10 foods that sound healthy but really arent

10 foods that sound healthy but really aren't 10 foods that sound healthy but really aren't When grabbing snacks with words like “fruit,” “veggie,” or “vitamin” in the name, it’s natural to assume these foods will offer us some level of nutrition. (Like, maybe at least some vitamin C… please?) The reality, though, is that a number of foods promoted to the public as healthy are really far from it. To make the  best dietary choices, it’s helpful to get savvy about what’s actually doing your body good and what’s just marketing BS. We dug into food labels and chatted with Phoenix-based registered dietitian nutritionist  Yaffi Lvova to get the lowdown on 10 supposedly healthy foods to view with a healthy dose of skepticism.1. “Light” ProductsIn an effort to cut back on calories and fat, you might instinctively reach for foods calling themselves “light.” But these products can pose dietary problems far worse than their full-fat counterparts. “When fat is reduced or removed from a food, it must be replaced with another ingredient to make up the text ure and flavor,” explains Lvova. “Oftentimes this is done with sugar or artificial fillers. When comparing full-fat sour cream to low-fat or fat-free, you’ll notice that the list of ingredients gets longer and longer. These are ingredients that are not found in nature, which your body doesn’t recognize.” When it comes to foods like foods like salad dressings, mayo, and sour cream, stick with portion-controlled amounts of the “regular” or “original” variety.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!2. Flavored YogurtIt’s true that yogurt offers a wealth of the friendly gut bacteria known as  probiotics, which can help digestion and promote overall health. So plain (or lightly sweetened) yogurt does make an excellent choice for health-conscious snacking. But inside many flavored varieties lurk massive doses of added sugar. One container of  Yoplait’s Original Fre nch Vanilla yogurt, for example, packs more sugar (19 grams) than a serving of  Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream  (14 grams). Always read labels to check for sugar content.3. Veggie Chips or StrawsEver noshed on some veggie straws and called it a day for your healthy eating? (We confess, we have too.) Despite the “veggie” in their name - and the vibrant pictures of spinach or tomatoes on their packaging - the main ingredient in most veggie straws is potato starch. So while they may contain  less fat than some potato chips, their ingredients really aren’t much different.4. Meatless MeatsNot all meatless Mondays are created equal. To nail the texture of real meat, some vegetarian meat substitutes use questionable additives like TBHQ, a substance the food watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest  encourages consumers to avoid. TBHQ  has been associated with  vision disturbances in humans and tumor growth in rats. Lvova also warns that highly processed soy is often the basis of fake meats. “While soy in its pure form - such as tofu, soy sauce, soy milk, or tamari - does not contribute to cancer risk, the highly processed soy protein isolate has been shown to increase the risk of certain types of cancer.” For a better vegetarian protein source, try nuts, tofu, and legumes.5. Granola BarsThe word “granola” has come to symbolize all things hippy-dippy, natural, and healthy - so many people assume the food itself would be nothing but nourishing. That all depends, however, on what granola product you choose.  According to a report  by  The New York Times, though 71 percent of the public believe granola bars to be healthy, only 28 percent of nutritionists agree. It’s pretty easy to tell that a chocolate-dipped bar is going to be more like a candy than a health food, but even less obviously Snickers-esque versions can be packed with sugar and fillers. Case in point: WalMart’s Great Value Sweet Salty Almond Chewy Granola Bars, w hich contain hydrogenated oil (a known harbinger of dangerous trans fat) and high fructose corn syrup.6. Fruit LeatherAh, fruit leather, that beloved snack you can give to your kids and pretend you served them fruit. Until food manufacturers switch over to the FDA’s  upcoming nutrition facts update, which requires a line item for “added sugars,” it’s hard to know how much sugar in fruit leather comes from actual fruit and how much has been added via processing. To ensure better nutrition from a fruity snack, try your hand at a  DIY variety, or just, um, eat real fruit.7. Vitamin WaterVitamin Water has enjoyed a health halo since its introduction in 2000. But, as of 2016, the Coca-Cola company, which owns Vitamin Water, was  ordered to remove health claims  (such as “vitamins + water = all you need”) from the beverages’ labeling. With a 20-ounce bottle supplying  32 grams of sugar  - more than you’d get in the same amount of a fountain drink - it’s not hard to see why. “It’s true that one serving provides 100 percent of your vitamin C for the day, but so do many fruits and vegetables,” says Lvova. “The other vitamins provided are poor quality, and only 10 to 15 percent at that. You can cover these nutrient needs with real food throughout the day, which is a much more efficient way to take in your nutrients.”8. Dairy-Free CheeseIf you avoid dairy due to allergy, intolerance, or religious or ethical restrictions, dairy-free cheese can be a godsend for getting your fix of stretchy, melty goodness. For the rest of us, though, there’s no health-related reason to choose dairy-free cheese, since most of these products are highly processed and often contain refined oils, preservatives, and color additives. Besides,  recent research reveals  that eating real cheese daily could actually protect against cardiovascular disease.9. Diet SodaIt’s “diet,” so it’s better than regular soda, right? Not necessarily.  Studies have shown  that drinking diet soda is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a complex of health issues that includes obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. This may be due to the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda, such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharine. Though technically  considered safe by the FDA, these sweeteners remain controversial for the way they  affect the body’s metabolic processes.10. High-Protein Snacks“High protein” seems to be the latest marketing code for “healthy,” based on the concept that protein builds muscle. But does more of this macro actually make a food better for you? The Daily Value of protein for healthy adults is  just 50 grams. And since, according to many experts, the average American gets  more than enough protein  in their daily diet, adding extra in the form of a high-protein cookie or bar isn’t necessarily helpful.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.  You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people 10 foods that sound healthy but really aren't When grabbing snacks with words like “fruit,” “veggie,” or “vitamin” in the name, it’s natural to assume these foods will offer us some level of nutrition. (Like, maybe at least some vitamin C… please?) The reality, though, is that a number of foods promoted to the public as healthy are really far from it. To make the  best dietary choices, it’s helpful to get savvy about what’s actually doing your body good and what’s just marketing BS. We dug into food labels and chatted with Phoenix-based registered dietitian nutritionist  Yaffi Lvovato get the lowdown on 10 supposedly healthy foods to view with a healthy dose of skepticism.1. “Light” ProductsIn an effort to cut back on calories and fat, you might instinctively reach for foods calling themselves “light.” But these products can pose dietary problems far worse than their full-fat counterparts. “When fat is reduced or removed from a food, it must be replaced with another ingredient to make up the textu re and flavor,” explains Lvova. “Oftentimes this is done with sugar or artificial fillers. When comparing full-fat sour cream to low-fat or fat-free, you’ll notice that the list of ingredients gets longer and longer. These are ingredients that are not found in nature, which your body doesn’t recognize.” When it comes to foods like foods like salad dressings, mayo, and sour cream, stick with portion-controlled amounts of the “regular” or “original” variety.2. Flavored YogurtIt’s true that yogurt offers a wealth of the friendly gut bacteria known as  probiotics, which can help digestion and promote overall health. So plain (or lightly sweetened) yogurt does make an excellent choice for health-conscious snacking. But inside many flavored varieties lurk massive doses of added sugar. One container of  Yoplait’s Original French Vanilla yogurt, for example, packs more sugar (19 grams) than a serving of  Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream  (14 grams). Always read lab els to check for sugar content.3. Veggie Chips or StrawsEver noshed on some veggie straws and called it a day for your healthy eating? (We confess, we have too.) Despite the “veggie” in their name - and the vibrant pictures of spinach or tomatoes on their packaging - the main ingredient in most veggie straws is potato starch. So while they may contain  less fat than some potato chips, their ingredients really aren’t much different.4. Meatless MeatsNot all meatless Mondays are created equal. To nail the texture of real meat, some vegetarian meat substitutes use questionable additives like TBHQ, a substance the food watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest  encourages consumers to avoid. TBHQ  has been associated with  vision disturbances in humans and tumor growth in rats. Lvova also warns that highly processed soy is often the basis of fake meats. “While soy in its pure form - such as tofu, soy sauce, soy milk, or tamari - does not contribute to cancer ri sk, the highly processed soy protein isolate has been shown to increase the risk of certain types of cancer.” For a better vegetarian protein source, try nuts, tofu, and legumes.5. Granola BarsThe word “granola” has come to symbolize all things hippy-dippy, natural, and healthy - so many people assume the food itself would be nothing but nourishing. That all depends, however, on what granola product you choose.  According to a report  by  The New York Times, though 71 percent of the public believe granola bars to be healthy, only 28 percent of nutritionists agree. It’s pretty easy to tell that a chocolate-dipped bar is going to be more like a candy than a health food, but even less obviously Snickers-esque versions can be packed with sugar and fillers. Case in point: WalMart’s Great Value Sweet Salty Almond Chewy Granola Bars, which contain hydrogenated oil (a known harbinger of dangerous trans fat) and high fructose corn syrup.6. Fruit LeatherAh, fruit leather, that bel oved snack you can give to your kids and pretend you served them fruit. Until food manufacturers switch over to the FDA’s  upcoming nutrition facts update, which requires a line item for “added sugars,” it’s hard to know how much sugar in fruit leather comes from actual fruit and how much has been added via processing. To ensure better nutrition from a fruity snack, try your hand at a  DIY variety, or just, um, eat real fruit.7. Vitamin WaterVitamin Water has enjoyed a health halo since its introduction in 2000. But, as of 2016, the Coca-Cola company, which owns Vitamin Water, was  ordered to remove health claims  (such as “vitamins + water = all you need”) from the beverages’ labeling. With a 20-ounce bottle supplying  32 grams of sugar  - more than you’d get in the same amount of a fountain drink - it’s not hard to see why. “It’s true that one serving provides 100 percent of your vitamin C for the day, but so do many fruits and vegetables,” says Lvova. †œThe other vitamins provided are poor quality, and only 10 to 15 percent at that. You can cover these nutrient needs with real food throughout the day, which is a much more efficient way to take in your nutrients.”8. Dairy-Free CheeseIf you avoid dairy due to allergy, intolerance, or religious or ethical restrictions, dairy-free cheese can be a godsend for getting your fix of stretchy, melty goodness. For the rest of us, though, there’s no health-related reason to choose dairy-free cheese, since most of these products are highly processed and often contain refined oils, preservatives, and color additives. Besides,  recent research reveals  that eating real cheese daily could actually protect against cardiovascular disease.9. Diet SodaIt’s “diet,” so it’s better than regular soda, right? Not necessarily.  Studies have shown  that drinking diet soda is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a complex of health issues that includes obesity, hi gh blood pressure, and high blood sugar. This may be due to the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda, such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharine. Though technically  considered safe by the FDA, these sweeteners remain controversial for the way they  affect the body’s metabolic processes.10. High-Protein Snacks“High protein” seems to be the latest marketing code for “healthy,” based on the concept that protein builds muscle. But does more of this macro actually make a food better for you? The Daily Value of protein for healthy adults is  just 50 grams. And since, according to many experts, the average American gets  more than enough protein  in their daily diet, adding extra in the form of a high-protein cookie or bar isn’t necessarily helpful.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.