IS IT ACTUALLY HEALTHY?

Food Brands You Thought Were Healthy, But Actually Aren’t

By: Mar Huguet

When we're at the grocery store searching for healthy foods, we look for low calories, low added sugars, low carbs, or high protein. However, in reality, nutrition is much more complex than that. Healthy foods that are good for your body go far beyond the nutritional information written on the box.

In fact, the nutritional information written is quite deceiving and filled with marketing tactics. Instead, what you should be looking for is the ingredients used in the product. So, with that in mind, here are a few food brands you thought were healthy, but sadly aren't, and healthy alternatives to enjoy some of your favorite snacks.

1. SABRA Hummus:

How many of you thought you were being healthy when buying hummus? Well, sadly, this isn't the best product to buy. If you look closely at the ingredients used in Sabra's Hummus, you'll see soybean oil. Soybean oil is one of the most processed and inflammatory oils out there.

Recent UC Riverside research found that soybean oil, America's most widely consumed oil, can lead to obesity, diabetes, and possibly neurological conditions such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and depression. So instead, look for hummus brands that use olive oil. For example, HOPE Hummus, is an excellent option.

2. BLUE DIAMOND Almonds:

Blue Diamond does a really good job of taking something normally healthy and turning it into something terrible for you. In their 'healthy' almond snacks, they add canola oil and maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is a preservative/filler used in many different snacks, increasing blood sugar and altering your gut bacteria.

Canola oil also has small traces of saturated fats, which are not suitable for your health. When buying almonds, the only ingredients should be almonds and salt. One example is KIRKLAND Dry Roasted Almonds.

3. NESTLÉ Coffee Mate Creamer:

This product is marketed to be fat-free, has 25% fewer calories, and has natural flavors. However, their ingredients consist of sugar, preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavors, and highly processed oils. One thing I'd like to point out is the dramatic irony behind "natural flavors." Those two words may sound like a good thing, but natural flavors are derived from natural foods (fruit, vegetables, herbs) and are then taken to a lab and filled with chemicals.

Dr. Pia Sorenson, holding a Ph.D. from Harvard, studied how natural and artificial flavors are the same molecules, making processed foods enticing and even addictive. There is no guarantee of what is in these natural and artificial flavors, so it is best to stay away from them altogether. Instead, look for a creamer like CHOBANI Coffee Creamer, which uses much better ingredients.

4. CHOBANI Greek Yogurt:

This product holds a ton of added sugars, natural flavors, and fruit concentrate. Some healthy alternatives include grass-fed yogurts, because they have lived and active cultures (probiotics), which help balance the good bacteria in your digestive system. Some brands include STONYFIELD 100% Grass-fed Greek Yogurt or MAPLE HILL 100% Grass-fed Organic Yogurt.