Healthy foods are mostly very expensive and tasteless. Unfortunately many so-called health foods do not do justice to their names, they are rather unhealthy! Here is the countdown of the top 8 so-called health foods:
1. Herbal Supplements
Number 1 on the list, with the intoxicating powers of marijuana and random ingredients is Herbal Supplements. Consumer Reports made a list in 2004 of herbal supplements that are downright dangerous. Number one on that list is a Chinese remedy for eczema. This FDA alert tells of 2 people who took it to clear up some skin problems and ended up with kidney dysfunction.
Herbal supplements work like placebos, it makes you feel good. But in reality it destroys your liver. Kava, which is considered herbal substitute of the anti-depressant drug Prozac, may contain toxins, because some companies use the entire tree instead of the root, to cut down expenses.
2. Protein Shakes
Coming in at number 2 in the list, as a sheer horror to the body builders and fitness enthusiasts, is protein shakes. People associate protein with muscle, because that’s what muscles are mostly made of. However, if the amount of protein is more than what is required, it will be stored as fat. The raw protein content in protein shakes is not easy to digest or absorb. A balanced meal with protein would actually help, but not isolated protein. So either that protein gets stored as fat or it remains undigested and goes down the sewer.
And the nitrogen residues of protein converts into urea or uric acid which if created excess, will damage your kidneys.
3. Fast Food Salads
Coming in at number 3 are the fast food salads which have lots of dressing like meat, cheese or bits of fried food on them and are a total irony of nutrition. It’s the diabolical plan of fast food chains to hold onto the health conscious customers by adding items like yogurts, salads etc. to their unhealthy menu items.
The reason they have made it at number 3 in the list is because fast food restaurants’ salads are often worse for you than their burgers. The Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad is more calorific than their 1/4 pound Double Stack cheeseburger. Rather it outperforms their cheeseburger not only in total calories, but also total amount of fat, sodium, cholesterol, sugar and carbs.
4. Fish
Fish has always been considered good for health in all ways, be it by doctors or else. However, ocean fish is really high in mercury. Because the oceans themselves are getting full of mercury due to the nuclear power plants dumps, chemical hubs and other toxic wastes. Almost all fish contain at least some trace amounts of mercury, but ocean fish have exceptionally high amount of mercury making them poisonous. So avoid ocean fish.
5. Chewable Vitamin Tablets
Vitamin C is a vital nutrient for your body. But chewable Vitamin C tablets not so much! Even though they have all the goodness of vitamin C, studies have shown that in some cases, chewable Vitamin C tablets can cause your teeth to erode. Dentists suggest you brush your teeth after chewing a vitamin C tablet. And try to buy a brand that has Vitamin C in its non-acidic form, or simply swallow the pill.
6. Granola and Cereal Bars
Granola bars have the same ingredients that make muffins and candy bars taste good: sugar, chocolate and fat. The Quaker Oats True Delights Bar containing raspberries and chocolate, pretty much has the same amount of fat and calories as a Snickers bar. Anything that tastes sweet or has flavor has to contain a decent amount of fat and extra calories. Real granola bars, that are actually good for you and not sweet at all, taste like granola.
7. Bran Muffins
Bran itself tastes horrible, but it is good for you. Unfortunately, combining it with a muffin drains away the goodness with a spoonful of sugar and a bulk of fat. The ingredients of muffin are almost the same as cake, and cake is fatty. That’s the reason you’ll find the muffin wrappers to be greasy. The fat content in a single muffin is about one third of the daily requirement according to the FDA. Bran made muffin is no better, because the other fatty ingredients are not removed.
8. Vitamin water & Life water
Coca Cola’s vitamin water and Pepsi’s life water are jointly at number 8 in the list of top 8 so-called health foods. They both contain over 30 grams of sugar in every bottle. Even the low calorie versions like Vitamin Water 10, contains a load of artificial sweeteners per bottle.
Trading sugar for artificial sweeteners isn’t a good idea either. Those sweeteners can lead to many long-term side effects and might even slow down your BMR which will lead to more weight gain.