You might’ve come across many food items that claim to be healthy, and are even endorsed by celebrities as being so. These foodstuffs may even have the support of your parents and elders, and always seem to have the recommendations of almost everyone.
But, how true is this healthiness? Let’s find out, in the first part of our #deBUNked series
Energy Bars (With added Fibers and Antioxidants)
Fiber and antioxidants, huh. Sounds healthy, right? Hence, these bars must be good for you. Err, not quite. The antioxidants present in these bars are sourced from Vitamin E — which don’t really match up to the antioxidants you could get from vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods. And the fiber? The fiber that is added to such food products are just plain, insoluble fiber, the kind of fiber that aids in your digestion, and does nothing for your heart. Forget fancy, healthy-sounding words like fiber and antioxidants; Neither of them makes up for that these flavored, chocolate-laced bars are treasure troves of sugars, particularly HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and partially hydrogenated oil, which is rich in trans fat (remember, trans fat=bad). These bars also contain artificial additives like food dye and other flavorings. If you’re still craving a bar, go for nut-based or fruit-based ones, with little or no sweetening. A good whole grain content is also preferred.
Wraps
Wraps. A shorter, much lighter word than, say, sandwiches. Wraps are also very thin. So the initial impression is that of a low calorie food item, but reality is far from it. Wrap bases are made with refined white flour, or maida. And a large enough wrap can contain almost 400 calories, and 30 percent of your daily recommended sodium intake. Although it is true that you could fill your wraps with healthy fillings like vegetables, beans, or even hummus, most of us end up adding fried meat, creamy sauces and tonnes of cheese —which meta-morphs the once-healthy wrap into a ticking calorie bomb.
Greek Yogurt (Dairy-based)
Greek yogurt has been quite the fad recently. It has received a lot of praise for its thick and creamy texture, and ridiculously high protein content. Which is all true, as long as you stick to the more expensive nonfat varieties. If your Greek yogurt label does not contain these words, then you might want to put them back in their shelves. Regular Greek yogurt gives almost 75 percent of the designated saturated fat limit, and an entire meal’s worth of calories (almost 300 calories in a single cup!). If you’re someone who isn’t really bothered about the high calorie content or excess saturated fats, then this might not be an issue. But for the health fanatics, you will benefit more going for the low-fat or fat-free variants.