Unhealthy foods are the biggest reason the world is fatter and sicker than ever before. Surprisingly, many of these foods are commonly considered to be healthy.
Here are 15 “health foods” that are really junk foods in disguise.
1. Processed “Low-Fat” and “Fat-Free” Foods
The “war” on saturated fat is the biggest mistake in the history of nutrition.
Saturated fat is fairly harmless, but added sugar is unhealthy, especially when consumed in excess.
It’s based on weak evidence, which has now been completely debunked (1).
When it started, processed food companies jumped on the bandwagon and removed fat from their foods. But there was a huge problem — the fat-free food tasted horrible. That’s why food companies started adding a whole bunch of sugar to compensate. Saturated fat is fairly harmless, but added sugar is unhealthy, especially when consumed in excess (2, 3).
If you pick up an item at the grocery store and see the words “low-fat” or “fat-free” on a packaging, put it back. Those phrases usually mean the product is highly processed and loaded with sugar.
2. Most Commercial Salad Dressings
Make sure to check the ingredients list before you use a salad dressing, or make your own healthy dressing at home.
Vegetables are a great way to stay healthy and fit.
The problem is that they often aren’t tasty on their own.
That’s why many people use dressings to add flavour to their salads, turning them into delicious treats. But many salad dressings are full of bad ingredients like sugar, vegetable oils and trans fats. Throw in artificial colors and flavors and you’ve got yourself a questionable product.
Vegetables are good for you, but eating them with an unhealthy dressing negates any health benefit you might get from them.
Make sure to check the ingredients list before you use a salad dressing, or make your own healthy dressing at home.
3. Fruit Juices… Which Are Basically Just Liquid Sugar
They must be — they come from fruit, right?
A lot of people believe fruit juices are healthy.
They must be — they come from fruit, right?
But a lot of the fruit juice you find in the supermarket isn’t fruit juice. Sometimes there isn’t even any actual fruit in it, just flavors that taste like fruit. Often times, what you’re drinking is just fruit-flavored sugar water.
That said, even if you’re drinking 100% fruit juice, it is still a bad idea.
Fruit juice is like fruit that’s had all the good stuff (like the fibre) taken out. The only thing left of the actual fruit is the sugar.
It might seem healthier, but fruit juice contains a similar amount of sugar as a sugar-sweetened beverage (4). Water, milk or unsweetened iced tea are much better options.
4. “Heart Healthy” Whole Wheat
The grains get milled into a fine flour, which means they raise blood sugar just as fast as their refined counterparts.
Most “whole wheat” products aren’t even made from whole wheat.
The grains get milled into a fine flour, which means they raise blood sugar just as fast as their refined counterparts.
In fact, whole wheat bread can have a similar glycemic index as white bread (5). But even true whole wheat may be a bad idea because modern wheat is worse for us than the wheat our grandparents ate.
Since the 60’s, scientists have been altering wheat genes to increase yields, at the expense of nutrition. As a result, modern wheat is unhealthier and has properties that make it worse for people who are gluten-intolerant (6, 7, 8).
Studies also show that modern wheat may cause increased inflammation and cholesterol compared to older varieties (9, 10).
Whereas wheat used to be a healthy grain, the stuff most people are eating today is best avoided.
5. Cholesterol-Lowering Phytosterols
They might lower cholesterol, but research shows that phytosterols can increase the risk of heart disease and death.
Some foods contain nutrients called phytosterols, which are like plant versions of cholesterol.
Studies have shown that they can lower blood cholesterol (11), which is why they’re often added to processed foods. They’re marketed as “cholesterol lowering”, with a claim that they help prevent heart disease. This simply isn’t true.
They might lower cholesterol, but research shows that phytosterols can increase the risk of heart disease and death (12, 13, 14).
6. Margarine
Those authorities then started promoting margarine as a replacement, which turned out to be a huge mistake.
Decades ago, health authorities began to demonize butter due to its high saturated fat content.
Those authorities then started promoting margarine as a replacement, which turned out to be a huge mistake.
You see, margarine used to be high in trans fats, which was bad. These days, there are fewer trans fats, but it’s still loaded with refined vegetable oils. Not much better.
Margarine is not food. It’s an assembly of chemicals and refined oils made to look and taste like food.
In fact, the Framingham Heart Study showed that people who replace butter with margarine are actually more likely to die from heart disease (15).
If you want to improve your health, eat real butter, preferably grass-fed.
7. Sports Drinks
But most regular people don’t need any more salt, and they certainly don’t need liquid sugar..
Beverage companies designed sports drinks with athletes in mind.
They contain electrolytes (salts) and sugar, which can be useful for someone who needs to recover from a workout.
But most regular people don’t need any more salt, and they certainly don’t need liquid sugar.
Although considered “less bad” than sugary soft drinks, they’re usually just as bad. Their sugar content is sometimes a little lower, but that’s not enough to make them worth drinking.
It is important to stay hydrated, especially during and after a workout, but most people are better off sticking to plain water.
8. Low-Carb Junk Foods
They’re technically low-carb, but they’re still unhealthy.
Low carb diets have been popular for many decades now.
In the past 12 years, study after study has confirmed that these diets are an effective way to lose weight and improve health (16, 17). Food manufacturers have caught on to the trend and started selling more low-carb processed foods.
This includes junk foods like the Atkins bars. If you take a look at the ingredients list, you see that there is NO real food in there, just chemicals and refined ingredients.
The occasional low-carb treat won’t cancel out the benefits of such a diet, but it won’t nourish your body, either. They’re technically low-carb, but they’re still unhealthy.
9. Agave Nectar
One of the more popular natural sweeteners is agave nectar, also called agave syrup.
Given the known harmful effects of sugar, people have been looking for alternatives.
One of the more popular natural sweeteners is agave nectar, also called agave syrup.
You will find this sweetener in all sorts of “health foods”, often with attractive claims on the packaging.
The problem with agave is that it’s no better than sugar. In fact, it is much, much worse.
Sugar contains a high level of fructose, which can have a harmful effect on your metabolism when consumed in excess (18).
Whereas sugar is about 50% fructose and high fructose corn syrup is about 55%, agave contains even more — up to 90%.
Gram for gram, agave is even worse than regular sugar and proof that “natural” doesn’t always equal healthy.
10. Vegan Junk Foods
Vegan diets are very popular these days, often for ethical and environmental reasons.
Vegan diets are very popular these days, often for ethical and environmental reasons.
Many people even promote vegan diets as a way to improve health, an effect which is debatable.Stores are now full of processed vegan foods, sold as convenient alternatives to non-vegan foods.
Take vegan bacon, for example. Much like salad dressing, the chemicals and flavorings in vegan bacon negate all the benefits of a meat-free diet.
Vegan foods are just as fake as other processed products, which makes them bad for everyone, including vegans.
11. Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup might not contain refined fructose, but it’s chock full of glucose, which isn’t much better.
Brown rice syrup, also known as rice malt syrup, is a sweetener that is often assumed to be healthy.
It’s made by treating cooked rice with enzymes that break down the starch into simple sugars.
Brown rice syrup might not contain refined fructose, but it’s chock full of glucose, which isn’t much better.
In fact, rice syrup has a glycemic index of 98, which means that the glucose in it will spike blood sugar extremely fast (19).
Rice syrup also contains almost no essential nutrients. In other words, it’s full of “empty” calories. Another reason to avoid rice syrup? Concerns have been raised about poisonous arsenic contamination (20).
But don’t worry, there are better options out there. Low-calorie sweeteners like stevia, erythritol and xylitol are price-comparable and much better for you.
12. Processed Organic Foods
Unfortunately, the word “organic” has become just another marketing buzzword.
Food manufacturers have found all sorts of ways to make the same junk, except with ingredients that happen to be organic. In many cases, an organic ingredient is indistinguishable from its conventional counterpart.
A good example is organic raw cane sugar, which is nearly identical to regular sugar. It’s still just glucose and fructose, with little to no nutrients.
Processed foods that happen to organic are not always healthier. Always be sure to check the food’s label to see what’s inside.
13. Vegetable Oils
We are often advised to eat seed and vegetable oils.
This includes canola oil, grapeseed oil and soybean oil, among others. That’s because research shows these oils can lower blood cholesterol levels, at least in the short term (21). However, it’s important to keep in mind that blood cholesterol is a risk factor, NOT a disease itself.
There is no guarantee that vegetable oils will help prevent heart attacks or death, which are what really count. In fact, several studies have shown that these oils can increase the risk of death from both heart disease and cancer (22, 23, 24).
So eat natural fats like butter, coconut oil and olive oil, but avoid processed vegetable oils as if your life depended on it. It does!
14. Gluten-Free Junk Foods
According to a 2013 survey, about a third of people in the U.S. try to avoid gluten.
According to a 2013 survey, about a third of people in the U.S. try to avoid gluten.
Although some experts think it’s unnecessary, the fact is that gluten can be problematic for a lot of people (25). This is especially true with modern wheat, as mentioned earlier. As you might expect, food manufacturers have invented all sorts of gluten-free foods to profit from the trend.
Trouble is, these foods are usually just as bad as their gluten-containing counterparts, if not worse.Not only are they low in nutrients, they’re often made with refined starches that cause rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Choose foods that are naturally gluten-free, like plants and animals, NOT gluten-free processed foods. Gluten-free junk food is still junk food.
15. Most Processed Breakfast Cereals
The way food companies market some breakfast cereals is a disgrace.
Many of them, including those marketed towards children, have all sorts of health claims plastered on the box. This includes misleading things like “whole grain” or “low fat”. But when you look at the ingredients list, all you see are refined grains, sugar and artificial chemicals.
The truth is, if a food’s packaging says it’s healthy, it probably isn’t.
The real health foods are those that don’t need to make any claims — whole, single-ingredient foods. Real food doesn’t even need an ingredient list because real food IS the ingredient.
About the Author
Kris is a medical student, certified personal trainer and someone who has spent years reading books, blogs and scientific studies on nutrition. Evidence-based nutrition is his passion and he plans to devote his career to informing people about it. He stays fit by lifting weights, taking walks and eating real food.
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