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See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
Diet soda - It's easy to see how sugar-free versions of popular sodas can be attractive to consumers—most have virtually no calories. But these are full of unhealthy ingredients, including the artificial sweetener aspartame.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Fruit juices
- These are essentially soda. Fruit juices are high in sugar, water, and not much else.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Breakfast cereal - Despite many breakfast cereal having bold health claims printed on their packaging, most are full of sugar and additives. This includes the wholegrain versions.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Breakfast cookies
- This is yet another marketing strategy. Breakfast cookies are, well, cookies. There's nothing "healthy" about them.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Low-fat and fat-free products - What if you could indulge in your favorite fatty foods without feeling guilty for eating lots of calories? This sounds better than it actually is.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Low-fat and fat-free products - Take your average low-fat yogurt for instance. Fat does give a lot of flavor to food. How do you compensate for the lack of flavor? You add lots of sugar instead.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Margarine - Margarine is nothing like butter, which despite being rich in saturated animal fat, is actually real food. Margarine is a a mix of vegetable oils and other chemical compounds that, for many years, was rich in trans fats. It is far from being a healthier alternative to butter.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - The idea of eating whole grain as opposed to processed cereal grains sounds like a good one. These have higher levels of fiber, a lower glycemic index (GI) value, and must therefore be healthier, right?
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - Not necessarily. Modern wheat for instance, is much poorer in nutrients, when compared to the wheat we used to consume in the past.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - As for the GI, whole wheat bread will give you a spike in insulin similar to that of white bread.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Organic processed foods - What better way to sell an unhealthy product than branding it as "organic." Is raw cane sugar much better than regular sugar?
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Organic processed foods - The answer is no. It is essentially the same as regular sugar: fructose and glucose. Organic processed food is still processed food.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Sports drinks
- Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade can be beneficial for athletes in certain circumstances. Most people however do not need the added sugar, minerals, and artificial dyes.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Gluten-free - Unless you suffer from gluten intolerance, there is no reason to chose gluten-free alternatives under the false premise that they are healthier.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Gluten-free - Gluten can trigger an inflammatory response in our bodies, but this doesn't necessarily mean that gluten-free alternatives of a specific food are healthier.
© iStock
15 / 30 Fotos
Sugar-free chocolate - Instead of sugar, manufacturers add artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, like maltitol, which can have a laxative effect when consumed excessively.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Salad dressing - Many salad dressings are packed with sugar, vegetable oils, and trans fats. Fat-free versions are usually full of additives, which don't necessarily make them better alternatives.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Salad dressings - Opt for natural dressings such as extra-virgin olive oil and cider vinegar instead.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
Diet ice cream - Diet ice cream has polysorbate 80, an additive that helps give ice cream a creamy texture and increases resistance to melting, that can be harmful to health.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Diet cookies - We know how tempting these are. All the pleasure without the guilt. They sound like the perfect alternative, but these are usually packed with artificial sweeteners and refined oils.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Vegan snacks - Some people believe that, because something is vegetarian or vegan, it is automatically healthier. This could not be further from the truth. Processed vegan food is still junk food.
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
Agave nectar - Agave nectar is a known "natural" sweetener. The problem is that it has huge amounts of fructose, which can be more harmful than regular sugar.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Vegetable oils - Vegetable oils gained popularity as some can potentially lower blood cholesterol levels in the short term.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Vegetable oils
- However some studies have found that these can actually increase risk of developing both heart disease and cancer.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Cereal/Granola bars - These sound like a healthy snack, right? Well, not quite. These are basically candy bars disguised as healthy alternatives. You can commonly find ingredients such as sugar, sorbitol, and soybean oil in them.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Protein bars - Protein bars can be a convenient way to consume protein on the go, but many of these bars are actually full of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and a low biological value protein.
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Sugarless Jello
- The sugar-free version is usually packed with artificial flavors, aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Brown rice syrup
- Also known as rice malt syrup, this sweetener is not as healthy as it sounds. Despite containing virtually no fructose, it has a glycemic index of 98, which will give you a huge insulin spike really fast!
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Brown rice syrup
- But there's more. Arsenic contamination has also been a concern in this sweetener. See also: Accidental food inventions: History's most delicious mistakes
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
Diet soda - It's easy to see how sugar-free versions of popular sodas can be attractive to consumers—most have virtually no calories. But these are full of unhealthy ingredients, including the artificial sweetener aspartame.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Fruit juices
- These are essentially soda. Fruit juices are high in sugar, water, and not much else.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Breakfast cereal - Despite many breakfast cereal having bold health claims printed on their packaging, most are full of sugar and additives. This includes the wholegrain versions.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Breakfast cookies
- This is yet another marketing strategy. Breakfast cookies are, well, cookies. There's nothing "healthy" about them.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Low-fat and fat-free products - What if you could indulge in your favorite fatty foods without feeling guilty for eating lots of calories? This sounds better than it actually is.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Low-fat and fat-free products - Take your average low-fat yogurt for instance. Fat does give a lot of flavor to food. How do you compensate for the lack of flavor? You add lots of sugar instead.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Margarine - Margarine is nothing like butter, which despite being rich in saturated animal fat, is actually real food. Margarine is a a mix of vegetable oils and other chemical compounds that, for many years, was rich in trans fats. It is far from being a healthier alternative to butter.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - The idea of eating whole grain as opposed to processed cereal grains sounds like a good one. These have higher levels of fiber, a lower glycemic index (GI) value, and must therefore be healthier, right?
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - Not necessarily. Modern wheat for instance, is much poorer in nutrients, when compared to the wheat we used to consume in the past.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Whole grain - As for the GI, whole wheat bread will give you a spike in insulin similar to that of white bread.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Organic processed foods - What better way to sell an unhealthy product than branding it as "organic." Is raw cane sugar much better than regular sugar?
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Organic processed foods - The answer is no. It is essentially the same as regular sugar: fructose and glucose. Organic processed food is still processed food.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Sports drinks
- Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade can be beneficial for athletes in certain circumstances. Most people however do not need the added sugar, minerals, and artificial dyes.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Gluten-free - Unless you suffer from gluten intolerance, there is no reason to chose gluten-free alternatives under the false premise that they are healthier.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Gluten-free - Gluten can trigger an inflammatory response in our bodies, but this doesn't necessarily mean that gluten-free alternatives of a specific food are healthier.
© iStock
15 / 30 Fotos
Sugar-free chocolate - Instead of sugar, manufacturers add artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, like maltitol, which can have a laxative effect when consumed excessively.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Salad dressing - Many salad dressings are packed with sugar, vegetable oils, and trans fats. Fat-free versions are usually full of additives, which don't necessarily make them better alternatives.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Salad dressings - Opt for natural dressings such as extra-virgin olive oil and cider vinegar instead.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
Diet ice cream - Diet ice cream has polysorbate 80, an additive that helps give ice cream a creamy texture and increases resistance to melting, that can be harmful to health.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Diet cookies - We know how tempting these are. All the pleasure without the guilt. They sound like the perfect alternative, but these are usually packed with artificial sweeteners and refined oils.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Vegan snacks - Some people believe that, because something is vegetarian or vegan, it is automatically healthier. This could not be further from the truth. Processed vegan food is still junk food.
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
Agave nectar - Agave nectar is a known "natural" sweetener. The problem is that it has huge amounts of fructose, which can be more harmful than regular sugar.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Vegetable oils - Vegetable oils gained popularity as some can potentially lower blood cholesterol levels in the short term.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Vegetable oils
- However some studies have found that these can actually increase risk of developing both heart disease and cancer.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Cereal/Granola bars - These sound like a healthy snack, right? Well, not quite. These are basically candy bars disguised as healthy alternatives. You can commonly find ingredients such as sugar, sorbitol, and soybean oil in them.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Protein bars - Protein bars can be a convenient way to consume protein on the go, but many of these bars are actually full of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and a low biological value protein.
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Sugarless Jello
- The sugar-free version is usually packed with artificial flavors, aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Brown rice syrup
- Also known as rice malt syrup, this sweetener is not as healthy as it sounds. Despite containing virtually no fructose, it has a glycemic index of 98, which will give you a huge insulin spike really fast!
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Brown rice syrup
- But there's more. Arsenic contamination has also been a concern in this sweetener. See also: Accidental food inventions: History's most delicious mistakes
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
Foods marketed as healthy that may be misleading
Some "healthy" foods are just junk food in disguise
© Getty Images
Do you think your diet is healthy? Think again. Consumers are now more health-conscious then ever, so the food industry had to adapt. How to keep selling unhealthy products to the masses? Easy, just brand them as healthy!
Browse through the gallery and check if you're consuming any of these products.
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