A healthy diet doesn't just make you shed the extra fat from your physique; it should also provide you with nutritious stuff that your body needs. This is why it's important to determine if what you're eating is really beneficial. Diet experts have compiled a list of seemingly healthy foods that are not that nutritious at all.
Whole-wheat bread
Mark and Michele Sherwood, founders of the Functional Medical Institute, said whole-wheat bread's high load of glycemic index (69) causes blood sugar in the human body to spike. Blood sugar elevations lead to high insulin response and fat buildup.
Cold-Pressed Juices
Natalie Rizzo, a nutritionist based in New York City, said cold-pressed juices contain more fruit and/or vegetables, but this is downplayed by the products' high sugar content. The juicing process breaks down most of the nutritious fiber from the fruits and vegetables, so you're not really benefiting from what you're drinking.
Granola
Granola appears to be healthy because of its contents: dried fruits, nuts and rolled oats. This snack, however, is loaded with sugar and extra calories. If you can't stay away from granola, opt for high-fiber ones with low sugar. You can also just eat an apple and a handful of almonds as replacement for granola bars.
Veggie Pizza
Pizza lovers usually turn to veggie pizzas to avoid the unhealthy content of the traditional meat versions. Fast-food chains, however, use extra cheese in their veggie pizzas as compensation for the lack of flavor that meat brings. They also soak dried tomatoes and olives in oil for extra flavor -- which only makes your dieting process harder.
Fruit Cocktail
Fruits are a good choice for a healthy diet, but fruit cocktails aren't. Manufacturers use sugary syrup in their fruit cocktails to make the snack sweeter, which only increases its calorie content. If you want to eat fruits, it's better to eat a piece or two of the fresh ones instead.
Salad Dressings
Commercial salad dressings downplay the nutrition you can get from a bowl of vegetables. These salad dressings contain preservatives and additives like sugar, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, highly processed oils and artificial sweeteners and colors.
You will benefit more from your salad meals if you sprinkle it with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can also make your own homemade dressing to ensure that what you're drizzling on your salad is nutritious.
Powdered Peanut Butter
Powdered peanut butter is made using defatted peanuts, and contains fewer calories and reduced fat. This product, however, also lacks the healthy fats that traditional peanut butter is loaded with. You may be consuming less calories and fat with powdered peanut butter, but it also deprives you from getting nutrition.
