Lately, more and more foods are labeled as healthy, but unfortunately, the label "healthy" can be misleading. Many popular foods are packed with hidden sugars, artificial ingredients, and processed additives that can do more harm than good. While they may look nutritious, they often fall short of their health claims. Before you stock up on these so-called healthy options, here are 16 foods that aren’t as good for you as you’ve been led to believe.
Note: The content of this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice tailored to your individual circumstances.
Nut butters
While nut butter is generally healthier, it isn't always natural and often contains unwanted ingredients. Unless it is made with 100% nuts, most “natural” nut butter contains sugars and added preservatives that besmirch the label and lower their nutritional value. Make your own pecan butter, walnut butter, or pistachio butter, you will love it!
Breakfast cereals
We don’t need to name brands, but many label their breakfast cereals as natural when they really are not. From raisin bran to muesli and even oats, there are numerous breakfast cereals that people choose specifically because of their supposed nutritional value.
Sadly, such foods are only labeled natural and are actually loaded with preservatives and additives that can be detrimental to us.
Iced teas
Do you know those packaged iced teas that aren’t only labeled natural but also come with slogans along the lines of ‘made fresh with love/ generational recipes”? Such claims on their part are exactly what makes this discovery disappointing.
The only thing natural in most iced tea is the tea; the rest of the beverage is just sugar, water, and a bunch of additives and artificial flavoring.
Veggie burgers
Okay, this food literally had one job, and it failed. Veggie burgers were introduced to accommodate food preferences in a healthy way, but unfortunately, they’re one of many foods that misuse labels like organic and natural.
Natural veggie burgers may indeed contain organic vegetables, but they’re often seasoned with harmful flavors and additives that refute the whole point.
Granola bars
You may not be willing to hear this one, but if you’ve chosen some granola bars specifically because it said it's natural, you’ve been tricked. Yes, granola bars can be healthy, but most contain additives that dispute their own label.
Commercial goods also go through extreme packaging processes, so even granola brands that use natural ingredients may be sold in unnatural wrappers.
Trail Mix
The number of times we’ve picked out a bad food just because it’s labeled natural is insane. You’d think trail mix is as plain as it could get, but it’s too lying about being natural.
Many trail mixes are seasoned with artificial flavorings, which tone down their naturalness. Combine that with poor packaging, and you’ve got a natural liar.
Bottled smoothies
We should stop buying bottled products altogether because anything bottled and labeled natural is a scam. Bottled products are often loaded with preservatives to keep them fresh, so we should not trust them.
Some bottled smoothies contain fresh ingredients, but they also rely on additives and preservatives that erase their original purpose.
Energy bars
Energy bars started using the ‘natural’ label after they became popular with dieters, and that should tell you all you need to know. While some honest brands are offering natural energy bars, you really can’t trust the food.
Energy bars are made to survive for longer periods, so they’re typically injected with harmful preservatives and additives, which reverse their naturalness.
Gluten-free foods
Okay, here’s the thing. Gluten-free foods shouldn’t be lying about labels because they’re made to accommodate people with gluten allergies. But you should know that foods that claim to be natural may just be claiming they have one natural ingredient.
Such is the case with gluten-free foods. Even if the ingredient in particular is natural, the food may be finely processed and loaded with unhealthy nutrients.
Rice cakes
Rice cakes have great potential to be natural because all they need is to shape mashed cooked rice, right? So we were pretty surprised when we found out they’re not the nature-loving delights we thought.
Rice cakes can be natural, but they’re often seasoned with particular powders that use artificial flavors or additives. This brings down the quality of the label.
Flavored nuts
What could be more natural than a bag of organic nuts packed safely in a bag? Well, a lot of things. While the nuts may be pretty natural, their flavoring is a different story.
Many packaged nuts get their delightful taste from high-sodium additives and artificial flavoring, which can be very dangerous and refute the whole point.
Deli meats
Not all processed meat is bad, but deli meats are among the ones you should definitely never trust.
Deli meats contain unhealthy components like certain chemicals added to preserve their shelf life. These can be dangerous, so buying directly from a butcher is best.
Honey
Honey may be one of the most natural things out there, but a lot of the honey in the grocery store may be deceiving. Some fake honey may actually contain corn syrup, a very unnatural food.
Because corn syrup has a texture very similar to honey, it is often mixed into the honey to make it cheaper. Do not buy it! It actually tastes cheaper and is definitely not natural.
Veggie Straws
Veggie straws seem healthy because they have the word "veggie" in the title. However, most brands of veggie straws are made with almost insignificant amounts of vegetable powder. There are just not enough veggies in that bag of veggie straws to make it a healthy snack.
White Bread
You would think that bread would be a natural food. But think again. Grocery store bread is full of preservatives, artificial flavors, and tons of added sugars. It is almost unrecognizable as real bread.
Go to a local bakery or try your hand at making your own bread instead. You will be glad you did!
Olive Oil
You probably think that olive oil is made from pure olives. Unfortunately, often times it's not. Many olive oil brands add waxes, sterols, and alcohol to the mix to increase shelf life and cut costs.
Make sure you pay the higher price for the best quality, well-known oils that really are natural and not complete fakes.
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