Tag: is dried fruit healthy

Unhealthy Foods Pretending to be Healthy! – Mind Over Munch!

theguy 0 Comments 08/03/2019 Healthy Food

Hey munchies, we all want healthy to be easier and packaged food makes life easier. There are some healthier packaged options but a lot of packaged food items are just pretending to be healthy. I am giving you the rundown on 15 of those right now but trust me, there are way more. That is why it’s important that you learn how to read the labels and determine for yourself. We cannot trust health claims. In fact, if a food package is making a health claim, it’s usually a bad sign. First up: Banana chips.

Noo! These are so good. The upside is that they are made of bananas and therefore contain the fiber, iron, magnesium and potassium that bananas offer. The downside: they’re often deep fried and include flavor enhancers and sugar. Instead, try home made banana chips cooked in the oven. I do have an episode, if you want to check that out and I have linked it in the description. Gluten free snacks and breads, the upside: many people, not just those with gluten intolerance or sensitivity, can find it hard to digest gluten. The downside is that in processed foods, when something is removed, another thing is usually added.

So, gluten free items can contain a lot of refined additives that are essentially depleted of nutrients, and they’re no healthier than any other snack. Instead, try a home made, or cleaner snack. One with less ingredients and more whole grains even if it does contain wheat or gluten, will be healthier for most than a refined and processed gluten free option. Ezekiel bread for instance, is a clean bread that is not completely gluten free but will do our bodies more justice than a gluten free, processed variety.

Dried fruit. The upside: they are fruit. But the downside, they’re often coated in sugar and to protect them from mold and to keep their color, they are treated with preservatives and additives. Instead, make your own. I’ve linked a few videos where I show drying out the fruit in the oven in the description. Or even better, go for fresh fruit. Yogurt. The upside: yogurt contains probiotics that can be great for gut health. The downside: most commercial varieties are loaded with sugar and contain little protein. Greek varieties are better when it comes to a protein balance, but they can still pack on the sugar. Greek does not mean healthy. Instead, use plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and add a drizzle of honey. Instant oatmeal packets. The upside: They are convenient and do contain oaty goodness. So, even quick cooking oats can be a healthy choice. The downside: these packets are often a very small serving with more sugar than anything else. Instead, make your own home made packets. I show how in a meal prep video linked in the description. Agave, oh my. The upside of agave is it tastes pretty good and I guess it comes from a plant, but so do coffee beans, and it doesn’t make it a vegetable.

It’s far from natural. The downside: agave is actually extremely processed and there’s more fructose in agave than almost any other sweetener, even high fructose corn syrup. Instead, try almost any other natural or raw liquid sweetener, but the truth is they should all be consumed in limited amounts. I discuss agave and other sweeteners in my sweeteners 101 video. Brown rice syrup. The upside: it’s made from rice. It seems natural and healthy, and it contains glucose but no refined fructose which is good. The downside: it’s very high on the glycemic index, meaning it will spike blood sugar super fast. Not to mention it’s extremely refined and contains no essential nutrients. It’s empty calories. Instead, like we mentioned previously, another natural liquid sweetener or even a no calorie sweetener, regardless, the goal should be moderation with all sweeteners, sugar filled or not. Vegan mayo, or store bought mayo all together. The upside: there isn’t really an upside to be honest.

What makes mayonnaise unhealthy isn’t the eggs or cholesterol or saturated fat, it’s actually the inflammatory oils. The downside: inflammatory oils exist in regular and vegan mayonnaise options. What’s worse is that vegan mayo options, like many other fake vegan foods, are often more processed. Some variations contain MSG in disguise and many contain brown rice syrup or soy protiens which aren’t doing our bodies any good either. Instead, try making your own clean avocado or olive oil mayo.

You can avoid inflammatory oils and sugar. I do this almost weekly, and it’s a great clean option. I actually have a video of me making this on my instagram highlights. Also, if any of you are wanting to learn more about inflammation and inflammatory foods, I have a course called Conquer Inflammation. You can get it at inflammation course dot com, I will link it in the description. It’s completely free and it teaches you all about inflammation and how to start to remove inflammatory foods from your diet. Next up, we’ve got low net carb, high fiber supplements. So the upside: for most people, these can help keep the total carb counts down and get into protein.

The downside: most of the fiber supplements used do not create a universal blood sugar response meaning, different people respond to them differently. Some people can absorb the fiber and those high fiber syrups just like regular carbohydrates, it just sort of depends on the person and their own carbohydrate tolerance. Also, many companies keep the net carb count low by adding synthetic fibers that don’t provide the same benefits as natural dietary fibers from whole grains and fruits or vegetables. Instead, try whole foods. Most of us don’t need supplements to get enough protein and if we are in a pinch, there are still plenty of cleaner options for energy or fuel. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ever eat protein bars, it just means to really be mindful about what’s in them and why you’re consuming them.