Five Foods That Aren’t Actually Healthy

There are a lot of foods that people claim are incredibly healthy, but did you know that some of these so-called health miracle foods are actually not that great for you? There are some myths out there about foods, and while you might think that eating certain things makes you much healthier, you’d be surprised! Let’s take a look at five types of food that are supposedly really good for you but actually aren’t.

Anything Gluten-Free

Gluten-free has become one of the latest health buzzwords, but while many people think eating these foods makes them healthier, they really don’t. That’s because a good percentage of the people who think they can’t have gluten actually can—their bodies can digest it without any problem, but because everyone has talked about how gluten is bad for you, they believe they should avoid it. The truth is that gluten-free foods have to have something to act in place of the gluten, and that something often makes the foods higher in fat, sugar, sodium, and calories. At the same time, those on gluten-free diets may be missing out on certain vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, and the B vitamins.

Energy Bars

Energy bars are not good for you—many of them have extra sugars and fats! Some also have over 300 calories per bar, which you may not realize when you eat two or three of them a day! If you do have to eat an energy bar, check the calories and sugar counts before you eat one.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate, despite the rumors, is not always healthy for you. The ingredient that helps your heart and brain is cocoa flavanols, and sometimes, these flavanols are actually destroyed when the chocolate is processed. If you want to eat healthy dark chocolate, make sure it has these flavanols in it.

Salad Dressing

Sure, salads can be healthy for you, but not when you drown them in salad dressing! That’s because these dressings often contain a lot of calories and saturated fat. But be careful! Going with an oil-based salad dressing like ranch may still not be a good choice. While these oils are healthy, the dressings often have extra sugar added to them. Check for bottled salad dressings with less than 110 calories or, better yet, make your own.

Yogurt

Yogurt can be healthy, but only if it’s plain. If you go for a flavored yogurt, know that you may be getting a lot more calories and sugar than expected. Go with low-fat, nonfat, or plain types of yogurt to avoid this. You can add some maple syrup or honey if you want to give it a bit of flavor.