Most people do not need to follow a list of healthy foods while selecting food items for their daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In general, everybody seems to know which foods are good for health and which are not. Isn’t it a fact that your grandma, as well as your teenage daughter, will tell you to take plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoid fried foods? But it is not always so.
Know what they contain while preparing a list of healthy foods
A careful nutritional study of many of the so-called healthy foods may, after all, be not that beneficial. Indeed, they wouldn’t wreak havoc in your dietary regimen and as such, but you have to be cautious while selecting them.
A list of healthy foods commonly followed.
#10 – Sushi
The sushi, a popular diet, undoubtedly is a healthy dish. Prepared from rice, seaweed along with raw fish, this traditional Japanese food item has a tag of “healthy food” but not if you add mayonnaise, cream, cheese, and sweet sauce. They will undoubtedly, be a delight to your culinary buds but not at all good for your health. So, what should be in a list of healthy foods turns terrible with the addition of these calorie-boosters.
#9 – Energy Bars
Taking energy bars to give the body protein, carbohydrates, and calories to keep you going. But people often make this a habit and go for it indiscriminately, treating it as a kind of snack, which is not good. It is far better to eat a chocolate bar rather than an energy bar. Also, taking it too frequently and foregoing your regular meals may prompt you to overeat later.
#8 – Granola
Granola can be part of a list of healthy foods of most people. Used as a snack, people do not think twice before going for a bite of a granola bar. Everybody is well-aware that it contains oats and fibers. But most are oblivious of the fact that they are flavored and contain a high amount of sugar to make it more palatable. A cursory glance at the nutritional label of granola will reveal the excess amount of sugar in it. So, people have no idea how much calories they are consuming by gobbling up those granola bars. So, next time you feel like having one in between your meals, go through its labels meticulously and select the one that contains the lowest amount of calories and high in fiber.
#7 – Salads
Salad, by all means, is a portion of healthy food. Eating salad also helps you to curtail the intake of the main meal by making you full. But people spoil the benefits by dressing up the salad to such an extent that it loses its benefit. Stuffing it with cheese, croutons, and meat defeats the whole purpose for it no longer remains a salad and instead becomes a full-fletched meal. And when your salad has a breaded chicken breast in it, it becomes the main ingredient and the dish turns into the chicken breast with lettuce.
#6 – Smoothies
Smoothies can easily make the list of healthy foods. But only if it contains fruits, vegetables, and health supplements. Unfortunately, most chefs add sugar and yogurt to make it tastier. If that is the case, then it ceases to be a healthy diet. The sweeter it is, the unhealthier it becomes.
#5 – Bran Muffins
Bran is good for health, and having it for your daily breakfast can be the ideal way to begin the day. Having said that, if you chose to eat a bran muffin, then it doesn’t help the nutritional demand of the body. Usually, they are prepared from refined flour along with sugar – something you don’t need in the morning. The bran should instead contain milk and fresh fruits.
#4 – Pretzels
Unlike potato chips, pretzels are baked and have fewer calories. Hence, people rightly consider it to be a better alternative to potato chips. But that doesn’t automatically make it healthy food. The only things you get from it are sodium, fat, and calories.
#3 – Iced Tea
Hoping to cut down on their sugar intake, many people take tea instead of soft drinks. But it can contain a substantial amount of sugar as sodas. The sweet tea is high in calories. So, if you must take an iced tea, choose only those that are not sweetened.
#2 – Dried Fruits
Dried fruits can safely make the list of healthy foods. Some people even think that they are as good as whole fruits. But they are hardly available in their free form in the market and come coated with sugar. This makes them unhealthy. So, instead of depending on the processed dried fruits like raisins, it is a good idea to have some grapes in its place.
#1 – Water
Water should be part of any healthy dietary regimen. But at times, it can hurt your body. This happens when you do not take it in its purest form and take flavored water, which calorie content can be as high as that of the juice and soft drinks. If you like it flavored, add some lime juice to it.
Now that you know the pitfalls of some healthy foods make sure you have a list of healthy foods that are truly beneficial.
