I’ve been dying to write this post, as it’s a topic that gets me really fired up. There are way too many so-called “health” foods out there that are making people fat. Tons of companies are making millions, no, billions, of dollars a year selling you junk labeled as “health food.” IT IS NOT OK.

Go through this list and see which of these foods you have in your house. I guarantee you have a couple of them in your fridge or pantry. Throw them away today and replace them with the alternatives suggested here. Don’t let these foods make you (or your kids) fat any longer! Take a stand for the foods you eat and the foods you DO NOT eat.

YOGURT:
Have you ever compared the nutritional information on a container of yogurt to that on a carton of ice cream? Especially, if you look at the sugar content. In fact, many kinds of yogurt have the same amount of SUGAR as ice cream or a FULL can of pop. Would you eat ice cream for breakfast? Would you drink a Coke for breakfast? I hope not. Read the labels on your yogurt. If it has more than 10 grams of sugar, dump it.

Healthy Alternative: Plain Greek yogurt is a decent alternative (best brands: Fage and Chobani). It is lower in sugar, typically 8 grams or so. You can sweeten it yourself with stevia, maple syrup, honey or fruit. And don’t even think about getting the “low sugar” artificially sweetened yogurts (like 90 calorie Yoplait.) They’ll just give you cancer.

CEREAL:
There are few, if any, cereals out there worth human consumption. First off, starting your day with cereal is typically just giving yourself a big shot of carbs for the day. This means you are throwing your blood sugar into a tailspin for the entire day. Not wise. Breakfast should involve protein, to keep you even keeled for the day, rather than giving you a sugar spike, followed by a crash. What really kills me about the cereal propaganda (yes, it is totally propaganda) is the recent “Whole Grain” spin. I’m sorry, but Whole Grain Fruit Loops are not good for you. No, Whole Grain Coco Puffs aren’t either. Even lower sugar cereals like Cheerios or Corn Chex are just a boatload of carbs that will do nothing to fuel you or your kids. What you eat first thing in the morning will hugely impact what you eat the rest of the day. If you choose cereal, I can almost guarantee, it will hurt, not help the rest of your day.

Healthy Alternative: If you enjoy the crunch of cereal, get a high quality granola (read labels for protein and fiber content) and put a *little* bit over fruit or plain greek yogurt. “Little bit” = 1/4 of a cup or less.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD/PASTA:
Coming in close behind the Whole Grain Cereal Propaganda is the Whole Wheat Brainwashing. Now, I must clarify here – choosing whole wheat products over white products is a good choice. HOWEVER, just because these products have a bit more nutritional value does not make them “healthy”. Many whole wheat products are very processed. And these bread and pasta products are just as high in calories and sugars, because they are still a mega dose of carbs. Because they are highly processed, your body doesn’t absorb them well, as it doesn’t recognize them as real and valuable fuel.

Healthy Alternative: If you need bread, opt for SPROUTED breads. Ezekiel Breads and Dave’s Killer Bread have good sprouted options. These are breads that are much less processed, meaning your body will recognize them as real food and you’ll actually absorb the nutrients. For pasta, opt for sprouted grain pasta (Ezekiel makes one) or quinoa pasta or (my fave) spaghetti squash.

DIET SODA:
There is an endless amount of research on the health risks associated with diet soda consumption. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS CALORIE FREE DOES NOT MEAN IT’S GOOD FOR YOU. Diet soda is actually being linked to obesity AND other major health risks, such as diabetes, heart problems, risk of heart attack, and multiple types of cancer. This is because nothing in this drink is real. Have you read the labels?

The most recent studies show that when you consume diet soda, your body mistakes the sweetness as sugar consumption and forces the same insulin response you would have if you had actually consumed sugar. This leads you to craving more sweets. Ever notice how the minute you have a sip of a diet soda, you want a candy bar? Think about all the obese people you see drinking diet soda. Not really helping them lose weight much, huh? Because the soda is CONTRIBUTING to their obesity.

I get it – you like your Diet Coke. So do I. As a Diet Coke addict in recovery, I totally get it. But I’ll be damned if the Coca Cola company is going to kill me.

Healthy Alternative: soda water with a splash of real fruit juice or a slice of lime.

SMOOTHIES:
There are entire food chains that make a lot of money selling you a huge cup of sugar. A Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie has 82 grams of sugar. That’s the equivalent of two cans of pop. And that is a typical smoothie, not a particularly high sugar one. With that sugar comes a ton of calories down that hatch too. None of this will keep you full for long. Shortly after guzzling that sugar, you’ll want a real meal.

Healthy Alternative: Make your own smoothies for half the calories and a fraction of the sugar. Try our Hot Mama Protein Shake. It should be noted that fruit is good for you, but when you juice a ton of fruit and blend it into a smoothie it packs a huge sugar punch. If you want fruit in your smoothies, do small quantities of lower calories fruits (like berries and apples). If you’re going to use banana use 1/3 or 1/2 a banana, not the whole thing.

FROZEN MEALS:
It is completely understandable that this is necessary sometimes. Your day has been insane and it’s a frozen dinner or a drive thru. So the frozen dinner seems like the better choice. However, many of these frozen “healthy” meals are horrible for you. It’s not just about calories. Sure, they may be low in cals, but they are high in TRASH. I just looked up a Lean Cuisine chicken dinner to use as an example. The ingredients in the chicken portion of the meal, in the order they appear on the label: CHICKEN TENDERLOINS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CORN OIL, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, GARLIC, ONION, PAPRIKA, SPICE. Really??? And that’s just the chicken. Note: it is never ok for the second ingredient in your meat to be high fructose corn syrup. I won’t further frighten you by telling you that the rice has been “flavored” with chicken fat and caramel coloring. Yum, right?

Healthy Alternative: Your local health food store (Whole Foods, etc) will have frozen meals that have REAL food and no preservatives. Amy’s Organics is a great brand for frozen meals. Here’s the ingredients in her frozen burrito: Organic whole wheat & wheat flour, filtered water, organic onions, organic black beans, organic potatoes, organic corn, organic broccoli, organic bell peppers, organic tomatoes, organic kidney beans, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, sweet rice flour, spices, organic garlic, organic green chiles, sea salt, organic jalapeño peppers, tapioca flour. Yes, recognizable FOOD. Amen!

If you have any of these “health” foods in your house, I challenge you to go dump them now! If you need more ideas on alternatives, let us know and we’ll help you out.

Be sure to share this article with others who may be innocently riding the same “health” food train you’re on.

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