10 Not-So-Healthy Health Foods

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – When it comes to shopping for healthy foods, consumers often fall victim to the same misconceptions.

“People think ‘If I eat less calories, I’ll be better off,’” says Sharon Richter, a registered dietician. She adds that people also tend to buy foods toutimg terms such as “light,” “whole grain” or “fat-free” without checking out the nutritional labels.

This is a problem since many of these foods, while living up to their packaging’s claims, may be unhealthy when consumers really look at how much sugar, sodium, substitutes, preservatives or additives the foods contain.

“The labels mean nothing,” Richter says. “A lot of these foods are garbage.”

Read on to find out what foods, popular among dieters or people simply looking to establish better eating habits, aren’t as healthy as you might think.

Granola bars
That granola bar stranded between the Snickers and the Famous Amos cookies in the office vending machine might seem like the best choice when it comes to the midday munchies, but experts agree that it won’t make your diet any healthier. In fact, Richter says, many granola bars contain artificial flavorings, ample amounts of sugar and/or hydrogenated oils that negate any savings on calories.

“It’s a dessert,” agrees Nicole Kuhl, a certified clinical nutritionist and director of nutrition at holistic online medical network Life Span Medicine.

Richter suggests consumers look to see if a bar contains fewer than 10 grams of sugar and more than 3 grams of fiber before chowing down. Kuhl also advises consumers to be on the lookout for ingredients such as “organic brown rice syrup” or “evaporated cane,” which are just fancy names for sugar.

Yogurt with fruit on the bottom
According to nutritionist Colette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals, yogurt with artificial fruit on the bottom has two things working against it. For starters, most contain too much sugar. “If a product has more than 10 grams per serving, it’s too much to be taking in during one sitting,” she says.

This sugar won’t help promote weight loss and will also kill the active cultures in the yogurt that are a staple among health-conscious eaters.

“The sugar eats up all the friendly bacteria,” Heimowitz says. “You’re better off eating plain yogurt and adding fruit to it.”

Frozen dinners
On the flip side, frozen dinners, even of the weight loss variety, often contain too much sodium.

“They have to add it as a preservative,” Heimowitz says. “People should be taking in 1,800 mg to 2,000 mg of sodium for the entire day” and, as such, should read the labels on their frozen dinners carefully to make sure they are within their daily limits before popping them into the microwave.

Baked potato chips
Dieting consumers often opt for baked potato chips, believing that because they aren’t fried, they’re healthy. But Gloria Tsang, a registered dietician and founder of the online nutrition network HealthCastle.com, says baked potato chips aren’t really a suitable alternative for those looking for a savory snack.

In fact, the crew at HealthCastle did a test earlier this year and found that many baked chip products only save around 20 calories per serving, a paltry sum that could easily be reduced by some double-dipping.

“People think they’re eating a low-fat food so they have more of it,” Tsang says. “You’re better off eating a smaller portion of the regular chips.”

Chicken patties
Consumers often opt to lower their red meat intake when trying to lose a few pounds, but Kuhl says they should pay attention to what products they buy as hamburger substitutes.

“A lot of veggie burgers and chicken patties have dozens of artificial ingredients in them,” she says. They also contain processed soy additives or hydrogenated soybean oil that don’t offer the same nutritional value as the proteins they are replacing.

“People should either eat the actual meat,” Kuhl says, or opt for a leaner turkey burger in lieu of a patty full of additives and artificial flavors.

Popcorn
Consumers think popcorn is a low-fat snack food because it’s a whole grain. According to Tsang, though, that classification doesn’t typically apply to the microwaveable versions found in grocery stores. Even they it does contain whole grains, it often comes at other nutritional expenses.

“Generally, these products are a lot higher in fat and some even have trans fat in them,” she says.

Bran muffins
Kuhl says that people see the word “bran” and think that makes it a safe choice, but a bran muffin is really just “a cupcake without the frosting.” She adds that many of these muffins contain 30 grams of sugar or more and don’t have enough fiber to justify that type of sugar intake.

Diet soda/fruit juice
Diet sodas and zero-cal drinks may be low in calories, but they’re also high in artificial sweeteners and flavoring, as are many fruit juices. Tsang says that the artificial sweeteners can also lead to cravings later on. “Get used to drinking water,” Kuhl agrees.

Yogurt-covered foods
Kuhl says that consumers shouldn’t assume the use of the word “yogurt” to describe the coating on raisins or pretzels indicates a snack is better than, say, their chocolate-covered counterparts. Especially since these coatings rarely contain the same ingredients as the yogurt flavor they purport to be.

“Many of these coatings contain partially hydrogenated palm oil or soybean oil,” Kuhl says, which is essentially just trans fat. Instead, she advises “have a yogurt with some raisins in it.”

Weight-loss cereals
Another product Tsang says consumers should be wary of is cereals that advertise themselves as weight-loss products. While these aren’t unhealthy, they also aren’t the key to shedding pounds.

“[They're] like any other cereal,” Tsang says. She points out that most cereals are low in fat and high in fiber and full of whole grains and would need to be paired with other healthy eating habits and exercise to foster weight loss.