Some food are intrinsically deemed healthy in our collective consciousness.
Below are some that may surprise you.
1. PBJ: The Great Depression popularized peanut butter on bread as a cheaper-than-meat substitute for protein. But Peanut butter is high in fat; jelly is high in sugar. Slap those ingredients between two slices of white bread and you’ve got a sandwich that packs 20 grams of sugar, 14 grams fat (3.5 grams saturated) and 400 calories.
2. FUIT SMOOTHIE: You may think that Fruit juices are natural and thus healthy. Bottled smoothies and those sold at places like Jamba Juice are not necessarily healthy. But most are also incredibly high in sugar and calories. A 15-ounce bottle of Mighty Mango flavored Naked Juice has 290 calories, 68 grams of carbs, and a whopping 57 grams of sugar
3. CEREALS: A cup of Reese’s Puffs, for example, has 160 calories, 4 grams of fat (1 gram saturated), 13 grams of sugar, 29 grams of carbs and >3 grams of protein. Look at the sugar content in your cearl next time. If it is >10 grams of sugar, it is ok.
4. SPORTS DRINK: We’ve been wrongly convinced that we need sugar water to prepare and refuel after a hot date with the gym. In reality, exercise scientists recommend drinking water and eating or drinking 20 grams of protein, since studies suggest it helps recondition and build muscles.
5. BEEF: You may recall the famous marketing commercial ; Beef It’s what’s for Dinner. A loaf of bread requires about 240 gallons of water and a pound of cheese takes about 382 gallons. So a simple cheese sandwich takes about 56 gallons of water. A single pound of beef takes, on average, 1,800 gallons of water. That huge water footprint is primarily due to the tremendous amount of water needed to grow the grass, forage and feed that a beef steer eats over its lifetime, plus water for drinking, cleaning and processing. Beef – It is bad for the environment.
6. JUICE and OJ: Juicing fruits removes all of their fiber, the key ingredient that keeps you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal. The result: mostly just sugar and water. And a high-sugar, low-protein diet can increase hunger pangs and mood swings and leave you with low energy.
7. BOTTLED WATER: We’ve been deceived into thinking that bottled water is cleaner and healthier than tap water. Some bottled water is glorified tap water at 10,000 times the cost. Many bottled waters contain toxins, even if they’ve nixed BPA. Bottled water also litters the world with plastics.
8. MUTHWASH: Americans have been led to believe that gargling with mouthwash is a better alternative to flossing. Listerine claimed its products worked just as well as flossing. Those claims were false, as revealed in a 2004 lawsuit against the company for false advertising.
9. LOW FAT THING: We’ve been led to believe low-fat products will lead to increased overall health and weight loss. An eight-year trial involving almost 50,000 women suggested that’s highly unlikely. To replace the flavor of removed fat, most low fat items have higher sugar content, which is very dangerous for the body, long term.
10. GLUTEN FREE: People think that gluten — a protein composite found in wheat, barley, and other grains that gives breads their chewiness — is bad for them, and that anything with a "gluten-free" label is, well, not. In reality, unless you’re one of the 1% of Americans who suffer from celiac disease, eating gluten probably won’t have any negative effects on you.
Source: Business Insider
