Today, I would like to go over the foods that you THOUGHT were healthy food options….when in reality they are not!

There are so many gimmicks and advertisements that try to get you to think that some food products are healthy food options for you to choose from.   But, in reality they are not a healthy option for you at all!

Here are some foods that may have been tricking you:

1. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter:

The one good quality about peanuts…it contains monounsaturated fats which are indeed good for you. BUT…most regular peanut butter you find on the shelf is made of the exact same sugar that can be found in the fattening and high sugar cake frosting! When they slap on the “Reduced Fat” label to peanut butter they have to add even MORE of that kind of sugar to help supplement the fat that was taken out of the original recipe.

SOLUTION: Purchase organic peanut butter OR almond OR any other kind of nut butter (which is a lot thicker and does indeed look different from the other stuff.  It will also have an oil layer which is OK! That is suppose to be there! You will just have to stir up your peanut butter when you do decide to use it if you see that the peanut butter and oil has separated.  Also, this may be a little more expensive BUT it is by far the healthier option!)

2.Fruit Juices

Example…have you ever had freshly squeezed Orange Juice? If you have you know that it is NOT as sweet as the store bought stuff.  It does have a sweetness to it but it is also a little more tart and tangy.  Some store bought juices usually have a TON of sugar added to them.  These kind of juices also can have preservatives or thick sugar syrup added to them to create its color and consistency.

SOLUTION: Try to get juices that are all natural.  Look at the food label to see exactly what is in the product.  The best option is always to make your own or to just drink water…But if you do choose juices try to find the one that has the less sugar that is added.

3. Fat-Free or Reduced Fat Salad Dressing

Hmmm…to be honest there is not much good in this stuff at all! Like with the peanut butter, when they try to make the product less in fat they throw more sugar in!  oh…not to mention they may sprinkle in some artificial sweeteners, colors, or other flavors to try to make it taste better.

SOLUTION: Stick to the salad dressing made with vinegar or olive oils.  There are TONS of recipes for home made salad dressings that are healthier options than what you can buy at the store and sometimes it also may be cheaper to make your own!

4. Yogurt cups (with granola, chocolate pieces, or fruit on the bottom)

Yogurt is on the “Healthy foods list”.  So is fruit…BUT only if the fruit is fresh fruit!

The yogurt that contains all those sweet options have twice as much sugar as the plain yogurt.  This in the end makes yogurt NOT a healthy option for a snack anymore.

SOLUTION: Try to get plain yogurt and add your own fruit to them.  You can also add NATURAL sweeteners to your yogurt like a spoon of honey or naturally sweet fruits.  You can also consider eating the “Light” versions of your favorite yogurt brand.  BUT it is still healthier to get the plain stuff and add your own things.

5. Diet Carbonated Beverages

I can not think of one good healthy quality about diet carbonated drinks.  The Diet version of the original drink is packed with artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and other artificial flavors to help make the diet version taste somewhat like the original version.   I am sure all of you have heard about the science projects of little kids dissolving metal objects by soaking it in a carbonated drink…or how you can get rid of battery acid by pouring a carbonated beverage onto the batter to dissolve the residue.  I don’t know about you…but I would not like to regularly consume something that can dissolve or break down metal objects.

SOLUTION: Do not drink them.  Stick to water or fresh fruit juices.  You have to also be careful of sports drinks because some of those contain a lot of sugar as well.

These are just a few items that people have asked how healthy they actually are when they are used regularly in their diet.  It is OK to consume some bad things but not regularly! To achieve your desired health and fitness goals you must be mindful of the things you are consuming on a regular basis and try to choose the healthiest options.