Many Foods Seem Healthy But Aren't

You're probably eating ultra-processed foods without realizing it.

The obvious ones are easy to spot - packaged snacks, frozen meals, sodas. The tricky part is that over 70% of the food supply is ultra-processed, including products marketed as "healthy."

Protein bars loaded with oils, gums, and artificial sweeteners. Yogurt with more sugar than ice cream. Bread with 30+ ingredients when it should only need four. "Whole grain" cereals that are essentially candy with added fiber.

Your body doesn't recognize these as real food. It registers the calories but stays hungry because the nutrients it needs aren't there. That's why you can keep eating and still feel depleted.

Foods and Beverages That Seem Healthy But Aren't:

• Granola/Cereal Bars: Often packed with sugar, oil, and refined grains, making them calorie-dense treats, not health foods.

• Protein Bars: Many are candy bars in disguise with sugar alcohols and unhealthy fats.

• Granola: High in sugar and fat, despite being oat-based.

• Multigrain/Wheat Bread: If not 100% whole grain, it's refined flour with little fiber.

• Flavored Yogurt: Loaded with added sugar; choose plain and add your own fruit.

• Instant Oatmeal: Flavor packets add significant sugar; make your own with whole oats.

• Trail Mix: Store-bought versions are often full of candy and sugary coatings.

• Veggie Chips: Often just as salty and greasy as potato chips.

• Pre-packaged Salads: High-calorie dressings, cheese, and croutons turn them unhealthy.

• Dried Fruit: Water removal concentrates sugar and calories; it's easy to overeat, and some have added sugar.

• Deli Meats: High in sodium, nitrates, and preservatives.

• Gluten-Free Snacks: Often highly processed with added sugars and fats to improve taste.

• Pretzels: Made from refined flour and salt; not a healthy snack.

• Bottled Smoothies: Can contain more sugar than soda, lacking fiber.

• Fruit Juice: Lacks fiber of whole fruit, spiking blood sugar.

• Sports Drinks: Unnecessary sugar and calories for most people and offer little nutritional value.

• Diet Soda: Contains artificial sweeteners linked to health issues.

To choose better food alternatives, swap processed items for whole foods: choose whole grains over white, fresh fruit and vegetables over sugary snacks, water over soda, and use herbs/spices instead of salt for flavor. These better food choices will significantly boost fiber, vitamins, and reduce sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium for better health.

Check the ingredient list, not just the front label. If you see more than 10 ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce, your body is working harder to process it than it should. Check for sugar, sodium, and ingredients like hydrogenated oils. "Make your own" to control the ingredients in foods like smoothies, trail mix, oatmeal, and other fare.

The bottom line: always read the label to inspect the nutrition facts and ingredients of food products, including those marketed as "healthy." Opt for whole, nutrient-dense foods (fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, spices, beans) and focus on adding more foods to your diet that are strongly linked to improved diet quality and health outcomes.