peanutbuttahealthnut:There are so many “foods” out there today... peanutbuttahealthnut:There are so many “foods” out there today with health claims promising to lower your cholesterol, help you fit into that itsy bitsy teeny bikini, or allow you to eat a whole bag of chips for less than 140 calories. All of that seems great.. until you learn what’s really in those foods.However, almost all of these foods are not really food at all. They’re unhealthy, processed junk full of chemical sweeteners and all kinds of crazy ingredients. Here are some top offenders (in my opinion!)1. Fiber One BarI put this on my list because I used to eat them every day in high school. Wow, cool! It tastes like a candy bar .. and it’s only 90 to 140 calories! However, there is a ton of sugar and sweeteners in these. To lower the calorie count, artificial sweeteners are used, and we all know how bad those are for you. Actually I singlehandedly blame them for a lot of my wants to binge on sugary foods.However, I will admit… the fiber is awesome. Like, really awesome.Opt for : Luna bars, Lara bars, or make your own protein bars (the best option). They’re higher in calories, so be careful and don’t make a habit of eating them!2. Yoplait yogurtOh my. Where do I begin? While I was on vacation just this year, I picked it up thinking it was a healthy option for breakfast. Halfway through eating it, I couldn’t take another bite after glancing at the nutritional information. 14g of sugar in the light yogurt, and I won’t even go into the ingredients on that list!Opt for: All-natural greek yogurt. Try getting the plain kind and adding in honey & your own fruit if possible! I like Chobani the best.3. Deli MeatsI do buy low sodium, antibiotic-free, hormone-free (that’s a mouthful!) turkey slices on occasion, but I make sure not to eat it on a daily basis. There’s a lot of sodium in them and they are still a processed food, believe it or not!Opt for: Whole chicken & turkey breasts. It will taste more “real”, too :) You can still slice the chicken breast into deli-like slices!4. Low Calorie BreadUgh, yuck. These are NOT A FOOD. For real, they taste horrible and just peek at that ingredients list! Isn’t bread supposed to be simple and clean? This is one “food” that is most definitely not clean or healthy… and it will not keep you full.Opt for: Ezekiel bread5. Light Salad DressingNothing but sugar and chemicals.. and fat.Opt for: salsa, hummus, basil pesto, olive oil, oil & vinegar, or make your own salad dressing! Get creative.6. Diet ProductsAnything that says “diet”… aka, diet coke, diet cookies, 100 calorie snack packs, etc. Seriously, get rid of your diet pop obsession! Once I stopped drinking 1-2 diet cokes a day, I also stopped wanting to binge and also stopped getting horrible headaches. Coincidence? I think not. Splenda/artificial sweetners suck!Opt for: water & lemon, seltzer w/ a splash of 100% juice, coffee, tea. 7. Fat FreeFat is not the enemy.. that is a complete diet falsehood that has been passed throughout our generation. Fat does not make you fat.. processed junk food and excess food makes you fat! Often fat free foods have added sugar and salt to make up for the lack of taste, so they may wind up being worse for you. The only case where this is untrue is with fat free dairy products!Opt for: You shouldn’t be eating processed food anyways.. so.. just opt for the real version! In the case of things like peanut butter, get the full fat. It has the same calories and tastes better.8. Canned fruits in fruit juiceWhen buying canned fruits (which honestly, I think is kinda gross. I do like canned veggies sometimes though!), make sure you do not get the kind in heavy syrup. There is so. much. sugar. in. that.Opt for: Real, fresh fruit! If that’s not available to you, just make sure there is only the fruit in there. As for canned veggies, get no salt added or light salt. I hope this helped to clear up some myths about all the “food” we have out there! Clean foods don read more..
