Foods You May Think Are Healthy But Really Aren't

Written by Zachary Pierson, M.P.H., C.P.T.

There are a lot of myths out there when it comes to nutrition. Some of the more dangerous ones encourage us to eat foods that appear healthy but are actually not just bad for you but could actually contribute to killing you.

Here are the top "healthy" foods that are among the greatest offenders:

Cereals for Breakfast

It is no less than disgraceful what companies are able to get away with when it comes to labeling food. Breakfast cereal manufacturers are amongst the worst culprits. Nine times out of ten these cereals are processed and refined to within an inch of their life and then a whole lot of sugar is thrown in. There is nothing natural about these foods at all and certainly nothing healthy either.

You read the "whole grain" tag and think you are buying a good thing. What you do not know is that this generally refers to whole grain flours and not actual whole grain. You may as well eat sugar.

Just take a look at some of these cereals, even the so-called healthy ones. You will often find that sugar or sucrose is high up on the list of ingredients.

What they really need to answer for though is the damage that they are doing to our kids. They market to kids directly and try to lull the adults into a false sense of security by claiming that the cereals are vitamin-enriched, etc.

Don't fall for it.

Wheat and Whole Wheat

I think the myth around wheat has been, at least to some degree, exposed in recent years. What most of us do not know is that wheat was altered in the 1960s to create better yields. The reasoning at the time was good - food production could not keep up with population growth and this would be an ongoing problem.

There were some nasty side effects though. The new versions are not nearly as nutritious as the older varieties. Not only that but it can be harmful when it comes to heart health. In comparison to the older wheat, new wheat actually increases the inflammatory markers and levels of cholesterol - NOT a good thing at all. Inflammation is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease.

In a separate study, modern wheat was compared to oats. The wheat increased the LDL particle count a lot - 14.2% and the bad cholesterol by a moonshot of 60.4%, in comparison to oats.

More research is needed but there is a hint here that wheat may no longer be as good for us as it once was and may, in fact, put you at greater risk for some serious diseases.

Even the gluten proteins are different now. They are now even worse than ever before for those suffering from IBS and celiac disease. This new wheat should be completely avoided as a health menace.

Replacing the Fat in Dairy With Sugar

It is true that dairy has a high percentage of saturated fat. For "health" reasons, therefore, we are often told to steer clear of full-fat dairy altogether. The problem with this is that saturated fat is not going to increase your chances of developing heart disease.

Research has been done in societies where full-fat dairy is the norm and there is no increased rates of heart disease and diabetes. People also tend to be slimmer.

In those countries where cattle graze on grass and do not eat grain, there is a definite reduction in the chance of developing cardiovascular problems.

It would appear that the fat in dairy is what makes it such a healthy option.

What also needs to be remembered is that when the fat is removed, as with most yogurts, the flavor needs enhancing and this is normally done by piling on the sugar.

Unlike full-fat dairy, the addition of sugar to foods has been proven to be extremely damaging to your health - it acts on all the biomarkers of health and increases your chances of developing a number of diseases. Sugar eaten in excess is far more dangerous than saturated fat could ever be. Sugar is also very addictive and you may never fell satisfied with the more you consume. Raspberry ketones can help you get over these cravings so you can stop consuming this harmful substance.

The sad truth is that low-fat foods are simply a more highly processed and less healthy version of real food.

Processed Vegetable Oils

When it comes to the omega fatty acids, we all know that vegetable oils are good for us because they have so many omegas in them. It is true that they do but, unfortunately, we now understand that they are in amounts that are way higher than you would find in nature and that they are the Omega-6s - which can increase inflammation in the body.

If we also then look at how they are processed, we would no doubt never want these oils crossing our lips ever again. (The processing involves subjecting them to high temperatures and adding chemicals. In the process, some trans fats are also created.)

While It has been proven that use of these oils will assist in the lowering of cholesterol this, in and of itself, does not guarantee that you will not get cardiovascular disease anyway. All you have done is worked on one of the risk factors. Over the long term, research has proven that swapping out saturated fats for these processed vegetable oils does lead to higher incidences of cancer and heart disease developing. The trans fat content can range from 0.56% to 4.2% which is all extremely high. So much for them being good for your heart!

Further studies have linked consumption of these oils to increased inflammatory conditions, disease and death. It is amazing that these kinds of oils are still on the shelves in stores and pantries around the world.

What Foods Are Healthy?

Rather than eating a diet high in processed food and sugar, eat whole foods for better health. Foods that you get fresh and as close to its original state as possible is almost guaranteed to be better for you. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables, poultry, fresh fish, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.