In an effort to make the family cultivate a healthier lifestyle, parents are are in an unending quest to incorporate healthy food into the family’s diet. But making the family actually eat these food is tough, and so as a result we resort to appetizing alternatives.
Unfortunately, most of these alternatives hide under the guise of being healthy, but are in fact not that good for your health. Here are 7 of these impostors, as compiled by Listverse:
1. Vegetable oils
We were taught in chemistry class that the more liquid an oil is, the healthier it is. As a general rule, fat is healthier the more liquid it is because the double bonds in the unsaturated fat (the good kind of fat) decreases its melting point. A prime example of this is olive oil.
But did you know that palm oil, derived from the mesocarp of the fruit of the oil palms, is a notorious kind of saturated fat (the bad kind of fat) and is the most common oil used in fast food? Fast food use these kinds of oil because it’s significantly cheaper than it’s healthier alternatives.
2. Pasta
Pasta is a common alternative to rice, and most people eat it under the misguided belief that it’s healthier. It’s true that pasta is healthier than rice, provided that it’s the right kind (whole grain, oat bran, barley). Unfortunately the most common pasta found in households are regular white pasta made with white flour, mixed with water and eggs.
Regular pasta contains high amounts of empty carbohydrates, little vitamins and minerals and has barely any fiber.
3. White bread
As a rule of thumb, white foods are bad for you. This includes, white pasta, white rice, and white bread—mostly because they just contain empty carbs and offer little nutritional value in your diet.
They also have high glycemic index, which basically means that once digested they’re easily converted to sugar, and sugar that isn’t burned turns into fat. If you must eat bread, make sure they’re high in fiber and is made with whole grains.
4. Ketchup
Many argue that ketchup is healthy; it’s basically tomato puree, right? Wrong. Although it contains the antioxidant lycopene, ketchups in general contain high sugar content. Not only that, it contains high amount of salt, too. To make matters worse, the lycopene content of in a bottle of ketchup is significantly lower than the total amount of tomatoes used.
5. Diet soda
Sodas are bad. But their “healthier” counterparts aren’t that good either. Some studies suggest that some diet sodas stimulate your appetite, which urges you to eat more, and as a result gain back the calories you saved by drinking a diet soda instead of the regular version.
Some diet sodas also use a sweetener called Aspartame, which certain studies suggest is linked to certain kinds of cancer.
6. Peanuts
In general, most nuts are healthy. They may be caloric, but they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. One exception is peanuts. In itself, it’s not that terribly bad, but most peanuts are roasted in bad fats and come in packages that are salt-heavy. Of course you can still eat them if you’re strict on your diet, just make sure that you eat them raw and without added salt.
7. Fruit juice
Just because it has the word “fruit” in it doesn’t automatically make it healthy. Some people substitute fruit juices for the actual fruit; little do they know that the kind of juices they drink are pumped with artificial sweeteners, and most of these juices are without the actual pulp. (The pulp contains fiber, a key element in balancing out the sugar in fruits.) So long as you drink the real juice of real fruits, then you should be fine.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!