Food and Nutrition

5 Most Dangerous Health Foods

 

Have you ever eaten something because you thought it was healthy, but later found out that food wasn't good for you at all? Don't be embarrassed if the answer is "yes." Advertising and misinformation surround what we eat and can make every food appear healthy-even if nothing could be farther from the truth. To help you distinguish food friend from food foe, we asked two registered dieticians, Lauren Antonucci and Lisa Moskovitz of Nutrition Energy, a sports performance nutrition center in New York City, to unmask some of the diet-sabotaging villains hiding behind "healthy" labels. Here are their nine worst offenders:

 

Yogurt

Yogurt in any form is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. But some brands have as much fat and sugar as a jelly-donut. Be sure you're only getting the good stuff by choosing plain, low-fat versions. Flavor them on your own with fruit and honey. And go Greek when you can. Plain Greek Yogurt offers twice as much protein and half the amount of carbs as the traditional type, Moskovitz says.

 

Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter

 

When manufacturers take fat out of peanut butter, they replace it with sugars. As a result, reduced-fat peanut butter has the same total calories as the original, but more than twice the amount of carbs. "It's better to stick with the regular stuff," Moskovitz says. "You'll eat less, because the full-fat version is more satisfying and filling."

 

Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter 

When manufacturers take fat out of peanut butter, they replace it with sugars. As a result, reduced-fat peanut butter has the same total calories as the original, but more than twice the amount of carbs. "It's better to stick with the regular stuff," Moskovitz says. "You'll eat less, because the full-fat version is more satisfying and filling."

 

Margarine 

In a head-to-head battle between butter and its artificial competitor, the original wins by a landslide. Sure, the spreads have the same number of calories, but Margarine has more trans fat, which simultaneously raises your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and lowers "good" (HDL) cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. "That's the one ingredient we dietitians recommend to avoid completely," Moskovitz says. To limit your risk of heart disease, stick with the real stuff. And choose whipped butter, which has a lower caloric density.

 

Protein Bars 

"Protein bars are basically vitamin and protein-infused candy bars," says Moskovitz. "They seem like a healthy snack replacement, but they can contain more than twice the amount of fat and carbs as a chocolate brownie." To steer clear of needless calories, look for options that have less than 180 calories and 5 grams fat, and provide at least 5 grams of fiber.