20 Unhealthy Foods That You Think Are Healthy But Are Actually Killing You Slowly
March 27th, 2008 Posted in Diet, Healthy LifestyleThere are many terms that are misleading in the food advertising industry today. Think of how many times you see the following phrases plastered all over food containers:
We are supposed to believe that each of these categories makes a food healthier. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here is what these phrases actually translate to:
- Fat free, but full of sugar and chemicals.
- Reduced fat, but increased carbohydrates.
- Low fat, but high glycemic index.
- Sugar free, but artificial everything else.
- No added sugar… because the all natural version has enough sugar to give you type II diabetes anyway.
- “Diet” food, but it causes cancer in lab rats so don’t drink/eat too much of it.
Consider the logic that food manufactures would have us believe: fat-free is good for you; jelly beans, jolly ranchers, and cotton candy are fat-free; therefore all those sugary candies are good for you. Makes sense? Think about it. In fact, a study at John Hopkins University recently determined a link between high blood sugar and heart disease. This means high glycemic foods, such as the candy I just mentioned as well as many similar products, are inherently unhealthy.
Let’s examine some examples of nasty food that is supposed to be healthy, but will secretly kill you faster than the Terminator (not the Arnold character in any of the sequels).
Why is it good? A sugar free version of the popular carbonated beverage that you can drink on the go.
Why is it bad? OK, so soda is horrible for you, but take out the sugar and add in carcinogenic artificial sweeteners, combined with the artificial flavors and colors that are in all sodas, and you have a recipe for Tumor in a Can. Then of course you’ve got the caffeine factor, which is linked to hyperactivity, high blood pressure, and can mess with your blood sugar.
Instead choose: filtered water and the occasional glass of milk
Why is it good? Seaweed contains essential nutrients such as selenium, calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fats. Sushi is nearly always wrapped in seaweed.
Why is it bad? This garbage doesn’t deserve to be called sushi. They are just small, compact, high glycemic, high calorie, carbohydrate nuggets. There’s not even much protein in these things. Eat 3-4 of them and you’ve had your serving for the day. Aside from that, imitation crab meat isn’t even good for you. It is mostly just a crab flavored tofu-like substance fortified with sugar, sugar, and more sugar.
Instead choose: In order to get some healthy carbs, some high-quality protein, and the benefits of omega-3 fats, choose real sushi made with salmon or tuna. To make it even healthier, order sashimi instead of white rice.
3. Peanuts
Why is it good? Peanuts contain healthy fats that contribute to the reduction in triglycerides, which are known to promote cardiovascular disease. In addition to monosaturated fatty acids, peanuts also contain magnesium, vitamin E, arginine, fiber, copper and folate all of which help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Why is it bad? Aside from being high in fat and calories, peanuts also are loaded with omega-6 fats that distort the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. This ratio says that your intake of each omega fatty acid should be 1:1. The reasons why this ratio is recommended is a topic for a whole other article. All we need to know is that the American diet is typically from 20:1 to 50:1 in favor of omega-6, so any effort to reverse this trend is important for combating over 10 different common diseases including Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. Peanuts are often contaminated with a carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin, and they are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated crops.
Instead choose: almonds or all natural organic peanut butter, but pour off the top layer of oil and replace with olive oil if the resulting peanut brick is too stiff. Olive oil is very low in omega-6 fats.
Why is it good? All peanut butter provides a heart-healthy substantial quantity of monounsaturated fat.
Why is it bad? Most commercial peanut butters are made with the same type of sugar that cake frosting is made with. Reducing the fat makes it even worse because even MORE nasty sugar is added and they contain less healthy fat. I’d rather just eat the extra calories.
Instead choose: As with peanuts, choose almonds or all natural organic peanut butter instead. Just remember to pour off the top layer of oil and replace it with olive oil if the resulting peanut brick is too stiff. Olive oil is very low in omega-6 fats. I personally, after switching to all-natural, can no longer stomach commercial peanut butter. It tastes like sweetened lard to me now so I’d rather barf than eat it at all.
Why is it good? It contains omega-6 fatty acids, which are unsaturated fats that don’t raise cholesterol. Sweet.
Why is it bad? In the true spirit of peanuts, corn oil has 60 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. Omega-6 fatty acids increase inflammation, which boosts your risk of cancer, arthritis, and obesity. This is why we prefer a balanced ratio of omega-3s, which are found in walnuts, fish, and flaxseed.
Instead choose: Canola or Olive oils, which have a far better ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s. In my humble opinion, choose olive oil instead since canola oil has some less important issues of its own.
6. Fat-Free or Reduced Fat Salad Dressing
Why is it good? Less fat means less calories. Plus that salad dressing fat is lard just like mayo and crisco. Sick.
Why is it bad? Firstly because when fat comes out, sugar goes in. Either that or artificial flavors and sweeteners. Secondly, since many vegetables are fat soluble, taking away the fat from the dressing means fewer of the salad nutrients will be absorbed into your body. This was confirmed by a study at Ohio State University wherein a higher fat salad dressing resulted in an increased uptake of the antioxidants lutein and beta-carotene.
Instead choose: A salad dressing made with olive oil, or just use olive oil and vinegar as your salad dressing. If you try it you might like it.
Why is it good? It’s not. But in the spirit of argument: vegetarians and vegans eat the stuff so they can get protein in their diets. Yay ::sarcasm:: Plus the stuff is apparently low in fat and an alternative to whey for the lactose intolerant.
Why is it bad? Straight up, soy is linked to lower testosterone and increased estrogen in males, and is also linked to increased breast cancer in women. Soy also promotes hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and infertility just to name a few additional disorders. Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all highly present in soy products. Infants in particular can be adversely affected in many negative ways from exposure to soy, including premature development in girls, and underdevelopment in boys. Some people also are allergic to soy protein.
Instead choose: any high protein whole food such as brown rice, goats milk, coconut milk, almond milk, whole grains, nuts, seaweeds, seeds, beans, and lentils. If you must have a protein powder, choose any of a variety of protein powders available on the market today, including whey and egg protein. As a side note, goats milk is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet today, so give it a try.
Why is it good? Individually, fruit and yogurt are two of the healthiest food choices at the grocery store.
Why is it bad? Manufacturers load these products up with corn syrup, which effectively doubles the amount of sugar. All the better to entice kids to ask you to buy this crap.
Instead choose: Activia yogurt, which contains additional live active cultures to help your digestive system. Choose the Light version if you wish, but it is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda). I enjoy Splenda quite often, but we have yet to know if there are an significant long term effects from its use. After all there are a few theories which suggest that consuming sucralose is like consuming very small amounts of chlorinated pesticides. There are at this time no conclusive tests that sucralose has any long term negative side effects.
9-11. Fruit Juice, Dried Fruit, and Fruit Cocktail
Why is it good? Well because fruit is good for you. It has a ton of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; not to mention fiber.
Why is it bad? Fruit juice and fruit cocktail normally have sugar added. Some fruit cocktails come in a thick sugary syrup, and there’s more sugar in a glass of fruit juice than in a candy bar and as much as in a glass of soda (grape juice has about 40g of sugar in one serving). You get no fiber from fruit juice, and the stuff usually has preservatives added to it. Dried fruit is similarly bad because it is also loaded with sugar, although not with added sugar. Think of it this way: take any fruit, which is naturally loaded with sugar, remove all the moisture thus shrinking it down to a fraction of its normal size, then sell it by the bucket load to consumers who don’t understand that this little tiny piece of fruit still has nearly all the calories and sugar of the original fruit! Can anyone say “portion control”? What about “blood sugar coma”?
Instead choose: eat the whole fruit including the skin if possible, but limit it to one serving of fruit per meal/snack to avoid insulin spikes. If you must have fruit cocktail, choose one that comes packed in its own juices instead of syrup.
Why is it good? Because cheesy popcorn is oh so tasty.
Why is it bad? Because you are really just eating the popcorn equivalent of potato chips. Seriously, compare total calories and you will find that you are not saving much on the calorie front by eating Smartfood instead of chips.
Instead choose: get some spray butter, pop some plain popcorn, spray a light coat of spray butter on the popped corn, sprinkle various spices on the corn (but go easy on the salts), and shake it up in a bad. Now you have a low fat tasty treat. Smartfood isn’t as bad as a candy bar or a Twinkie though, so go ahead and splurge every so often.
Why is it good? Baked beans are good for you because these types of beans are loaded with fiber
Why is it bad? The sugary syrup, just as much as in a can of soda, is just going to spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. This is never good for preventing heart disease or type II onset diabetes.
Instead choose: Red kidney beans. These things are packed with protein and fiber, and can be mixed with any sort of salad or pasta. Sometimes I enjoy kidney beans straight out of the can; no cooking, just wash and chow. There are also several other kinds of high protein, high fiber beans, but they typically have to be cooked first. I say this because I tend to be lazy about cooking and I know you do too.
Why is it good? Granola has some fiber, pasta salad has some vegetables, croutons make our salad crunchy, english muffins are one step up from bagels, and pretzels are a quick low-fat snack.
Why is it bad? One word: carbohydrates. All of these foods are made with corn syrup and/or processed white flour. These foods will spike your blood sugar faster than Bruce Lee could have kicked you in the face. You also won’t get much nutrition in the way of protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals from any of these foods.
Instead choose: 100% whole grain or whole wheat pasta and English muffins for increased fiber and protein. Egg salad because, like it or not, eggs are good for you and are high in protein. Almond slices are high in omega-3 fats and are crunchy like croutons. Substitute healthy nuts for white starches whenever you can and you too can receive a 30% less chance of heart disease.
Clearly there are many alternatives to sneaky consumer foods. Fruits and vegetables remain a key ingredient in a healthy diet, and now you can look for tricky catch phrases when purchasing ‘health foods’. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, and eat wholesome low-sugar, healthy-fat foods; I bet you will end up doing OK as a result.
Steve is a formerly ISSA certified personal trainer and sport nutritionist, who has been studying, practicing, and experimenting since 1994. Please use the content at Project Swole to supplement the advice of your doctor or physician. All medical questions should be directed towards a qualified medical professional, and the advice provided at Project Swole should be used at your own discretion.
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92 Responses to “20 Unhealthy Foods That You Think Are Healthy But Are Actually Killing You Slowly”
By Ellen on Apr 11, 2008
Thank you for this information. I am 61 and my husband is 59. We are dedicated to eating a healthy diet I thought we were doing well. Your comments about peanut butter and yogurt were alarming to me. My husband eats fruit on the bottom yogurt every morning and has done so for the last 30 years. He also snacks on peanut butter, right out of the jar, almost every evening. The only reason I don’t eat these things with him is because I don’t care for either. I will be sure he changes these habits! Other than those two items, we rarely fall off the wagon and don’t eat any of the other things on your list. Thanks again.
By Danielle on May 18, 2008
While some of the information presented is true, it’s quite funny that the “Why is it bad?” section on Soy products lists a lot of things caused by dairy products.
Dairy has been linked to breast cancer, hormonal issues, and colic in infants. BGH in dairy (milk especially) attributes to developmental problems in children (like the ones mentioned), and many people are actually lactose intolerant. There are numerous other side effects, of course.
Funny stuff.
By parv on May 18, 2008
Just to clarify, the diet soda sweetner, sacchrin, is NOT a carcinogen. The myth comes from a small study some 20 years ago in which the sweetner was insignificantly (in the statistical manner) shown to cause bladder tumors in male rats. This research could not subsequently be reproduced. And NO other animals have shown any such bad effects either.
Now, of course one could assume that its just the sweetner industry or something that’s holding back the research, but that’s just silly considering there are plenty of just as cheap sweetners around to use than to risk public outrage. Just to be sure, there have been no public outbreaks of bladder cancer in diet soda consuming socities.
Just felt like ranting. :p
By Steve on May 18, 2008
Danielle:
You are right about studies linking dairy milk to cancer and hormonal issues. This is mainly due to the hormones and chemicals used to grow and feed the cow.
I still side with dairy milk though, as it is much less offensive with regard to elevating estrogen levels in men, so that is my main concern.
By Chris on May 18, 2008
This is a pretty stupid list. There is no point, only opinion. For instance:
“Why is it bad? OK, so soda is horrible for you”
That isn’t a reason. You have to justify why soda is horrible for you.
Then you say:
“Tumor in a Can”
How? Seriously. People have been drinking diet drinks for generations and we don’t have a tumor ridden populace.
By Steve on May 18, 2008
Chris:
Actually I’m pretty sure it’s common knowledge that soda is bad for you. Everyone knows that preservatives + artificial flavors + artificial colors + 35 grams of sugar = a bad food or drink choice.
Also, if you hadn’t noticed, our society IS a tumor ridden populace. Cancer has increased steadily until the mid to late 90’s thanks to all the chemicals we are forced to put into our bodies. Garbage such as hormones, pesticides, phytoestrogens, preservatives, and other nasty stuff. All I am saying is that drinking soda does not help, and could in fact contribute to a shorter lifespan.
By Phil on May 19, 2008
I think the really important thing is to eat a balanced diet. Excluding things is not necessarily the way to go. High consumption levels and eating more of one thing can and does led to problems. If you like something that is ‘bad’ for you have a bit of it now and again and watch what is on the labels of food. Especially for hidden salt and sugar and additives. Its about being sensible. You are continually bombarded with toxins, carcinogens and radiation just be sensible and eat a balanced diet and exercise. Get yourself a dog – then you have to walk!
By Tony on May 19, 2008
Not bad. I try to stay away from anything processed at all. Which is hard to do this day and age. MY wife and I frequent the local farmers market weekly to stock up on out essentials. Basically avoid anything that contains complex carbs and HFCS. I have only one issue with your list and that’s peanuts. They do contain essential fats and oils your body needs, but as with with anything, you never want to consume too much. Or perhaps it’s my strange obsession with JIFF peanut butter. I don’t know what it is…but thats the one processed food item we keep in our house
By Steve on May 19, 2008
Moderation is even more important than avoiding these foods altogether. For instance I enjoy peanut butter too, but once I switched to all natural peanut butter I could never go back to the lard versions.
By alex on May 20, 2008
hey, i’m intrested in cornflakes are they good or bad? ^^
By Steve on May 20, 2008
Cornflakes are not honestly that bad for you. I mean if you want to be strict about dieting, you will avoid 99% of cereal altogether. If you must choose a ‘flake’ cereal, your best bet is Total or any variations of Total. Next would probably be Special K and Cornflakes, but I wouldn’t eat them every day.
Who am I to say though, I ate chocolate peanut butter puff cereal for breakfast this morning. Darned kids!
By koga on May 28, 2008
wow
By KobayashiMaru on May 30, 2008
It’s reprehensibly irresponsible to label diet sweeteners as “carcinogenic”. Phenylketonurics will react to aspartame, but they represent a tiny fraction of the population (and they know who they are) and their reaction is a far cry from cancer. The body processes aspartame into methanol, and large amounts of aspartame — far more than would be consumed by even a heavy diet soda drinker — may produce dangerous levels of the byproduct. But moderate doses of methanol are harmless: tomatoes, for example, also contain it. Yes, the verdict of future health studies into aspartame and Splenda are uncertain, but anyone who remembers the roller coaster of health advice regarding eggs will tell you that uncertainty is hardly limited to artificial ingredients.
By berman on May 31, 2008
mix olive oil in peanut butter? i’ve never tried that but it sounds pretty disgusting. olive oil has a pretty distinct flavour if it’s not being used to cook.
i do use it instead of spray butter to get powder to stick to my popcorn though, it works really well and goes with dill especially nice.
By Jeff on May 31, 2008
In all honesty, not a bad article. There are, however, several things you need to take in to account. First and foremost, when using *any* claims (such as “Straight up, soy is linked to lower testosterone and increased estrogen in males, and is also linked to increased breast cancer in women.”), you need REFERENCES. Secondly, and this is just my opinion, if your writing is unable to convey your emotions and you subsequently need to use things such as “::sarcasm::”, you’re doing it wrong.
Back to my first point, without any proper references to back your claims, your article has no credit and is overall worthless. As far as anyone should care, this article is just the lovechild of some guy with too much time and Google.
Rewrite and back your claims, and it may be worth a damn.
By Jon on May 31, 2008
Why would you recommend Activia yogurt? The trademarked bacteria it contains is just a marketing gimmick. Just get some plain yogurt (there’s usually some good stuff in glass jars) and add your own fruit / granola to it.
Also, spray butter? How is that healthy? It’s a mix of butter-flavored chemicals in aerosol form. Real butter is much healthier, and tastes better too.
BTW, mayo and crisco don’t contain lard. Crisco is hydrogenated oil; lard is pork fat. Between the two, I prefer lard.
By george on May 31, 2008
I find this list a little rediculus. I mean, they just took every food that almost everyone eats and pointed out the bad facts. I think that the “Why Is It Good?” section whould be a bit longer. I truly believe that one can eat almost anything, just in moderation. And of course, excersising always helps =) when trying to remain healthy.
By Nathalie on May 31, 2008
I think that there are alot of mistakes in this article. All I have to say is not to take “one person’s” word on something and do the research for yourself before you believe it!
By Aaron Wilson on May 31, 2008
Hey I’ve got a great nutrition tip! Exercise and drink water! Problem Solved. And if your worried about cancer from soda, then start smoking so you can worry about something more real.
By jeeze on May 31, 2008
if it has
fructose…
hydrogendated…
monosodium…
then don’t eat it.
By John Choi on Jun 1, 2008
I’d say about 90% of artificial crab meat produced is mostly processed fish (surumi). I have never seen artificial crab made from soy in asian markets, but I have seen them in American ones. And I just looked at the nutritional info on the back of some art. crab I had in my fridge and it has 3g of sugar per serving.
Pretty shoddy and biased writing here. But I guess being paranoid of everything makes people feel wise.
By Tombo on Jun 1, 2008
Alot of this info is misleading, but at the same time also a decent ‘guide’ to avoiding crappy foods. I agree with alot of it, but ‘canned beans have the same amount of sugar as a can of soda’ i don’t think so, and it’s not usually sucrose.
By Zzzz on Jun 1, 2008
Imitation crab meat is made out of actual white fish, not soy. Where the heck did the author come up with that one?
Also, seaweed/nori contains many nutrients. You’d have to eat far more than a few pieces to come near the daily recommendation of carbohydrates for a 2000 cal diet. Unless you’re diabetic or something, rice’s role in meals isn’t a problem. Take a look at the Asian diet.
By me on Jun 1, 2008
those of you reading this article may benefit from reading my website link’s comments. while some of what was said is true, most of these statements are not only FLAGRANTLY FALSE but the fact that there is no cited research (and i mean from legitimate medical or nutrition research website rather than, say, soysucks.com) makes me further question the validity of the statements i am unsure of. i encourage people to actually do some searches on their own, avoiding obviously biased sites (meaning “pro” OR “anti” any of these subjects) and learn the truth, not what some extremist anti-corporationist who probably has no training in nutrition, diet, or health has written on the internet. remember, people, the internet has no restrictions on what can be put out, no fact-checkers, so while this benefits us in the realm of free-speech, you have to be doubly wary of what you read, especially sites that advocate lifestyle changes like this!
spreading misinformation is dangerous and you should be ashamed, steve.
By Nick on Jun 1, 2008
Some of these I agree with. However, a large percentage are either riddled with errors, or are purely opinion pieces.
Moderation is the key in any diet. I eat/drink a good chunk of these, and am extremely healthy. I get sick perhaps once a year, I’m relatively fit, and everything is pretty much better than average in my body.
This article has little to no scientific merit.
By Reader of multiple Experiments and Studies on Jun 2, 2008
wow. some ppl on herre are idiots. beside the spray butter and peanut thing, the rest is fact whether or not sarcasm is used. just because you look and feel healthy doesn’t mean you are. sushi (like publix and many restaurants) is terrible for you. duh. soda is EXTREMELY detrimental. you should rly never drink it. and yes, everyone does eat these foods. that’s why everyone is so freaking fat in America. Diet is also bad for you. All artificial sweeteners are (except Stevia). Dairy has led to health problems because it is pasteurized. Raw milk is better for you and if makes you sick it is because your body is wea because of all the crap dairy you have been eating. And btw, JIFF peanut butter of JIFFY or whatever does not count as peanuts. it is also bad for you. and, yes, you shouldn’t eat them in excess, but you shouldnt eat too much of anything. it is necessary to have a widespread diet. also, olive oil and coconut oil are very very good for you. natural honey (it’s not liquid), coconut oil, etc. are good for eating, hair, and skin. and i believe that the amount of tumors is no a low one.
“those of you reading this article may benefit from reading my website link’s comments. while some of what was said is true, most of these statements are not only FLAGRANTLY FALSE but the fact that there is no cited research (and i mean from legitimate medical or nutrition research website rather than, say, soysucks.com) makes me further question the validity of the statements i am unsure of. i encourage people to actually do some searches on their own, avoiding obviously biased sites (meaning “pro” OR “anti” any of these subjects) and learn the truth, not what some extremist anti-corporationist who probably has no training in nutrition, diet, or health has written on the internet. remember, people, the internet has no restrictions on what can be put out, no fact-checkers, so while this benefits us in the realm of free-speech, you have to be doubly wary of what you read, especially sites that advocate lifestyle changes like this!”
hahahahaha. are you serious? i have read so many books with legitimate experiments to back this stuff up it is not even funny. ORGANIC is the way to go. fat-free and diet is certainly not. and i think the sarcastic approach is necessary because the official approach has not worked. did you know that big companies pay established authors to trick americas into a mindset of what is healthy? yeah. it’s sad. plus, it is kind of a funny phenomenon that in places where ppl grow their own food, hardly anyone is fat. but here in america, well, who isn’t? when my chubby dad is in the skinny range for men his size, you now something is wrong. and, quite frankly, it’s HILARIOUS. just like all of the critical comments on this site. i mean, this guy is not completely right about everything, but then again, who is? the best part is all of the idiots who replied.
“I find this list a little rediculus. I mean, they just took every food that almost everyone eats and pointed out the bad facts. I think that the “Why Is It Good?” section whould be a bit longer. I truly believe that one can eat almost anything, just in moderation. And of course, excersising always helps =) when trying to remain healthy.”
umm… please define healthy. umm… lemme tell you your definition is skewed. “remain”? yeah… first you need to be “healthy” Yeah, America does eat almost anything…. even people! muahahahahahah (that’s what is in everyone’s tummies)
“Take a look at the Asian diet.”
I don’t believe Asians use syrups to get ppl addicted to their food. kinda strange how every piece of sushi tastes exactly the same… not like any of the “ingredients” (except the high fructose corn syrup and stuff)
plz excuse spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, etc.
By Diana on Jun 3, 2008
Just to clear up one very important issue – carbs are not the enemy. Processed “foods”, i.e. flours and sugars are the enemy. Just as fats are not the enemy, but trans and too much saturated fats are. Glad to see you make the distinction between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, due to our high grain consumption, most Americans overload on the 6’s. A lot of great info in this.
By distrazioni on Jun 4, 2008
The above piece is incorrect in the contents of most imitation crab meat. Most imitation crab meat is actually made from processed fish and not tofu. I’m not saying that imitation crab meat is good for you, but the writer has clearly not done enough research into this “article”.
Much of the other content is also exaggerated, flawed, and provides no support. I’d do some research before you start believing this.
By Jacob Morales on Jun 4, 2008
Hey thanks for this great article! It was enlightening and informing. I’ve researched all of this that you’ve written about before and most of it is pretty accurate. It’s too bad you have some people bashing this post. Hopefully your readers can extract something good from this post for what its worth. I agree that you should have more of your sources listed. Even still, its important to get this info out. As far as artificial sweeteners go, I swear to never touch the stough as long as I live. I can personally testify that they did much damage to my health and took about 3 years for symptoms to go away completely after cutting it out. Specifically, I used Sweet & Lowe and Equal. Anyway, thanks again!
-Jacob
“Making Diet History by Making Diets History”
http://thisisnotadiet.org
By aplink on Jun 4, 2008
Hi thanks for the great list i have linked it to my squidoo
http://www.squidoo.com/hypocol as my readers will find it very interesting
By jai on Jun 10, 2008
One of the posters above said i try to avoid complex carbs.
a BIG no! in fact quite the opposite, You SHOULD ONLY et complex carbs.
simple carbs deliver a high blood sugar level spike after consumption and should be consumed before exercise or activity. so i suggest eating a cup (A SMALL CUP) of fruit a day and that too only after strenuous activity.
complex carbs digest slowly and release energy throughout the day as they digest.
When you look for things to buy read the ingredients and if it says:
white, enriched,bleached, wheat,corn,-ose,
avoid like the plague.
Look instead for:
whole wheat, whole grain, unbleached.
Ingredients are listed in order of decreasing amounts so the first ingredient is the most abundant in the food. so keep that in mind.
eat plain yogurt, its got the least sugars ad the most “active cultures” which is required by law to be in ALL yogurt. Its just a marketing gimmick. Plain yogurt works just fine. its great because it keeps of fat and is full of complex carbs (though some simple too) and a small amount of protein.
and remember 6 meals a day keeps the fat away.
By Susan on Jul 11, 2008
Hi, I’d really like to lose 20 lbs, what are the best foods for me, and can i lose it without exercise because my job doesn’t give me any time to work out though i take at least a long walk everyday. Please reply
By Susan on Jul 11, 2008
Does it help to eat 6 times a day ad opposed to the regular 3 times or twice(for me)
By Steve on Jul 11, 2008
In response to all the negative feedback, I’m just reporting a combination of known facts and my own opinions. Sure, crab meat is not made of tofu, it’s made from white fish, but some of it is so bad that it just tastes like tofu… yuck.
By Steve on Jul 11, 2008
Susan:
You can lose 20 lbs without exercise, but it’s not going to be easy. You need to eat a low carb, low calorie diet. Multiply your desired bodyweight by 12 and eat that many calories in a day. If you lose weight over the course of a week, great! If not, subtract 200 calories and try again. Repeat as necessary. Take 75% of your desired bodyweight and you’ll know how many grams of protein you should eat each day. Keep your carbs under 100 grams, preferably under 70 grams, until you reach your desired weight. Eat healthy fats to make up the rest of the calories.
Also, eat 5-6 times a day, splitting your calories evenly across each meal. Try to avoid combining starchy or sugary carbs with fat in any meal.
Try to make sure you take that walk everyday too. If possible try to convert that walk into a jog, then convert that jog into a run, then convert that run into interval sprints. Unless you have any traumatic leg, back, or neck injury that prevents you from doing so.
By Mike's six pack on Jul 17, 2008
Awesome article! It’s about time somebody has a clue about why all of these foods are just marketing hype. Beware of that sucralose though… evil stuff! Here’s 2 articles on this topic that are great:
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/top-10-superfoods-great-health.html
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/hard-body-nutrition.html
Enjoy!
By nik on Sep 9, 2008
a lot of this information is not ture, some of it is good info. Japanese people are the longest living people in the world, thier diet is mostly fish and soy products.
By Steve on Sep 10, 2008
nik:
Actually all of this is true. Don’t be a hater just because you like to eat junk food all day. Clearly I’ve taken some of this advice to an extreme, but the fact remains that each point I’ve made is based on the truth, and if someone was looking to avoid a certain kind of food, I’ve provided plenty of alternative choices.
By Amy on Sep 12, 2008
okay well first off-most of this list is good. But not all of it is accurate. These foods listed are only bad when people eat too much of it. If you are to have a fruit cocktail when ur out with ur friends thats okay-just make sure your not doing it every friday night…and the problem with diet soda or the reduced fat things…since they are low calorie people tend to eat more of it and thats not good either. as long as u are getting your fruits, veggies, WHOLE grain, enough dairy and fish, eggs and poultry with the occasional fruit cocktails, and desserts u should be fine. and in regards to the diet soda-well diet, regular its all BAD!
By Marie on Sep 23, 2008
Hey, this is great! I get to choose my DEATH!!!
By flex on Sep 24, 2008
Amy.I gree with you on that subject 99%.
Diet soda is much worse then regular soda. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda are toxic. Regular sugar all tho bad is a lesser evil then the other dozen artificial sweeteners that are put in the diet sodas. Also the diet sodas have no taste on their own, so to compensate for the lack of flavor they put in artificial flavors. I think that the all natural sodas that are sold in health food stores are actually OK. I’m not saying they are healthy and good for you, I never touch the stuff, but they are in my opinion OK, if made with natural unrefined sugar or sweetened with honey.
By Liria on Oct 11, 2008
this website actaully makes sense its smart, yet its not all true, but good job whomever made it, i bet it was a smart asssss doctor, or something
xoxoox
By bernadette on Oct 12, 2008
its good anyway,it helps a lot of people to watch their diet
By Steve on Oct 12, 2008
Liria:
I am not a doctor, but I used to be certified in personal training and sports nutrition, I did train people for years, and I study every thing I can on both subject. Currently I am a software engineer, SEO, and web developer, which allows me to bring my ideas to you online. Thanks for coming and I hope you will return.
By To Chris on Oct 28, 2008
“Tumor in a Can”
How? Seriously. People have been drinking diet drinks for generations and we don’t have a tumor ridden populace.
Actually, we do.
Common sense would tell you that ingesting large amounts of artificial chemicals is going to lead to cancer one day.
By timo on Oct 31, 2008
Hi Im a personal traininer, very good tips as i use all information, and handy hint to know about ‘SOY’ i will do more research as very important..
Also Mnay fat loss formulas contain very harmful chemicals as reaserched by the American sports and medicine that they have no effect only they do not reduce thye fat though seperated from toplayer, underneith fat still sits on our bodies, all in fact exersise and good healthy eating.
By Steve on Oct 31, 2008
timo:
No offense man, but you may want to consider proofreading your comments before you submit them. I would fix your comment, but I’m not entirely sure what you are even trying to say in that bottom sentence. Thanks for coming though.
By kenton on Nov 28, 2008
they should make burgers more healthy
By kenton on Nov 28, 2008
okay well first off-most of this list is good. But not all of it is accurate. These foods listed are only bad when people eat too much of it. If you are to have a fruit cocktail when ur out with ur friends thats okay-just make sure your not doing it every friday night…and the problem with diet soda or the reduced fat things…since they are low calorie people tend to eat more of it and thats not good either. as long as u are getting your fruits, veggies, WHOLE grain, enough dairy and fish, eggs and poultry with the occasional fruit cocktails, and desserts u should be fine. and in regards to the diet soda-well diet, regular its all BAD!
By Me2 on Nov 28, 2008
What’s wrong with carbohydrates?
By Sean on Nov 29, 2008
I respect the author’s personal opinion, but scientifically, this list is a remarkably silly distortion of some medical studies. While there is probably a study somewhere that can back up anyone’s opinion, the points in this article are not generally accepted as fact. It’s important to look at PEER REVIEWED research, meaning that the results can be independently duplicated.
For example, I once read an article that “proved” that fluorescent light gives people mercury poisoning, not from breaking the light, but by the “mercury photons” that are emitted through the glass. Throughout my career, I’ve never otherwise heard of “mercury photons”, just regular photons -the only flavor they come in. (By the way, the wavelengths of the photons emitted by a normal fluorescent light are much safer than that of the sun.)
The point is that you should just use common sense when making decisions about nutrition. If you live off soda alone or eat soy to the extreme, yeah, you’re going to have problems, but what do you expect? And for the “scared of chemicals” crowd, I’ve got some unfortunate news for you; everything you eat is made up entirely from chemicals.
Although I believe that the author had the best intentions when writing this, for nutrition, I like the website: http://www.whfoods.com. It has nutritional information for lots of fruits, vegetables and grains with tons of cited research to back it up.
By Steve on Dec 1, 2008
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I am glad I could inspire such controversy with this post.
The 2 take away messages from all posts like this are:
1) moderation is key, and
2) don’t believe the marketing or media hype when it comes to diet food
By Goonie on Dec 2, 2008
I agree with most of them, my favorite health food is Yogurt, and I always buy Plain Yogurt rather than Yogurt which have many taste like strawberry or grape, usually producer add to much sugar/corn syrup there.
By Laura on Dec 2, 2008
Uh oh. This is the list I’ve been avoiding. Haha. I drink a good amount of diet coke. Not cause I’m trying to lose weight or anything (I’m only 17, roughly 5′2 and about 110 lbs, exercise daily). I’m just addicted. Yeah, caffeine does increase your blood pressure after a while(my mom drank about 5 cups of coffee a day and now the doctors are making her stop!).
I cut down and only drink about 1 bottle (20 oz) of diet coke a day…how bad is that?
By Steve on Dec 2, 2008
Laura:
I sometimes drink a can of diet Coke too. I mean ‘bad’ is relative. A can of diet Coke is better than a plate of nachos but worse than a carrot. Moderation is key, and one can a day seems like moderation to me.
By jen on Dec 8, 2008
I’m not sure where you got your infomation but there are several scientific inaccuracies in this article. I hope people are not taking this article too seriously. There are some good points like that of white versus brown rice, but, for example, imitation crab meat is not made of tofu, it’s made from white fish, and it not especially unhealthy. Frankly this list is just strange and confusing.
By Steve on Dec 8, 2008
jen:
Thank you so much for reading and writing. Please come back again. =)
By Hibiscus on Dec 13, 2008
“I am glad I could inspire such controversy with this post.”
Here you are, giving advice as a certified nutritionist, and your intention is not to offer scientifically legitimate advice, but to “inspire controversy”? You should be ashamed of yourself.
By Steve on Dec 13, 2008
Hibiscus:
My posts consist of facts and opinions. None of my facts are wrong, but I do encourage people to disagree with my opinions and to express their own. So no, I’m not ashamed of myself. Please come back again. =)
By Billigflug on Dec 18, 2008
Very Interesting and Excelent Article. It mentions a lot of things I didnt know, however I think is better if I search more information about it ´cause I´m very worried.
Hopefully this information can help to many people to take care of what they eat.
Congrats…
By Steve on Dec 18, 2008
Billigflug:
I don’t know that you need to be worried about it. Just eat the less healthy foods in moderation as compared to the healthiest food.
By Jane on Jan 7, 2009
i think all of this is true and that this website is fab. me and my daughter sophie now under stand how to deal with her problems thanks for helping us out
Jenny x
By sophie on Jan 7, 2009
This Website really helped me and my mum out and now we are ready for what will lay in store for us now i am really greatful to this website and would like to say you are simply the best and you are amazing thankyou again
Sophie x
By Fat Loser on Jan 13, 2009
Steve,
That was one fantastic article. There are so many foods that most people take for granted, when the majority of Americans (or residents of most other nations) really have no idea about basic nutrition. In fact, most are operating on inaccurate information, which you have taken steps to dispel in your post. I gave it well deserved stumble over at StumbleUpon.
It’s amazing, for example, the number of people that eat white rice while on a diet, instead of switching to brown rice. When I’m advising people about their food choices I talk to them about their current diet and I’m confounded by the foods they’re eating that they think are actually good for them.
By s on Jan 17, 2009
i think it’s also important to avoid media hype when confronted with statements such as:
“Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all highly present in soy products.”
first of all, i don’t understand how someone without a PhD can make true sense of that.
second of all, nitrosamines are not just in soy, they are also in meats.
By Josh on Jan 23, 2009
ok this list is ok but seriously, peanuts are high in fat and calories, but then why does every doctor recommend them? The benefits outway the non benefits. Also when testing diet soda on rats, they give them almost a gallon which is like equivalent to giving a water tower full to a human. I am sure no one drinks that much, and it is never proven that diet soda gives cancer.
By lind on Jan 23, 2009
So, as Alex and Steve (20th May) said, cereal isn’t that good. What about oats? I usually eat the two minute microwave oats (no flavour, just plain oats) or plain cornflakes for breakfast. Is that bad if I’m trying to lose weight? :S
By Steve on Jan 23, 2009
Josh:
Peanuts are good, but they don’t have a place in super strict diets. Other nuts are better for you. As far as diet soda, who knows? Artificial sweeteners don’t tend to be good for lab animals, so we’ll have to see what time tells about that.
lind:
Two minute oats are great. Most hardcore nutritionists would tell you to choose slow cookin’ oats over quick oats, but honestly if you are eating plain oats (no added sugar) then how much does it really matter? I think you’re doing a good job. Also, most cereal isn’t that good for you. Stick with oats.
By Steve (Not the author) on Jan 24, 2009
Steve,
Great article. Sure, there are criticisims that could be made re. the accuracy of some points, etc.
However, and most importantly, IT IS MAKING PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE “FOODS” THEY ARE EATING! I think that is a victory in itself.
Keep up the good work.
Steve
By Molly on Jan 26, 2009
Along with the absurd hormone levels that non-organic milk provides, the plastic containers they come in are another factor to remember. Plastic #7, (the plastic used to make plastic milk jugs) is created with estrogen. Therefore it emits estrogen into the already hormone contaminated milk. It’s really hitting two birds with one stone…
Oberweis is a good alternative by providing organic milk in glass jugs upon delivery or store bought.
By Suse on Feb 1, 2009
Steve, while I agree with most of your information, I think you need to do more research on sucralose (Splenda). The FDA passed it because of much pressure by the lobbyists from Johnson & Johnson (parent co. of McNeil). The testing on humans was inadequate,and it is actually not at all like sugar. It is chlorine, and more similar to a pesticide than anything else. I am still trying to recover from sucralose poisoning, and if you google words like “splenda poisoning” or “joint pain sucralose”, you will find hundreds of accounts from people like me who poisoned themselves while trying to skate through a weight loss program ( yeah, I was dumb to think that was possible). You will be horrified if you do a tad more research on this product. I only use Stevia now, which is a natural product with no known side effects. Hope you take this seriously, I’m still walking with a cane, and trying to get myself detoxed and healthy again. Only whole foods for me now, I have learned a very frightening lesson.
By Alex on Feb 5, 2009
Where do you even get some of this information? Soy is extremely high in isoflavones, which help PREVENT breast cancer. This anti-soy mumbo jumbo is sponsored by the meat industry because having such a popular and healthy complete protein out there hurts their business. That’s reality. Wanna know some more reality? The Japanese, who consume the most soy products in the world, also enjoy some of the longest lifespans in the world. I’ve actually pointed that out to many of these “experts,” who try to convince people otherwise (rather than point out the obvious hormones in dairy and birth control that young teens and middle-aged women turn to), and you know what happens? They censor my comments as soon as they see it. Suspicious much?
By mantaray on Feb 7, 2009
informative but bitch-sounding at the same time
By monster on Feb 15, 2009
I use to drink about 20 beers a night every night and more on the weekend. Now I switched to whiskey and diet pepsi. I thought this would help cutt back some caleries, so now I go through about one, half gallon of whiskey every 2 days, and more on the weekends and about 5 diet pepsi’s every day. I eat a cheeseburger for lunch and usually some kind of meat for dinner, steak, or ground beef. So my queston is, wich one is better for you, 20 beers or the diet pepsi’s with some whiskey?
By diabetes man on Feb 23, 2009
be careful…… bad food as main cause obesity central and diabetes type 2
By gabriele on Mar 3, 2009
my daughter needs to lose weight and this is very informative it all makes so much sense.
By Dave on Mar 30, 2009
[QUOTE]
nik:
Actually all of this is true. Don’t be a hater just because you like to eat junk food all day.
[/QUOTE]
Res Ipsa Loquitur
I won’t be listening to this idiot any time soon.
By Doctor Nick on Apr 3, 2009
So you mean to tell us that peanuts are bad, but we should eat all natural peanut butter? Lets use some common sense here. The benefits of Peanuts far outweigh the negative.
They’re a great source of protein.
they’re extraordinarily high in polyphenols, and monounsaturated fat. Not to mention they contain magnesium, folate, vitamin E, copper, arginine, and fiber – all of which are known to lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
By Kayla on Apr 8, 2009
I like it. Makes people think. And the fact that so many people comment, gives a wide variety of opinion. Also, whoever thinks soda isn’t bad for you, is just oblivious. Get your heads out of the clouds and read the label on a can of coke. Im not even saying “Dont drink it”, just stop saying it isn’t bad. Steve is right, most foods have a bad side. This articles point was to to show the bad side to normal foods. I like it.
By Steve on Apr 9, 2009
Thanks for the support Kayla. The problem with normal foods is that when you don’t practice moderation, you end up with too much of a good thing.
By Tiffany on Apr 28, 2009
Okay, So Danielle your not reading the article, he does tell you why diet soda is bad for you. He just assumes you know why regular soda is bad for you, but apparently your a dee dee dee. And I honsetly think we have found way to link cancer to everything. EVERYTHING CAUSES CANCER. It is ridiculous. I enjoyed this article and found it very informative.
By Mike on May 1, 2009
Steve – you did a great job of attempting the impossible: writing a crash-course article on nutrition and healthy eating. The primary clarification I would suggest would simply be listing “granola” as bad for you. The “chewy” granola bars that most Americans eat are bad for you, but regular old granola can be very good for you. Other than that, I think this is a great article.
And to everyone else hating this article so much – just because certain foods “have not yet been statistically shown to cause cancer in humans in peer-reviewed journals” does not mean that it is good for you. Eating natural, un-processed, healthy (lower-calorie, generally higher-protein) foods is one of the best ways to live a healthy life. I believe that is probably what Steve is trying to get across.
Lastly – I noticed that no one claimed that any of the foods Steve claimed were good for you were in fact bad for you.
By SteveEatsChildren on May 12, 2009
That’s the problem with the internet, it’s turned a lot of people into know-it-alls who know very little. And you know what they say… a spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down. That’s what this is, bits of truth mixed with bits of not-so-much. The problem is weeding out the truth from opinion.
And you really should wipe out the comment from “Reader of multiple Experiments and Studies”. He does you no favors with his idiotic and ultimately insulting rant. At least you sound like you’re not talking entirely out of your ass, but that guy is just a moron: “I’ve read blah blah blah”. Yes, that’s really the scientific method isn’t it?! I’ve read about quantum mechanics, but that hardly makes me qualified to lecture about it on any level.
By Nicole on May 12, 2009
Hey Steve,
I liked the article (but then again I quite like sarcasm heh heh). Alot of the stuff I already know..Well ok not the actual indepth nutritional content (fact or otherwise : ) of the products but still I know enough to avoid stuff with too much sugar especially that high fructose stuff. Most people though not only don’t exercise correctly (how many women do u see for hrs on the darn treadmill) or they “diet” and eat horrible diet foods which they unfortunately think are healthy. So we have skinny-fat people orrrr just your regualar fat-fat people.
So hopefully it will help some folks choose more carefully. (of course they might benefit a tad from some resistance training as well but good luck with getting them to do that)Keep up the good fight!
By maritsa on May 27, 2009
Great article!! Thanks so much – I also enjoy a little bit of sarcasm every now and then, but this time you are fully allowed to use it. People don’t exercise and they don’t educate themselves on what’s healthy and what’s not. Ergo, they don’t read labels, they trust the manufacturers’ claims on why a product is ‘healthy’ and they don’t understand why they’re still overweight. HELLO – use your brains much??
By Steve on May 27, 2009
Amen maritsa, amen…
By Lauralee on Jun 3, 2009
Hi Steve, my names Lauralee and I am 20 years old. I just wanted to thank you for this great piece of information you have posted here. I am a health nut and I found this really helpful. In fact, I sent this site to all of my girlfriends and they absolutely loved it and thanked me, but I really just need to thank you. You have inspired me to live a healhty lifestyle and start a healthy cooking club.
By Steve on Jun 11, 2009
Lauralee: I am excited to hear that I could have an impact on your and your girlfriends. Please let me know if you come up with some sweet recipes that you’d like me to post online. Do you have a blog or website?
By Hibiscus on Jun 30, 2009
No study linking any artificial sweetener with cancer has been replicated. IE they aren’t carcinogenic.
You should probably mention that in the article, Steve.