Healthy Foods That Are a Waste
By Sara Butler
Eating healthy can be expensive, especially when you see the prices of some of the specialty health food out there! But eating healthy doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think. If you know what healthy foods are a waste of your time and money, then you can eliminate them from your shopping list! Here are a few budget busters you should steer clear of.
Bottled Salad Dressing
Salads are healthy, right? Well, it depends on how you dress your salads. Salad dressing may be convenient and taste good, but they’re also full of sugar, flavorings, artificial colors, and other highly processed ingredients. To save time and money, you can replace bottled salad dressing with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. That will make your salads cheaper, healthier, and tastier!
Veggie Chips
With “veggie” in the title, you can’t go wrong! Not so fast, Cap'n Crunch. Veggie chips may sound healthy, but you can assume any of the nutrients or vitamins present in the original vegetable have long been processed out by the time they become a chip. Veggie chips are not a substitute for fresh or frozen vegetables and are really no different than potato chips when it comes to calories and fat.
Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt has been seen as a health food for decades. While plain yogurt of the regular and Greek variety may not be bad for you, flavored yogurt is a whole other beast. In fact, some of the flavored varieties are no better than a candy bar when it comes to sugar content! Stick to plain yogurt and jazz it up yourself with berries, honey, bananas, apple butter, or cinnamon.
Cold-Pressed Juice
That fancy green juice from your local juice bar must be healthy because it’s made with vegetables, right? You may have guessed by now that the answer to that is no. Juices are processed to the point where the only thing left in them is the natural sugar of the fruits and vegetables used along with the water. They’re seriously lacking in protein and fat that will help you to feel satisfied for longer after consuming. They may also be unhealthy for your blood sugar, causing a spike that only serves to make you hungrier in the long run.
You can make your own smoothies at home and keep the fiber and protein. Use beets, spinach, avocado, and blueberries to make a smoothie that will stick with you for a while.
Don't be fooled by foods that seem healthy. Dig a little deeper to discover if a food is right for you and your health goals.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Las Vegas, Nev.