วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 24 มิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2553

Top 7 Health Food Lies You Must Know About (Part II)

Top 7 Health Food Lies You Must Know About (Part II)

3. Fat Free

The fat free claim in health foods is the opposite of the claim sugar-free. Most fat free foods are heavily laden with sugar. This includes fat free ice cream, fat free cookies, fat free cakes, etc. A lot of people seem to think that eating fat free foods is the answer to losing weight but in fact, it is quite the opposite. Eating healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids can actually help you lose weight.

Another type of food where the fat free claim is used a lot is in meats like hotdogs, ground beef, deli lunch meats, etc. Let's take Oscar Mayer's fat free hot dogs for example. Here are the nutrition facts:

* Serving size: 1 link
* Calories per serving: 39
* Calories from Fat: 2
* Percentage of Calories from Fat: 4.6%
* Total Fat: 0.2 g

So, how can it contain 0.2 g of fat and still be labeled fat free? The FDA says that as long as a food product has less than .5 g of fat, it can be labeled fat free. While 0.2 g of fat may not look like a lot to you, I don't ever remember eating just one hot dog in one sitting. Most people would probably eat 3 hot dogs on average so the fat definitely adds up.

4. Portion Control Meals or Snacks

To a dieter's ear, 100 calorie packs or snacks are probably music to their ears. You mean, I can eat a chocolate chip cookie and only consume 100 calories? Yay!....Nay :( Again, the sugar in these so called portion control snacks can wreak havoc to your insulin levels which means that they trigger even more sweet cravings later on. You're better off spending those calories on a fruit which helps stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Another food in the portion control category are the frozen dinners or meals. This may sound like a good option for "busy" people because it requires less preparation time but what's hidden inside all these convenient little packages is a LOT of sodium. In order to preserve the food and add more flavor to frozen meals, the manufacturers add an insane amount of salt which can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, etc. when eaten regularly.

5. Healthy Fats

I'm all for eating healthy fats - no doubt about it. But, keep in mind that when you do eat healthy fats from Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Almonds, Pecans, etc, that fats are still high in calories. Time and time again, I will watch a health food channel and see the host put lots and lots of olive oil in most of their meals. Yes, it's healthy but if you eat too much of it, you're still taking in a lot of calories. To give you an idea about the calorie content in healthy fats, here is a list of common sources:

* 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil: 119 calories
* 20 pieces Pecan Halves: 196 calories
* 24 Whole Almond Kernels: 163 calories
* 2 tablespoons Natural Peanut Butter: 190 calories
* 14 pieces Walnut Halves: 185 calories

One important lesson from this: healthy fats are good for you but enjoy them in moderation.

6. Organic

Ok, you have to read this one carefully. Personally, I love to get my organic fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market because they are oh so fresh and grown locally. However, the "organic" label has been misused so many times that it kinda loses its real meaning. For instance, on my trip to the grocery store the other day, I was so surprised to find organic potato chips and organic ice cream. I'm fine with foods being labeled organic but don't assume that it's automatically good for you just because it's labeled as such.

7. Fruit Juice and Diet Sodas

But it's fruit juice! Let's keep this in mind: we eat fruits for its fiber and natural sugar content. Fruit Juices are nothing but pasteurized/processed sugar and is probably not any better than diet sodas. If you want fruit, eat a whole one from the farmer's market - you can thank me later and so will your body.

Take Away

Normally, I wouldn't rant here in my blog. But, there are certain things such as these health food lies that have been bothering me for a long time. The lesson of the whole post is this: if you are buying anything that is packaged, boxed, or processed, check the ingredients first and really look into the nutrition facts. Usually, if a product has less than 3 recognizable ingredients (not some weird name you can't pronounce), you will be fine. Otherwise, we will all be better off with eating more whole foods and buying from local farmers. It's a rule that is simple enough and yet many people fail to follow because we're so caught up in believing that there are magical foods out there that will solve all our health and weight loss problems. Big news ==> there aren't.

While it's fine to have these types of food once in awhile, don't buy them in the false belief that they will help you reach your fat loss goals because you will face a huge disappointment.
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