satisfies more than any number of the fat-free junk.
Me? I'm a proponent of everything in moderation. It's not good to cut any one thing out of your diet. As long as you eat a wide variety, you're likely to be healthy.