The goalposts for what constitutes a healthy diet are being constantly shifted – often to encompass some pretty strange fads.
Recently – and in spite of their low life-expectancy – eating like a Neanderthal with the Paleo Diet increased in popularity, with restaurants and cookbooks popping up.
While it seems just like yesterday that the Atkins Diet was all the rage, nowadays we’re being told to ‘eat clean‘.
The bad news about our diets seems to be coming in thick and fast. White pasta and bread has recently been labelled as a no-no and those partial to a bacon sandwich better reconsider.
It can be easy to get confused and fed up with the mixed and sometimes contradictory messages coming in from a range of sources. But what would a professional do?
Nutritionist Helen Bond cleared up a couple of myths, and shared some surprisingly ‘unhealthy’ items with the Mail Online, Derbyshire-based Helen revealed a list of seven foods she’d never eat.
1. Canned soup
With a bit of buttered crusty bread, a bowl of hot soup can be incredibly comforting. But if you think soup is healthy it’s one the healthier items on the menu, think again.
Why is it bad?
“Some canned soups are quite salty, so you’ve got to watch that. High salt intake leads to high blood pressure.
“‘They contain all the additives and the preservatives and the colours.”
Not all soup is unhealthy, so be sure to read the ingredients
It’s not all bad news
Choose your soup carefully – some manufacturers have lowered their salt and sugar content. Some can even be healthy.
“‘If you have half a can of Heinz tomato for lunch, it’s one of your five a day and a great source of lycopene.
“Combined with a crusty roll for fibre, it’s low in fat and sugar, contributes to fluid intake, and will give you energy for the rest of the day.”
2. Smoothies
Smoothie and juice bars may seem like they’re the preserve of the health conscious, but they’re not as sin-free as they may seem.
There are downsides to consuming smoothies
Why are they bad?
As Ms Bond explains, “While smoothies are undoubtedly better than sugary, fizzy drinks and can help you on your way to one or even two of your five-a-day, the health benefits of some are questionable.
“Many of those purchased in shops and supermarkets are very high in calories, with added whole-milk yogurt, syrups, sugar, even peanut butter and chocolate.”
There’s also no fibre contained in them, meaning they’re not as nutritious as whole fruits and vegetables and won’t keep you as full as the whole fruit would.
Plus they can damage the tooth enamel.
3. Popcorn
Often touted as healthy and guilt-free snack amounting to barely any calories, this came as a surprise to us.
Why is it bad?
Because of the sneaky extras a lot of brands add:
“Popcorn is a wholegrain so it can be a low fat snack. The air popped one is healthy – it’s when you begin adding things to it that it becomes a problem.
There’s something irresistible about popcorn – but watch out for any naughty additions
“Eating foots slathered in butter or sugar regularly will only add calories to your diet.
“Popcorn is being promoted as guilt-free, lighter snack. But be vigilant of the naughty types.”
4. White chocolate
If you’re a firm believer in ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’ and you’ll help yourself to some white chocolate once in a wile, you may want to switch to a darker brand.
Why is it bad for me?
Breaking chocolate-lovers hearts’ everywhere, Ms Bond explained how white chocolate is not technically ‘proper chocolate’ as it has no cocoa solids in it.
With Easter round the corner, will you be able to resist white chocolate?
Cocoa solids are the good bits, and the higher the content is of them, the more flavenoids there are – and these assist in weight loss and protecting the brain and heart.
It’s not all bad news
The darker the chocolate, the more flavenoids – so you can still indulge a little bit at Easter.
5. White bread, pasta and rice
As comfort food goes, starchy carbohydrates are up there with the best – but they’re linked to an increase in our blood sugar levels.
Why are they bad?
“These foods have been stripped of their outer bran coating and inner germ during the milling process, leaving only the starchy endosperm.
“These ‘whiter’ cereals provide up to 75 per cent less nutrients like vitamin E and selenium, than their wholegrain form.
“They also have a very high glycaemic index (GI) .”
Swap your white loaf for brown
Instead try this
Ms Bond advises going for oats, wholegrains and wholemeal instead of white white, processed carbohydrates.
This is because, “they are higher in fibre to keep your digestive system in tip-top condition and running smoothly.
“Plus their ‘low glycaemic index’ value means they’re slower to enter the bloodstream, resulting in a steadier rise in blood sugar and energy levels.”
6. Breakfast sandwiches
Firstly, it’s not all bad news: “Eggs and bacon doesn’t need to be unhealthy.”
Why are they bad?
However, “the processed ingredients in breakfast sandwiches tend to be high in fat and lacking in nutrients.”
“The sandwiches are normally made from white bread, so they’re lacking in fibre.
Turns out, it’s not the best way to start the day
“They contain sausages and bacon – processed meats high in saturated fat. This is not something you should be enjoying on a daily basis.”
Recent studies have shown that processed meat can raise our risk of diseases like cancer.
One possible reason is that the compound that gives red meat its colour, haem, may damage the lining of the bowel.
In addition, when meat is preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by adding preservatives, cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) can be formed.
Egg, sausages and bacon being fried in a frying pan
Instead try this
You can still have a ‘healthy’ breakfast sandwich, with Ms Bond encouraging people to make it from scratch using fresh ingredients including wholemeal bread and eggs instead.
7. Fizzy drinks
It perhaps comes as no surprise that a nutritionist wouldn’t touch a can of Coke – there’s seven teaspoons of sugar in one.
“Added sugar provides little more than calories (one level teaspoon of sugar – 4g – contains 16 calories).
Sugar in any form is increasingly being linked to our growing waistlines
“So by drinking sugar fuelled drinks to excess, you will be adding lots of unnecessary ’empty calories’ to your daily diet and getting little nutritional value in return.”
Much like smoothies, fizzy drinks can also damage your tooth enamel.
Ms Bond recommends instead, “a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a sprig or two of mint, or try herbal teas which add flavour without the sugar.”
via : dailyrecord – Health