Some foods may look harmless or healthier versions within your product category but are
actually so processed or have such artificial ingredients that they end up being a trap for the
health of those who consume them . So you need to be aware and look for information on
everything that goes to your cart in the grocery store.
The first step is always to read the labels, the description of the ingredients and to know
that the first ones of the list are the ones that are in greater quantities. If you have too much
fat and too much sugar, it is best to avoid this product as it will be harmful to your health .
Next, check out which six foods that cheat you at the time of shopping and what are the
healthy alternatives for each of them.
1 Fruit Juice
Many drinks that you consider juices are actually nectars or soda. The nectar has at least 30% of pulp or real juice of the fruit, while the soft drinks can only have between 0.02% and 29.9% – to be considered juice, it is necessary to have at least 50% of pulp or real juice of the fruit.
Although nectars are better than refreshments when it comes to health, they are both poor in nutrients, fibers, and vitamins, lost in industrial thermal processing . They also have lots of sugar, preservatives and dyes. Refreshment is equivalent to the soda for health.
– Healthy alternative: Eat fruit. If you need to drink juice, choose the 100% natural or those that are closest to it.
2 Biscuits
Though the biscuits have small quantities of protein and fibre, they are not enough to supplement a healthy balanced diet or the daily recommended intake.
Biscuits are not a good source of fibre. In fact, one serving of fruit provides as much fibre as a biscuit, but with negligible calories. Biscuits that are high in sugar and low on nutrition can harm your body when taken in excess and at wee hours of the day.
– Healthy alternative : Try rotis that are made from wheat flour in your breakfast meal.
3 Milk Chocolate
Much is said about the benefits of chocolate. Being rich in polyphenols, it is antioxidant and thermogenic, protects the heart and prevents diabetes . However, it is necessary to have a concentration of at least 70% cocoa for these properties to be effective. With less than that, we are talking about milk chocolate, a sugar-sweetened candy that can harm health by lowering immunity and increasing inflammatory processes.
– Healthy alternative: Consume chocolate with at least 70% cocoa.
4 Industrialized whole wheat bread
The vast majority of industrialized breads called wholegrain breads are made with white wheat flour (with a high glycemic index and quite inflammatory) plus cereal bran – which, nutritionally, does not make these breads as de facto whole grains.
To make sure your bread is truly integral, check the list of ingredients: as they are sorted from the largest to the smallest, make sure the whole flour appears before the refined one . – Healthy alternative: Consume truly integral bread made with whole wheat flour or rye, which have more nutrients, fibers, minerals and vitamins, such as complex B.
5 Thickened Yogurt or Greek Yogurt
Greek has a very high concentration of fat, which can be negative for health. Many yoghurts, Greek or not, take thickeners to have the necessary consistency, which adds enough chemistry to the recipe – since it already has dyes and sweeteners.
– Healthy alternative: Choose a natural yogurt, preferably without preservatives, beaten with fruit in the blender.
6 Fruit Ice Cream
A refreshing fruit or milk candy, what can there be? Pretty much, actually. The problem is not in the fruit, but in the fat used . The common ice cream to which we are accustomed are filled with hydrogenated vegetable fat, which induces inflammatory processes , manifesting health problems such as arthritis, liver fat, triglycerides and high cholesterol .
– Healthy alternative: Ice creams made with animal fat (cream) or sorbets (which have only fruit, water and sugar.
7 Margarine
Margarine used to be considered a healthy alternative to butter.Fortunately, most people have now realized that this is far from being true.
Margarine is a highly processed pseudo-food that has been engineered to look and taste like butter.
It is loaded with artificial ingredients, and is usually made with industrial vegetable oils that have been hydrogenated to make them more solid. This increases their trans fat content significantly.
Alternatives: Use real butter instead, preferably from grass-fed cows.
