Tag fitness

“Healthy” Bars

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Granola BarMany people love the convenience of bars, whether they are labeled as granola bars, energy bars or protein bars.  However, many of these bars aren’t much better than candy bars in terms of nutrition.  Beware of granola bars, as many of them contain sugar, oil, and even candy.  Energy bars and protein bars are also frequently high in sugar and can also contain caffeine and artificial sweeteners.  Regardless of the type of bar, many formulations also contain preservatives.  What’s more, some bars are so highly processed that they could be described as “fake” foods.

There are some bars out there which are minimally processed and can be considered pretty decent in terms of nutritional value.  Make sure to check the ingredients on the wrappers and look for natural ingredients like oats, fruit and nuts.  You can also make your own granola bars and protein bars.

Here is a great link which has numerous recipes for natural protein bars:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/recipes/protein-bars

This is a good link for a granola bar recipe:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=394740

If you don’t have time to make your own bars, healthier bar choices which you can purchase are the Lara Bar and Quest Bar (http://www.questproteinbar.com).

“Healthy” Cold Cereals

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bowl_o_cerealMany people have fallen under the misconception that dry cereals can be healthy as long as they contain grains such as wheat, barley or oats.  Such grains are subjected to processing which deranges the nutrients that they contain, which is in part why dry cereals are commonly fortified with vitamins and minerals.  It seems counterproductive to strip grains of their nutrients, then add them back in, but this is a very common practice.

Many cereals also contain highly processed flours which also have been stripped of nutrients, and some even contain genetically  modified grains which can have questionable effects on the body when absorbed by the body.  Such flours can sit in the digestive tract for prolonged periods, interfering with absorption of nutrients and creating an environment which invites overgrowth of pathogens.

I must mention something here about instant oatmeal.  It never ceases to amaze me how many people turn to instant oatmeal, believing that because  it is oatmeal, it is healthy.  Patients will tell me that they like the convenience of having the instant variety around.  However, instant oatmeal has a plethora of  ingredients other than oats, such as oat bran, oat flour, salt, caramel color, and guar gum.  Vitamins and minerals are added to instant oatmeal to fortify it since the processing method strips some nutrients away.  Guar gum is used as a thickening agent and will bind liquids in the digestive tract.  Yet people think instant oatmeal is healthy!

A healthier cereal choice is to either find dry cereals which contain buckwheat, millet, quinoa or amaranth.  Another very healthy cereal choice is to cook old-fashioned dry oats.

“Healthy” Sandwiches

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When Jared catapulted Subway Sandwiches into mega success as a result of the ad campaign which featured his weight loss, people became even more enamored of the convenient meal option which has come to define lunch for many people.  However, it makes a HUGE difference what bread, meats and condiments are used.  On the very, very rare occasion when I have to get a Subway sandwich (I think the last time I had one was 5 years ago), I will ONLY get the oven roasted chicken breast.  Why?  Because I avoid cold cuts like the plague.  Cold cuts have been deceptively packaged in grocery stores with labels like “fresh”, “oven roasted”, “99% fat free”, etc.  But the fact remains that cold cuts are extremely high in sodium, usually in the form of sodium nitrate which prolongs the shelf life of these meats.  The problem is that the body breaks down the sodium nitrate in such a way that can become carcinogenic.

Even with use of such preservatives, cold cuts can still harbor dangerous bacteria, the most common of which is Listeria.  Listeria infection is characterized by fever and chills, abdominal pain and vomiting.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to touch a food item which has a high risk of causing such symptoms.  Pregnant women and infants are particularly susceptible to such infection and should avoid consuming processed meats entirely.

Add to this a couple of slices of bread made with processed flour and a dollop of mayonnaise, and you have created a meal that is full of carcinogens, sodium and saturated fat and seriously lacking in nutrition.

A healthier choice is to make your own sandwich with Ezekiel Bread, gluten-free whole grain bread, or P28 Bread (www.highproteinbred.com), a dollop of pure organic mustard, Romaine lettuce, and a nicely grilled portion of skinless chick breast.  sandwich

“Healthy” Foods – Don’t Be Fooled!

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When my patients and clients insist that they eat healthy foods, I am always curious to find out what they consider to be healthy. Usually I hear them list off restaurant salads, sushi, turkey sandwiches, whole grain cold cereals and cereal bars as their healthy foods.  Others will mention low fat versions of many foods, such as crackers, chips, frozen dinners, yogurts, cheese, cold cuts, cereals, etc. and state that they are proud of the fact that they have such foods nestled in their cupboards and refrigerator shelves.

I have news for you who think these are supremely healthy choices: they are not as healthy as you think they are!  In an effort to educate readers on what the nutritional breakdown is for these foods, I am dedicating a separate blog post for each food item which is in bold and italicized in this post.  In addition, whenever possible, I will provide a healthy option for each dish. By no means do I expect everyone to make healthy choices all the time, but I hope to equip them with the tools to make the healthiest and most informed decisions on what foods to eat whenever possible.

STAY TUNED TOMORROW FOR MY FIRST MEAL BREAKDOWN TOMORROW!