6 Shocking Foods That You Think Are Healthy, But They Are Not

Hi, everyone. I’m Dr Saleem and today I’ll be telling you about six food items that are often considered quite healthy, but in reality, these foods are very unhealthy and can harm you.

A lot of people consume these foods that I will mention in this article, thinking that they are good for their health. But often the opposite happens and these foods cause more harm to their bodies than good.

The foods that I am going to tell you about in this article are all very commonly used foods. So chances are hight that you must be eating on or two of them in your diet right now.

So let’s learn about these things in detail. Read the article below and watch this video:

1. Brown Bread

Friends, the first food in this list of 6 unhealthy foods is the most commonly used item, which is brown bread.

It is often believed that brown bread is a healthier alternative to white bread and it is believed that we get whole-wheat flour in brown bread with lots of healthy fibre.

We often assume that brown bread gives us the same amount of nutrition and fiber that we receive through our desi rotis.

But the reality is completely different. You will never get 100% wheat flour in any brown bread. You can pick any brown bread and read its ingredients label for yourself. You will see “refined wheat flour” written on it.

Refined wheat flour means “Maida”. It also contains sugar, salt, vegetable oils, and also, some preservatives to retain its freshness and increase shelf life.

Refined flour and sugar cause unhealthy weight gain. It gets stuck inside your intestines creating constipation and indigestion.

Also, the preservatives and the flavouring agents found in the bread are artificial in nature and these
can enhance the risk of cancer and other serious diseases.

So if you eat brown bread regularly, thinking that it is healthy for you and as good as a roti, then you are mistaken. You should stop eating brown bread and instead start eating roti.

2. Peanut Butter

The second unhealthy food that we included in our list is peanut butter. Now, this is a shocking inclusion because Peanut butter is often considered healthy. Even a lot of dieticians advise you to include it in your diet in moderate quantities as it may help you in losing weight and also give you good nutrition.

In fact, peanut butter has a lot of protein and some healthy fats as well that are considered good for your health.

Friends, peanut butter is no doubt healthy, but in India, all the brands of peanut butter that we get,
don’t just put peanuts in it, they put other unhealthy things in it as well.

Often, the peanut butter we use is branded and packaged. We don’t make it ourselves at home, which is why we get a lot of additional things inside the peanut butter which companies add to improve taste, consistency and shelf life.

You get sugar, salt, preservatives and lots of flavouring agents inside the peanut butter. These things are quite harmful to your health. For example, added sugar increases your calorie count, so you can gain weight. The hydrogenated oils put inside Peanut butter can become a big source of Trans-fats in your body. Trans fats can cause cardio-vascular problems and your cholesterol levels can increase.

Also, the salt inside peanut butter can increase the Sodium intake of your body and that can increase your blood pressure.

Preservatives are also present in most peanut butter brands. These preservatives have their own harmful side effects.

So, you see the branded peanut butter we generally use carries a lot of harm to our health. This is why I
included peanut butter in this list so that you don’t use its branded form. Most branded peanut butters are not a healthy.

Now, the question is, what kind of peanut butter can you safely use? Friends, if you find a brand or product of peanut butter that has 100% pure butter made from peanuts only, and there is no other additional things in it, then it would be very good. But practically it is almost impossible for you to find such a product (not impossible though).

So the better option for you would be to make peanut butter yourself at your home. It is a very simple recipe. You can make peanut butter at home in just 5-10 minutes.

If you search on YouTube or Google about how to make peanut butter, you will get many god recipes.

Fat-Free and Low Fat Products

The next food item that you should not include in your diet is fat-free products or products that are called low-fat items.

Friends, you will get many such products in the market that have written on the label that these are low-fat products or fat-free products. Many biscuits, pastries and other types of grocery items are available nowadays that claim to be low-fat and no-fat.

We look at these products and think that they are healthy and good for us. But it is a mistake that we make because all the products that claim to be fat-free have much more sugar in them than normal products.

Also, these types of foods contain chemically processed ingredients that work as fat substitutes. So if you are buying these products thinking they are fat-free, and good for you, then you are mistaken and you should avoid these.

Energy Drinks

Friends, energy drinks are also trending these days and a lot of people, especially youngsters feel swag drinking these.

All the ads for energy drinks that we see, be it Sting or Redbull, are made in such a way that youngsters get impressed. These ads make these youngsters believe that if they drink these drinks
they will get energy and it is a cool thing to do.

No doubt, by drinking these drinks, you will get a temporary energy boost, and your mind becomes alert, but these drinks have some serious side effects that you must be aware of.

Energy Drinks have a lot of sugar in them which is harmful to you. It may cause Insulin resistance and
Diabetes. Also, these drinks contain a substance called High-fructose corn syrup which creates fat in our body at a rapid pace. It is also a major cause of the development of the fatty liver.

Also, all these energy drinks contain Caffeine, which makes your mind alert temporarily and helps you fight sleep but if you use it long-term or in larger quantities, then you may become addicted to it.
It may cause restlessness and you may also start having sleep-related problems.

Protein Bars

Just like energy drinks, protein bars and protein shakes are also very popular these days, especially among the urban population.

Often, people think that more protein in their diet is good for them. But they don’t realise that a normal person following a normal routine, who eats healthy food, doesn’t need to take these protein bars and protein shakes.

Protein bars and shakes contain a lot of artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours, added sugar,
and things like preservatives that are harmful to your health.

If you are an athlete, or sports person or you do bodybuilding, then, in that case, you need extra protein and so you can use these products. But if you are an ordinary person having an ordinary life,
If you have a 9-5 job and don’t do a lot of workouts or physical activity, then you don’t need to use these products.

If you want to increase the protein intake in your diet, take it naturally. For example, you can eat eggs
which is a very good source of protein; you can eat fish, you can eat chicken, you can add pulses to your diet, and you can eat soybean and paneer.

There are many natural things that are good sources of protein, so you can make up for the lack of protein in your diet with these.

Masala Oats

Friends, the last food on our list today, which we think is healthy but is actually unhealthy, is masala oats.

You may have seen many ads for masala oats that claim that if you eat these regularly, then you will lose weight, your cholesterol levels will go down and your health will be good.

Oats is a very healthy grain, no doubt about this, but only if you use them in their natural form. If you use these masala oats or ready-to-cook oats, then you get more things added to the actual oats,
that can be harmful to your body.

For example, masala oats contain high levels of Sodium that increases your blood pressure. It also contains a substance called maltodextrin, which is an artificial sweetener.

It also contains a lot of preservatives and artificial flavouring agents that cause even more harm to your body.

So if you want to use oats, then you should use natural, normal oats and you should make it yourself in your home using vegetables. It would be best for you.

Final Thoughts

Healthy eating is crucial for our health and well-being. The more we eat packaged and highly marketed foods, the higher our chances of getting sick.

I always advise people to stick to their roots. eat raw, organic foods that are minimally processed. This is the key to good health. Stay Healthy!