Thanks to consumerism and wellness fads, there are way too many “healthy foods,” that are masters in disguise.

Foods that you think are healthy, but they are’nt

1) Sugar free foods

I fell for this one really hard! These Sugar free products need some sweetener right? Look closer, you will find  either honey or high fructose corn syrup, malt, dextrin or even sugar alcohols like maltitol or sorbitol. So, you are still taking in a lot of calories minus the guilt.

2) Fat free or Low Fat

When a food is labelled as low fat, one never questions how much lower in fat it is compared to the original. If it’s not a considerable difference, isn’t it better to eat a small portion of the original. Rather than a larger portion of the low fat version? Don’t get fooled by the word play.

3) Flavoured Yogurts

When it comes to yogurt, choose plain or natural flavored over fruity flavors. As there is probably no actual fruit in your yogurt and there is a lot more sugar! This is not a healthy breakfast of snack.

4) Veggie Chips

There are kale chips, spinach chips, etc available all over. These foods are still fried, with “Not sure which oil.” Besides, if you really want to absorb the nutrients of the vegetables you should probably just eat them raw or cooked.

5) Zero trans fat

According to the law, a product that contains below 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving can be labelled as ‘zero trans fat’. If you are sticking to just one serving of food with this label, it’s okay. But, it’s not something to binge on or to add  to your healthy food list.

5) Canned soups

Canned soup is a quick fix, but  the problem is that you’re overloading your system with sodium and preservatives.

6) Packaged Fresh juice

Most packaged fruit juices are sugar-packed; not the health elixirs we want them to be. Juices lose their fibre and nutrition. Plus, you’re not chewing the fruit, so all the fructose-laden sugar is rocketed to your liver where it can be lodged and stored as fat.

7) Dried-fruits

Dried fruit seems like healthy food. But companies use sulfur dioxide to preserve freshness and add sugar to sweeten the flavor, making dried fruit more into a candy.

8) Granola

Nearly all granola brands add sugar, oil, flavours (read fat) during the cooking process. Opt for brands that have a blend of oats, whole grains and other natural ingredients.

9) Gluten free

There are gluten free cakes, biscuits and everything. Gluten-free products contain a variety of rice flours, starches and additional sugar that are not healthy.

10) Good source of iron/calcium/any nutrient

These labels are often found on junk snacks. But here’s the catch. Foods that may not be a good choice from a health perspective can feature a label that claims that it is a good source of a particular nutrient. Thus bringing into focus only that fortification, so that all its other negatives are hidden behind this label.

There are healthy products out there, but there are even more disguises. Adding a little more nutrient or removing a little of the fat or sugar, does not make the products healthy. Thus, be wary and wise, of what you put into you and your loved one’s mouth.

Iti Jain

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