Low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free words on the labels immediately capture your attention. No doubt you wish to remain fit, and for that, you are ready to do everything. But purchasing such foods that seem “healthier” because others say so isn’t a wise thing to do. You are brainy souls living in the 21st century where advertising and marketing plays an important role.
Hence, you need to know that every food advertised as “healthy” isn’t so. Some foods that you believe to be healthy are not that good for you and are loaded with artificial ingredients. They do much more harm than good.
Have you heard of the infamous wolf in sheep’s clothing? Well, healthy food is exactly that. Health foods are low carb junk foods garbed with the dress of labels like low-fat, non-carb, non-sugar and more. Don’t let these claims fool yourself but take a quick look at the ingredient list instead and you will know that healthy foods are indeed toxic for health.
They might claim that it is 100% genuine, prepared from real fruit pulp and devoid of artificial additives but here’s a piece of free advice for you, avoid fruit juices by all means no matter how promising and healthy they might seem.
The amount of real fruit contained in the fruit juices available in the market is almost negligible compared to the massive amount of artificial ingredients, synthetic essences, flavors, colors and additives listed in them that are toxic for health and well being.
Fruit juices(1) are steeped in sugar and are entirely devoid of the nutrition, vitamins, and goodness of real fruits. It might come as a shock, but the seemingly “healthy” orange juice is as unhealthy and toxic as carbonated drinks like coke.
Drinking such fruit juices not only deprives you of nutrition but also affects you with obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues and so on. Ditch the liquid and its low levels of nutrients and grab the whole fruit instead if you are concerned about your health.
If you are strolling in the healthy food section of the supermarket, then you will come across agave nectar one of the most popular sweeteners of the century. Agave nectar(2) is sugar-free and is a sweetener that is touted to be one of the healthiest substitutes of white sugar.
Agave nectar is a natural product and is approved by people with diabetes because of its low value of glycemic index but what is disappointing is the fact that it has an incredible amount of fructose which makes it unhealthy as well.
Incorporation of this sweetener infuses the diet with an unnatural load of fructose that becomes toxic for health especially for people with diabetes and for people who follow a semi-sedentary lifestyle. The considerable volume of fructose gets metabolized in the liver, and if the liver is already filled to the brim with glycogen, the fructose metabolizes into unhealthy body fat.
It is the over-consumption of agave nectar and other such sweeteners that cause fatty liver disease and other problems related to metabolism like resistance to leptin and insulin which ultimately causes diabetes of type 2 and obesity.
While the fructose content of white sugar is about 50% that of agave nectar is a whopping 90-95% which is harmful to health. If you are still looking for a substitute for white sugar, then try jaggery, brown sugar, pure and raw honey which are natural and perfectly healthy.
In a line, the worst news about whole wheat is that it is rich in gluten which is the primary cause of digestive troubles such as indigestion, constipation, stomach cramps and more. Given that it is true that whole heat is a healthier alternative to refined wheat, but that does not imply that it is nutritious in itself.
Wheat is detrimental to the health of the gastrointestinal tract that is sensitive to gluten. The fibrous content of whole wheat has another harmful effect on the physiological functioning of the body. It makes the consumer deficient in vitamin D by burning the body’s natural stores of the vitamin.
It causes deficiency diseases like the weakness of bones, brittleness of bones and rickets. Whole wheat can even raise the levels of bad cholesterol in the body and cause cardiac problems and severe disorders. Switch to healthier varieties of flour and discard the whole wheat to stay healthy and fit.
The industrially manufactured “healthy for the heart” vegetable oils are one of the worst healthy foods that are actually bad for you and your heart because of the high amount of saturated fat contained in them.
When the world got gripped with the fear of unhealthy oils and unsaturated fatty acids, industries stepped in to invest in the fear and launch a variety of heart-healthy vegetable oils and seed oils like corn oil, soyabean oil and more.
The seeds are entirely natural, but the process of extraction of the oils is exceptionally unhealthy and involves a host of toxic chemical and harsh procedures and treatments like exposure to high heat, chemical solvents, and bleaching. The oils so obtained by extraction are loaded with unhealthy amounts of omega-6 fatty acids that make the vegetable and seed oils detrimental for health.
Such fatty acids, when consumed in small quantities, is excellent or health but over-consumption of the same results in internal inflammation, increase in the level of bad cholesterol, obesity, oxidative damage, and other chronic health issues.
Fat-free or low-fat foods are the latest fad what with all the information that surfaced across the world against the consumption of a required amount of saturated fats which are now quite harmless. However, with the prejudice that largely prevails against fatty acids, manufacturers have stepped up again to generate food that is “healthy” and free of fats or low in fatty acids.
The infusion of low-fat foods with artificial ingredients, chemicals, sweeteners and vast amounts of unhealthy sugar takes place. In the end, the food obtained had all its healthy fatty acids replaced with toxic fats. With the harsh chemical processes of food manufacturing even healthy and functional foods like yogurt got converted into fat-free, sugary, harmful, synthetic yogurt.
With the avoidance of food rich in gluten and its consequent eradication from the health food supermarket, it is now time for food manufacturers to storm the market with gluten-free, carb-free diets that are healthy but are absolute junk. The preparation of these low carb junk food stakes places with starchy foods like potato starches, tapioca starches and more.
The processing of these carbohydrates takes place and is stripped of all healthy nutrients and loaded with unhealthy additives, and bad cholesterol whose consumption causes sudden spikes in blood sugar levels, obesity, internal toxicity, intestinal inflammation.
The yearning for non-fat low carb food is now hysteria with people running after the apparently “healthy” fake butter or margarine. It is steeped in toxic trans-fatty acids and packed with unhealthy processed oils that make it too unsafe for consumption.
Butter might be fattening but it is healthy and composed of essential fatty acids and vitamins that bear positive effects on physiology and health, but margarine is not. The artificial ingredients contained in margarine are bound to troubles such as indigestion and acid reflux.
Read More: Shea Butter Benefits
Energy bars are the go-to food for elite athletes and gym-goers who apparently cannot survive without biting into a bar during their work-out. Just like sports drinks, energy bars look tremendously promising and healthy, but little does everyone know that energy bars get loaded with junk and additives.
These are highly processed and refined health foods that contain not only an overdose of proteins but also a considerable amount of artificial ingredients that are toxic to health.
Eating such healthy energy bars not only deprive you of nutrition but also affect you with obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues and so on. The chemical processing of energy bars manufacture strips off of all healthy nutrients and loads it with unhealthy additives whose consumption causes sudden spikes in blood sugar levels, obesity, internal toxicity, intestinal inflammation.
It is a fact that elite athletes and gym-goers get high on protein shakes, whey shakes, and other such junk sports drinks. Sports drinks and protein shakes look tremendously promising and healthy, but little does everyone know that these drinks get loaded with junk, chemical flavors, synthetic colors, and additives.
These are highly processed and refined health drinks that contain not only an overdose of proteins but also a massive amount of artificial ingredients paired with low levels of nutrients that are toxic to health(3).
Skipping meals and drinking protein shakes instead not only deprive you of nutrition but also affect you with obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues and so on. The chemical processing of sports drinks manufacturing strips off of all healthy nutrients and loads it with unhealthy additives whose consumption causes sudden spikes in blood sugar levels, obesity, internal toxicity, intestinal inflammation.
It is perhaps the worst in the list of health foods owing to their high content of refined carbs and loads of sugar. The manufacturers then infuse the cereals with a dose of artificial ingredients and synthetic vitamins and then launch the products in the health food market as healthy breakfast cereals.
Instead of going by the screaming labels of healthy and hearty check out the amount of sugar and fatty additives contained in it and you will be in for a rude shock. Beginning the day with sugary breakfast cereals will not only give you a sugar rush but will make you obese and chronically diabetic over time.
Regular consumption of so-called healthy foods has a detrimental effect on the body. Some of the impacts that it has on the body are as follows-
It is an essential thing to note that for the body to stay healthy and fit, maintaining a healthy diet is very important. Therefore stop one believing the advertising gimmicks and look out to understand the various aspects of foods with artificial ingredients. The points mentioned above will help you a great deal to ponder upon the realities of ‘Health Foods.’ Stay safe and stay healthy.
A balanced diet consists of an equivalent proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. The diet consists of food that is natural, healthy and nutritious.
Whey protein is not good for health. It causes digestive troubles and can destroy the healthy bacteria found in the intestines.
You should eat only 40-50 grams of fats per day to maintain a healthy diet.
Maintain a balanced and straightforward diet and get yourself some sound sleep and a right spot of physical exercise. Ditch the so-called health foods and eat what is healthy.