Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Beware Of Healthy Fakes




There's so many healthy foods out right now, but beware some of these are healthy fakes.

Let's start with the foods that you pick up as a healthy alternative to a fatty snack like potato chips, rice cakes. Frankly, rice cakes taste healthy. There's very little to them, they're bland and one mini cake isn't nearly enough to curb an appetite. Rice cakes contain no nutrition, just sodium. If you select one of the tastier types, you'll find these have the bad fat, Trans fat. 

Therefore, you pass on the rice cakes but decide a health food bar is more to your liking. Beware, there's a lot that these bars hide underneath their packaged promises.

First, if they taste good, they contain sugar, but that's mostly in granola bars. Sugar raises the insulin level, which stops the body from releasing growth hormones. In turn, the reduction growth hormones released causes the immune system to be depressed. Sugar also elevates your blood sugar level, makes the pancreas work frantically to produce insulin and then the level drops dramatically. These rapid changes in the blood sugar add additional stress on your body.

Okay, you don't want a healthy fake no matter how good it tastes so you check the ingredients for every type of sugar that you know and your bar passes with flying colors. However, the label shows the bar contains soy rice crisp or soy protein.

Soy is healthy, right? Wrong! According to a not for profit nutritional education organization, the Weston A Price Foundation in Washington DC, processed soy protein and soy oil that you find in many health food products shows a direct link to problems with the thyroid, digestive tract, reproductive organs including infertility, dementia, heart disease, ADD/ADHD and even a direct link to cancer.

Women that are at risk for breast cancer are warned to cut back on soy products because of the ever increasing evidence that diets high in soy products causes a greater amount of cells to multiply in the breast.

What can you eat as a healthy snack? Either select something that your mother made, by that I mean Mother Nature, or make it yourself so you know what the snack contains. Goodwholesome fresh fruit, nuts, berries and seeds. Mix them together with some shredded wheat and you have homemade trail mix you can trust.

Drinks are deceptive also; there are many healthy fakes that pass themselves off as "good for you" and nutritious. Vitamin drinks offer a lot of healthy vitamins but also have an abundance of sugar.

These drinks contain as much as 8 teaspoons of sugar. Even though the vitamins enhance your immune system, the sugar in the drink suppresses it. Three teaspoons of sugar can suppress your immune system for up to four hours.

These have almost three times the amount of sugar. Twenty years ago, the average consumption of sugar was 26 pounds a year. Today the consumption has risen to an unprecedented 135 pounds per American, per year.

Is it any wonder that cancer and heart disease is on the rise, not to mention the increased number of Americans that even make their sweat pants scream under the strain of the extra body weight.

Bottled tea, even the unsweetened type, is also another healthy fake. Studies show that bottled tea contains no where near the antioxidants that brewed tea contains.

There are so many healthy fakes on the market everywhere you look. Why? Marketing. Manufacturers and fast food restaurants all know Americans want to eat healthy and now promote that with somewhat deceptive labeling. The easiest way to healthy eating is making the food, reading all labels and avoiding anything with sugars or corn syrup in the first 8 ingredients on the label. Next time you go shopping, read the labels and find some healthy fakes yourself.

Improving Your Life with Health Food Snacks



Today's busy lifestyles have made fast food, snacks and drinks loaded with sugar much more popular and convenient than healthy meals and health food snacks.

Unfortunately, this trend has resulted in a drastic increase in the number of individuals who are obese, especially the obesity rate in children. Not only does unhealthy eating cause weight gain, foods that are high in sugar can deprive your body of the fuel it needs to stay alert and active until your next meal.

Many people think of granola when they consider health food snacks. While granola is full of essential vitamins and nutrients, it is also made up of a lot of fat and granola products often contain high amounts of sugar.

Health food snacks are foods that are low in sugar and low in fat, especially trans-fat, but arefull of the complex carbohydrates that your body needs to keep going.

Fresh fruits are a good choice for health food snacks. The natural juices in fruit are terrific energy boosts and the added vitamins and nutrients benefit your body.

Dried fruits and nuts, like those found in trail mix, are also healthy snack options that are full of energy replenishing proteins.

A concentrated source of natures most nutrient rich fruits and berries like that found in beyound berries is the easiest way to get the nutrients your body needs especially durring those times a year when really good fresh fruit is hard to get

Low-fat yogurt mixed with fresh berries and smoothies made with low-fat organic milk and fruit, and raw veggies with a tasty, low-fat dip are all excellent choices for health food snacks as well.

Whole grain breads and cereals are also great foods that benefit your body in a number of ways. Health food snacks may consist of whole grain pitas full of your favorite veggies, like lettuce, cucumbers, and broccoli, drizzled with low-fat ranch dressing.

You may want to try mini pizzas on English muffins topped with low-fat cheese, this is a favorite healthy snack for children. There are also a variety of health snacks that offer a convenient way to snack healthy.

Eating health food snacks between your regular meals will help you feel better through the day and can also help you lose weight.

Many people, including children, have a hard time eating a balanced diet each day. Their hectic schedules often mean they grab chips, candy bars, and soft drinks to keep them going through the day.

Healthy snacks come from many different food groups and can give you and your family a more balanced, nutritious diet.

Health food snacks offer a more balanced diet and reduce the amount of sugars and fats in your diet. You will have more energy and vivaciousness so you can accomplish more each day and the diminishing fat cells in your body will boost your mood as well as your appearance.

Choosing health food snacks over chips, cookies, and other empty calorie munchies is one of the smartest decisions you can make.

Once you have made the decision to make a conscious effort to eat healthier snacks, you need to be constantly prepared for your snack cravings. If you're not prepared, you will once again fall victim to the lure of fast fixes from candy, chips, and the fast food industry.


  • Schedule a regular snack time and try to stick to it.


  • Keep plenty of healthy food snacks on hand, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat yogurts and cheeses, trail mix, oatmeal, etc.


  • Stay on track wherever you go by carrying health snacks in your car, backpack, or to the office. Healthy snack are convenient on the go and can be ordered online.


A healthy, balanced diet is a vital part of living a successful and gratifying life. With today's hectic lifestyle, it is often hard to find time to eat a variety of foods from each of the major food groups.

Health food snacks are tasty and filling, and they are an easy way to give your body the nutrition it needs when you're always on the go.


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