People Share 20 Common Foods That Are Presumably Healthy But Actually Harmful

Salted, candied, flavored nuts and seeds and the majority of canned fruits.

By plain nuts or even dry roasted. Sunflower seeds should be plain.

A fresh tangerine is better for you than Mandarin oranges. Same with pineapple, peaches and pears.

Salads when they put a ton of dressing on.

If you must have dressing use very little or go with a home made vinaigrette. Store bought dressings are usually high in everything a dieting person is trying to avoid a lot of.

I was just having this conversation with my step-mothers friend. She is in her 60's and was told by her doctor that she needs to lose weight. I realize she is older, lives alone, and on a fixed income so changing her ways is tough. She often buys items from the dollar store. We started working on healthy meal plans for each day of the week.

We were talking about healthy salad choices. I was advising her to change from iceburg lettuce (her preferred leafy green; no wonder she doesn't like salad much) to spinach. I told her instead of cruitons add unsalted dry roasted nuts for crunch. That grating a small amount of parmesian will help with the fats and salt she is craving. I advised her to add carrots, bell perrpers and mushrooms to help supply some of the vitamines she needs. Then we got to fruit. I was telling her that adding a little fruit was fine. How my family often adds apples, strawberries, or blueberries to our salads. She then started talking about how she can add Mandarin oranges. I told her no, she would be adding a bunch of unnecessary things that she is trying to avoid. I had to repeat several times that it needs to be fresh fruit. When we got to dressings I was about to give up, that part was frustrating. I finally grabbed her, took her into the kitchen and showed her how to make a healthier salad dressing in under 5 minutes with things she has around the house. She was amazed. She thought it was going to be complicated or hard. She had no idea she could just make a batch in the blender.

I realize that the most important thing is to stay closer to her comfort zone. It's about replacing items with more nutrient rich items. Cutting down on fats, sugars, and salt. No one is going to stick to a diet that is boring day in and day out. Also teaching her about moderation and portion control. She can't read labels well. Her fixed income makes it hard to convince her to buy fresh. So I remind her to try to stay within season. Trade a service with her neighbors and friends who have fruits and vegetables growning in their yards. Or join a co-op farm. Choosing frozen over canned vegetables and seasonal fruits. One of the biggest fights I have with her generation is about not using products like "I can't believe it's not butter" over real butter. Products like that lead to heart disease in her age group. Changing the oils and fats they are used to cooking with. Then there is the fact that many on heart medications arnt told to stay away from grapefruit. How important vitamins and minerals are to their diets. You wouldn't believe how many are vitamin deficient. How importand antioxidants are to fighting off cancer. Teaching them that potatoes are higher in potassium than bananas. How spinach, mushrooms, blueberries and such are high in antioxidants. They raised families in the 80's where everything labeled "diet" was considered a better alternative vs going with a smaller portions of the real thing. Having them drink a glass of red wine instead of the bourbon they have been drinking for years.

Sorry for the rant. Feeding the elderly is a big deal for me. It's what drove me get into the culinary field in the first place. They can no doubt be a difficult group when it comes to change but they are often undervalued and under educated in nutrition. They are often told to make changes but don't know how. Our current group of seniors are the most affluent we have ever seen. They deserve better.

Rockstar81

Yogurt. Most of that stuff is packed with sugar, up to 23 grams or more in each small container. In reality though, most foods can be unhealthy when eaten excessively. It's those people that see foods labeled as healthy and overeat them thinking they'll loose weight. Some people don't even look at the nutritional value on the back of said "health" items.

... I didn't mean to generalize. I'm not talking about plain Greek yogurt and the such. I'm talking about the ones mostly filled with sugar which is very common in the US.

Cynical_Gabe

Can I give something people think is unhealthy but is actually healthy? Fat!

Fat is actually so good for you. Yes, there are bad types of fats, like trans fats, etc. but if you're eating the healthy fats that you get from nuts, avocados, olives, real butter, fish, red meat, and things like that, it actually helps you to lose weight in the long run.

Example, and I know this is anecdotal, but my dad right now is deriving ~70% of his total calories a day from pure fat, but all from healthy sources like those mentioned above. He lost ten pounds in two weeks. No strength training or heavy cardio, just stretching and low intensity workouts. He sits in a car most of the day. It works really well for him and has really boosted my interest in eating that way.

Edit: Another added benefit of these types of foods is that they really fill you up and stick with you, so you feel much less snacky throughout the day. I'm the type of guy who like to go back for seconds or even thirds, but when I eat at my parents house, I can often barely get through firsts before I'm full.

benjyk1993

Salads. Just because there is some lettuce in there doesn't mean it's inherently healthy, especially from restaurants. Once they finish adding cheese and avocado and bacon bits and croutons and dressing and etc etc etc, salads can be a deceptive source of fat and calories that you might not be expecting or taking into account.

baby_armadillo

I worked at a restaurant that had a crap ton of calories in EVERYTHING. To prove a point, my manager asked us what we thought were the top three items that had the most calories. We all picked the fatty burgers, pasta, etc.

Top three were:
Pesto pasta at approx 2300
Hummus salad at 2100
Garlic fries appetizer 1500

Blew my mind. The hummus salad had A FULL CUP OF HUMMUS. Plus flatbread, sun dried tomatoes in oil, goat cheese, and a drizzle of oil in top. It was delicious, but damn.

We had a lady come in one time and ordered the garlic fries appetizer and explained to the server that’s all she would have as she was on a diet. Poor thing, it’s deep fried potatoes that are then tossed in garlic and oil. Just a side of garlic fries was like 700. Amazingly delicious, but again, damn.

lala_machina

This is a good thread, but I think a lot of people are confused about how this whole thing works, due to bombardment of diet trends/fads. So I figure I clear some things out:

Sugars aren’t bad for you. In fact glucose is the main source of energy for humans. Eating too much sugars or foods that turn into glucose too quickly (mainly sweets etc) can be bad in the long run, but not because sugar is inherently bad. Look up glycemic index for more info.

fats also aren’t bad for you. In fact fats (unlike carbs/sugars) are essential for your body to survive. A lot of hormonal functions depend heavily on fats and a good diet simple must hit a minimum amount of fats for a body weight. There are also different kinds of fats, some are ‘better’ some ‘worse’ but you must have fats in your diet.

fats or sugars have absolutely nothing to do with you getting fat. The weight gain/loss is only concerned with calories. This myth about fats making you fat comes from the fact that fats have a lot of calories (9 per gram, compared to 4 in protein and carbs). But again it’s not fat that makes you gain weight. It’s calories. If you want to cut out calories from your diet then eat less carbs.

too many calories isn’t a bad thing either. Calories are simply energy that you take in. If you spend all this energy then you will remain the same weight. If you don’t spend all of it you will gain weight. If you spend more than you put in you will lose weight. Some sportsmen eat 10000 calories per day and are absolutely fine and healthy.

a healthy human should have a balanced diet. That means eating enough fats and proteins (those are also essential) for this particular person and enough carbs to meat their calorie/weight goal. This will have your macros covered. The next step is about micros and it’s a bit trickier but basically eat some fruits and vegetables with your main dishes.

az9393

People angry ay vegans for pointing out that their favourite foods aren't as healthy as they wished.

Dreadmund

Disagreeing does not equate to one being angry. Additionally, many of the negatives I've seen posted have been false or misleading information. Example, this study was posted as proof that milk is "not good for your bones." But, IF you read the entire study you would find:

The study cannot prove direct cause and effect between milk and these outcomes. Although the researchers have tried to take account of various health and lifestyle factors, the study may not have been able to fully account for the influence of these factors (for example, former or current smoking categories were considered, but within these there is going to be a wide range of frequency and duration). There may also be other unmeasured factors influencing the association...

This was also a Swedish population, who may have distinct health and lifestyle factors or environmental influences, which means the results are not applicable to other populations. For example, milk in Sweden is fortified with vitamin A (unlike the UK), and high levels of vitamin A intake have been linked to an increased risk of fracture.

dublea

People at work seem to think replacing a bun with a tortilla wrap is a healthy alternative, when the tortilla has literally twice the calories and carbs. It's flour and lard, instead of flour and yeast. Ignorance is bliss, until the scale starts moving up.

Most people buy into marketing hype and never really know why something is bad or good for you.

GrampappyJoe

Juice. It's just sugar, and you're missing half the fiber of the fruit.

Fruit juice is something people consume because it feels healthy (hey it's fruit right, how bad could it be), while cranking up the dopamine from all the added sugars.

Fortunes have been made from convincing the public of the "healthiness" of drinking orange juice and milk every day, but it's all nonsense driven by corporate profits.

The truth is, they only thing your body will ever need to drink is water.

Taman_Should

"I know I'm going to get downvoted for this super unpopular opinion, but sugar is actually what's bad for you, not fat!!! Did you know that reduced fat foods are actually worse? Did you know that health drinks are full of sugar???"

Then proceeds to downvote the people who point out sources of saturated fat (red meat, milk, eggs) as being carcinogenic and bad for your heart because they're supposedly just vegans with agendas.

Guys, I know sugar is bad. But that's not exactly an obscure fact anymore. What many people don't like accepting is that red meat and milk are pretty bad for you, just bad in other ways.

Super_SATA

I think what hurts the vegan propoganda (or any propoganda on Earth really) is that it is not uncommon to resort to scare tactics and shaming to get people to stop eating animal products. It makes it difficult for me to trust anything vegans say. I have read studies on both sides and I remain wholly unconvined that animal products will give me cancer or hurt me in the long run, at least by any significant margin.

Representative_Elk

Cow milk affects individuals differently, but it certainly is terrible for me. I had eczema for years. My derm kept prescribing bullshit topical steroids to treat the symptom, not the cause. I finally said "fuck it" and took matters into my own hands. I stopped consuming cow milk and whey protein to see what would happen, and MY LIFELONG ECZEMA DISAPPEARED IN 3 DAYS. 3 FUCKING DAYS.

Here's where it gets insane. I told my dermatologist the news and she told me theres no link between dairy and eczema. I mean...are you fucking kidding me?? I lost some serious trust in that industry, as I now know for a fact what was causing my eczema. Just wanted to throw this out there in case it helps even 1 person suffering from eczema.

Edit: my intention wasn't to piss anyone off that drinks milk. I'm simply telling you exactly what happened to me. I hope I can help someone get rid of eczema, because it sucks. Obviously I had a worse reaction to milk than most. Relax you milk-drinking fools.

drink_tea_with_me

Granola had a reputation for being healthy. Especially in the 70s as it was associated with hippies.

It was always high-calorie because it's essentially fried in oil, but that doesn't necessarily make it bad.

It's got nuts and whole grains which are good for you. They're nutritious with lots of vitamins and minerals.

However, once food companies got involved, they made granola bars which got loaded with sugar and fats.

They started making them to be essentially candy bars with chocolate or overly-sweetened yogurt. Or caramel.

Those are not really healthy.

sacredblasphemies

Dairy. High cholesterol, high saturated fat (too much is not good), linked to increased risk of breast cancer (although also linked to decreased risk of ovarian cancer to be transparent), most of the population has some level of intolerance without realizing so many people have acid reflux, indigestion, constipation, gas, etc. not realizing its from consuming dairy.

The dairy industry has also run a very successful calcium campaign, when so many other foods we regularly consume have calcium (without the negatives of dairy), and so we're actually over consuming calcium, which has been linked to osteoporosis (sounds bizarre, but there is indeed research).

Shadycatz

The entire concept of certain foods being healthy and other foods being unhealthy is ridiculous and nothing more than a collection of marketing side effects.

Food is healthy by definition if eaten in the proper amounts. Even apple seeds have cyanide traces. Doesn't make it an "unhealthy food".

Eat a balanced diet with enough plants and every food is healthy. Cakes and junk food as well.

hashedram

Muffins, they're basically an extra dense cake somehow masquerading around as a "healthy" breakfast option.

Put a chocolate frosted donut and a banana nut muffin in front of the average person and ask them which is the healthier option, and they'll always pick the muffin, even though it has twice as many calories as the donut and no real nutritional value because it's made up of empty carbs and sugar.

applepwnz

No individual food item is intrinsically "healthy" or "unhealthy"; what matters is the foods one eats in the context of their overall diet.

Some foods are considered "hyper-palatable" (potato chips, hamburgers, etc.) and are easy to overeat. Other foods are considered "healthy" by some, but are actually extremely calorie-dense, such as nuts and granola.

Other foods, such as bread and meats, are not inherently "bad" unless eaten in excess. If one's diet is widely varied enough, the difference in micronutrients between say, white and brown rice, are minimal in the big picture.

TLDR; No single food item on its own is unhealthy, it's the overall diet that matters.

TrainWreck661

Anything that has a fuckton of sugar but labeled healthy. Fuck man. I am a nutrition nut because of all my weight loss. 240/250 to 130/140, and y’all need to fucking STOP eating so much sugar! If you insist on having something sugary, split it with someone, don’t have the entire portion. S U G A R is quite literally why, at least Americans, are so damn obese. It’s not about getting less exercise and having an office job where you sit all day, but the overindulgence in foods with sugar is just sickening.

I love sugar. I do. I have it too. I also know to stop eating and cut down when I know I’ve had too much recently. Sugar is this addiction where when you have some you continuously crave it. It’s killing us to have these proportions of sugar and I have to constantly educated my peers on just how much they’re consuming when they have that drink they love so much, even if it’s branded as a “healthy juice.”

TLDR; Restrict your sugar intake, it really is killing you.

Yazzypoo101

Most things. the added sugar is the bad part.

40g a day is recommended. 10 teaspoons

one 12 oz coke has 39g.

i haven't stopped eating it (not by a long shot).. but I do try to cut back.

example: half the sugar in my coffee in the AM.. half a can of coke.. but with a lot of ice.

yopliat? no. plain greek yogurt and fresh fruit or honey.. trail mix.. whatever.

eventually, you'll start to find processed/packaged food unappetizing - everything will be too sweet or will make you feel like shit if you eat it.

I've lost 3 inches on my waist in about a year.

all the money i saved not buying jars/boxes/cans and cooking more stuff from scratch went to new pants.

healthyGuy

Butter isn't bad for you unless you have a heart condition. Sugar on vegetables? Where do you live?

Well I mean, even if you have a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of sugar on a full serving of your green beans, you're better off eating that to get full than most other things.

Although, I did go to tgi Fridays for my brother's birthday and got the garlic roasted Brussels sprouts and they were basically like 4 Brussels sprouts, halved with like an ounce of butter. Not enough vegetable to call it a serving, more "garlic butter, with some Brussels sprouts leaves."

jeremythelee

It’s important for people to discern between healthy and low calorie.

If you’re trying to lose weight, low-calorie fruits, veggies, and lean meats are the healthiest things you can put in your body, since nutrition and volume-wise you get the biggest bang for your buck.

No, those weight loss shakes and bars are not the healthiest option. Avocado, though very healthy, is not a great idea for weight-loss.

Companies try really hard to brand common, healthy, fruits and veggies as unhealthy so they can pitch their low-fat or low-cal product. A lot of people are duped by this practice.

Jenifarr

Non-GMO foods. People are so scared of GMOs but they don't realize that scientists are actually trying to make these foods BETTER for you by genetically motifying them.

And some of the time it's just cross breeding, not adding a bunch of chemicals or "unnatural" things. It's the same as when dog breeders breed two dogs that are the same colour to get puppies of the same colour.

They use seeds from the plants that produce the healthiest fruit.

Side note: organic and non-GMO are NOT the same thing.

okaymoose

Foods aren't good or bad. It all has a place in a balanced diet, moderation is what is important.

Edzell_Blue

What about poison berries?

WhoMe

Stay below the lethal dose.

Edzell_Blue

everything has a lethal dose technically

/TimX24968B

Everything is edible - sometimes only edible once, but still.

GameRoom

Okay, you try eating a 1m×1m×1m cube of solid aluminum.

GameRoom

You try eating a whole cow.

nuclear_core

It's really hard to chew can I give up

bewalsh