Trying to eat healthy is on the minds of many Americans lately. As we find out more about what foods are bad for us, we also find out more about how difficult it is to recognize what foods are bad. It’s not easy to pick through all the packaging info and labels telling us what we’re really eating. Sometimes what seems to be healthy really isn’t once you look more closely. You need to be on your guard constantly if you are to avoid bad foods. There are even some foods that most people think are healthy but really aren’t.
Sports drinks aren’t really all that bad, but they’re not all that healthy either. Sports drinks are great if you’re an athlete who needs constant rehydrating but if for kids and inactive adults, sports drinks can pack a lot of empty calories. If you or your kids are going to be exercising intensely, for a long time, or in high heat, go ahead and drink sports drinks, otherwise it’s better to stick to water.
Trail mix is another seemingly healthy snack that may not be so healthy in some forms. What you must be on the lookout for here is what some companies add to trail mix. Chocolate, salty nuts, and pretzels or peanuts covered in yogurt can take all the healthiness out of trail mix. Look before you buy and get the trail mix with just nuts and raisins.
Veggie chips seem as healthy as regular vegetables. The truth is, once these pieces are processed, most of the nutritional value has been processed out. Go ahead and eat veggie chips, just don’t assume they’re as nutritious as veggies.
Ironically, one of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking low-fat or fat-free foods are that much better for them. These foods add calories in most cases. Packaged low-fat foods are a bad choice most of the time because low and no-fat foods typically replace the fat with worse things like sugar, salt, or thickeners.
Don’t fall for the foods that say they’re healthy on the package, do some research and learn the truth.
