Eating healthy isn’t always easy, especially with so many tempting snacks out there. When it comes to eating healthy, one of the most challenging parts is preparing food, but when you find healthy pre-made meals or snacks, it makes your life a lot easier. There are plenty of healthy snack options, but before you grab any “healthy snacks” off the grocery store shelves, you’ll want to make sure what you’re buying is actually healthy.
Marketing can be misleading. There are so many snacks that seem healthy when in reality, they’re loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients or tons of sodium. It’s easy to think something must be healthy when you see ingredients like whole grains, fruit juice or vegetables. However, labels like these can often be misleading and it’s important to check the ingredients and nutrition information before determining whether a food is healthy.
According to the American Heart Association, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to avoid excess sodium, sugar, and fat. Most unhealthy snacks that seem healthy contain at least one of those three. Everything in moderation is a good rule to live by, but a healthy diet mostly consists of whole foods, not highly processed foods.
While there are no hard and fast rules for determining what food is healthy or not, making food yourself is usually a better option. For example, instead of buying flavored oatmeal, you can buy oats and make your own oatmeal at home. Or, instead of buying sweetened yogurt, buy plain Greek yogurt without added sugar and add your favorite fruit or other toppings.
To help you live a healthy life, we created a list of foods that seem healthy but aren’t. To create this list, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous lifestyle and health publications including the Cleveland Clinic and the American Heart Association. (After this article, check out some of the check out some of the worst foods for your health.)
Here are 13 foods misleadingly marketed as healthy.
Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt is one of the foods that’s constantly marketed as a healthy snack. Yogurt itself does have many health benefits. However, if you purchase flavored yogurt, it’s typically loaded with added sugar and artificial flavors. Instead of buying yogurt that’s already sweetened, try buying plain yogurt and adding fruit or a small amount of sweetener, such as agave or stevia.
Granola Bars
Granola bars seem like the perfect snack to have in your bag, especially with young children. While some granola bars contain healthy amounts of fiber and protein, others are not much better than eating a candy bar. The fact that it’s labeled a granola, cereal or protein bar doesn’t automatically make it healthy. Check the ingredients before purchasing granola bars and try one without high amounts of added sugar.
Dried Fruit
Even though fruit does have sugar in it, it’s healthy for you in moderation. Most fruit contains healthy amounts of fiber and vitamins–but dried fruit is a different story. This snack may seem healthy because it does contain fruit, but most dried fruit has added sugar and preservatives. You’re better off snacking on fresh fruit or finding dried fruit without extra ingredients.
Veggie Sticks
Veggie sticks, also known as veggie straws, are the favorite snack of many children. As a parent, you might feel good about buying these for your kids because they have “veggie” in the name. However, veggie sticks are typically made of potatoes, oil and salt. The added vegetable coloring is what makes them misleading. They are generally lower in fat than other potato chips, but eating them isn’t the same as eating vegetables.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is one of the best ways to cool off on a hot day. While frozen yogurt is often marketed as a healthy alternative to ice cream, certain types have about as much sugar as ice cream or sometimes more. While ice cream is typically higher in fat, frozen yogurt is sometimes higher in sugar to compensate for the tartness of the yogurt. If you’re looking for a frozen treat, try frozen yogurt without added sugar or a frozen fruit bar.
Fruit Snacks
Fruit snacks are another treat little kids love and it’s easy to see why. They’re chewy, sweet and taste just like candy. What might be surprising to some is that eating fruit snacks is essentially like eating candy. They don’t contain any actual fruit–instead, they often contain fruit juice concentrate or sometimes coloring to make them resemble fruit. With fruit concentrate, all the healthy parts of the fruit, like the fiber, are removed.
Deli Meat
Sandwiches can seem like a healthy lunch when you choose whole-grain bread and add vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers or peppers. Even with added vegetables, deli meat isn’t a healthy choice for your sandwich. This type of meat is filled with sodium and nitrates. If you’re craving a sandwich, chicken breast, tuna, or falafel are much healthier choices.
Sushi
There’s no doubt sushi is a tasty meal and it’s often considered healthy because of the fish. Most sushi is also wrapped in rice and includes sauces with high amounts of sodium or sugar. To top it off, you’re likely dipping your sushi roll in soy sauce, which has almost 300 mg of sodium in one teaspoon. As a healthier option, try sashimi or choose a roll without the spicy mayo.
Flavored Oatmeal
Oatmeal can be incredible for your health, from helping to improve cholesterol levels to lowering your blood sugar. When you purchase flavored oatmeal, such as the maple and brown sugar or apples and cinnamon variety, you end up with a less-than-healthy breakfast. Instead of buying instant oatmeal, which comes with a lot of sugar and other ingredients, you can purchase quick oats and easily make your own oatmeal with added fruit, nuts or other toppings.
Gluten-Free Snacks
The increase in the availability of gluten-free snacks is great for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. But there’s also a misconception that just because something is gluten-free means it’s healthy. Gluten-free snacks, such as gluten-free cookies, crackers or cereal, are not necessarily healthy. If you’re not sensitive to gluten, find other healthy snack alternatives instead of buying gluten-free snacks because of the label.
Trail Mix
Many claim trail mix is the perfect snack to take on the go. While it’s not entirely clear who first came up with the name trail mix, it’s clear that the snack is popular for those who are traveling or spending time outdoors. Some trail mix varieties include only nuts, which can be healthy for your heart. However, modern trail mix often includes chocolate chips, dried fruit and even candy. Instead of indulging in trail mix when you’re hungry, buy some heart-healthy mixed nuts instead.
Pretzels
You might think pretzels are a low-fat and healthy alternative to potato chips. Even though pretzels are lower in fat and calories than some other snacks, they also contain high amounts of sodium and have little nutritional benefit. There’s nothing wrong with snacking on pretzels in moderation, but they’re in the same category as other snack foods such as chips or cookies, and aren’t a healthy snack.
Bran Muffins
Most people know that muffins are mostly just cupcakes without the frosting. One of the types of muffins companies often market as a healthy breakfast is bran muffins. This type of muffin usually has a decent amount of fiber, but they’re incredibly high in calories and sugar. One bran muffin by Kroger, for example, has over 400 calories and 40 grams of sugar. (Next, dive into 21 Foods We Used to Think Were Healthy.)