Home
>
Nutrition
>
Unhealthy Foods: Five Sneaky Foods Revealed

Unhealthy Foods: Five Sneaky Foods Revealed

With the array of different diets and diet foods available to help with weight loss and health, it's sometimes hard to figure out what's healthy and what's not. Of course, part of the problem is that people have different health needs: for example, while fruit juice is often a good source of vitamins and other nutrients, some people with diabetes may find that some fruit juices have more sugar than they can tolerate. So what sounds healthy may not be healthy for you. How to tell? Look past the advertising to get label-savvy and nutrition aware so that you can avoid sneaky foods that seem like a good idea but may clash with your health needs.

Check out these examples:

1) Bottled waters: Water seems like the one thing on earth that has to be natural? But many bottled waters, even ones promoted by athletes, may contain things besides water, including minerals and salts. Some bottled waters contain a big chunk of sodium, so if you're on a low-sodium diet, check that label before you buy.

2) "Low fat" foods: By law, foods labeled "low fat" contain less than 3 grams of fat per serving. But check the label so you know what you're getting. First, check serving sizes: if serving sizes are very small, and you're planning a traditionally-sized serving, your intake of fat may be larger than you expect. Second, make sure you're not trading off the benefits of lower fat foods for extra sugar and salt. Manufacturers may increase salt, sugars or artificial flavorings to compensate for the loss of flavor in low-fat foods. So, if you're trying to lower your blood pressure (for example) check to make sure you aren't getting a big dose of salt; if you're trying to move towards a more organic or natural diet, you may want to compare levels of artificial sweetening.

3) "Low carb" alternatives to regular prepackaged foods may also trade off carbohydrate content for other things that you might be trying to avoid, so get savvy about reading labels on prepackaged food. Keep in mind that the FDA has not yet fully determined what the qualifications are to be a "low carb" food, so double-check the label to see if the carb content fits your needs. In addition, a number of reports suggest that "low carb" labels are being used inappropriately, so look at the label to see the actual number of carbohydrate grams.

4) Guacamole: Avocados look like vegetables, but they are actually the fruit of an avocado tree. Fruits and vegetables are generally considered to be healthy foods ? just look at the number of servings that are recommended in the new FDA pyramid. But avocados are a sneaky fruit ? unlike most others, they are full of fat, which accounts for their less sweet taste and waxy feel. One medium sized avocado has about 31 grams of fat, equivalent to a Baskin Robbins milk shake! So if you're trying to reduce the amount of fat or cholesterol in your diet, watch that guacamole. If on the other hand, you're looking to increase vitamins C and A in your diet, avocados pack a positive punch.

5) Fish: Fish can be a great source of nutrition, with lean protein and many nutrients. Make sure that if you're eating processed fish, it's packed in something that you don't mind eating ? if you're cutting down on fats, tuna packed in oil isn't for you. Lastly, not all seafood has the same nutritional content as fish ? unlike other fish, shrimp has a lot of cholesterol, even before you add butter or mayo.

Clinical Reference Systems, Adult Health Advisor, "Food labels," 2004.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "Fact Sheet: Carbohydrates," 2004

Schafer, E., et al, "Bottled Water: to drink or not to drink?," Iowa State University, PM 1813, 2000

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish," EPA-823-F-04-009, 2004

U.S. Department of Agriculture, "National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference," 2004

Learn more about health, diet and exercise at our weight loss forum.

PhenForum.com is a popular discussion forum for weight loss programs, weight loss advice, and tips to help you weight loss.

All the best,

Ian Mason

same day cleaning service Des Plaines ..

In The News:

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

Unhealthy Foods: Five Sneaky Foods Revealed

Nutrition