4 Good Food Gone Bad: Some 'Good' Foods Can Be Bad For You

If you’re an avid follower of health foods, regularly finding yourself on nutrition websites, then you might find you are constantly told that some foods are ‘good’ and others are ‘bad’. These articles can make you question whether something is good or bad for you. What you should be asking yourself is ‘is this food good for me?’ The difference is that many foods have positive and negative aspects. I’m always asked about good and bad food, but even a spoon of butter can be right for your diet if you’re deficient in those nutrients. That said, we consider some foods very good for us, when in fact they are hiding nutrients that you might not be aware of. In this blog, we will look at 4 foods which have generally got a good reputation, but are hiding excesses that you might not need. We’ll also suggest alternatives which can help!

Fat Free Yogurt

Not so good for you?

In the case of fat free yogurt, the name is deceptive. We often think of dairy products as high fat and as such when we see fat free dairy products, we are generally interested in it. But remember the old saying, you don’t get anything for free. What they take out in fat, they usually add in sugars. This adds flavour and makes the yogurt more pleasing, but it means your fat free yogurt isn’t the best for your diet. 100g of yogurt contains 19g of sugar in some brands. To put that in context, 100ml of coca cola contains 10.6g of sugar, so that’s almost twice as much sugar in your yogurt! In addition to this, the yogurt really doesn’t add anything extra to your vitamin and mineral levels, only adding slight amounts of calcium, phosphorus and riboflavin to your diet.

A better option: Greek Yogurt: A superfood with excellent benefits. Find out more here.

Grapes

Grapes are fruit, but are they good?

Grapes are a fruit and benefit from the healthy reputation that comes with that food group. What a lot of people forget is that sugar is a product produced in plants, as photosynthesis creates glucose and so fruit is often high in sugar. Grapes are particularly high in sugar, and as such they can add needless calories to your diet. In 100g of grapes you’ll find 15g of sugar, which is quite a lot for such a small amount. You regularly find yourself eating a handful of grapes, and forgetting that each 100g portion is adding 70 calories to your intake, and often it is these snacks which we forget. It’s more sugar per 100g than Lucozade energy drinks, so you can see the nutritional extras you are taking in. They do contain extra vitamin C and K, but not so much to allow for the sugars.

A better option: Blackberries: These berries are packing fewer calories and more antioxidants. Find out more here.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Sun dried tomatoes are often added to salads and meals as a tasty extra. As a fruit they are good for you, and count as one of your 5 a day. Good, yeah? Actually, not so great as you might think. The process of sun drying intensifies flavour, and nutrients. 100g of sun dried tomatoes is packing with vitamins and minerals, with almost every one you can think of showing a healthy percentage as part of the tomato. They are great if you want a vitamin and mineral injection. On the down side, you are also packing in a lot of other intensified nutrients. 100g contains 87% of your daily salt and 38g of sugar. That’s right, 38g, more sugar than a whole can of coca cola! That means that the 100g portion of tomatoes adds 258 calories to your diet. That adds more to your diet than you need, and the vitamins and minerals aren’t as useful as they could be if you got them from a less calorific source.

A better option: Yellow Tomatoes: At only 15 calories per 100g, these tomatoes are a healthier choice.

Sushi

Is sushi good for you?

Sushi owes a lot of its reputation to its seemingly healthy ingredients. Rice, fish and vegetables are not usually bad options and as sushi has become more regularly available, it has gained a following by health conscious individuals. Obviously different types of sushi contain different ingredients, so we’ll look at this is a general way. The most calorie free sushi can contain 136 calories per roll, but some have as many as 508 calories per roll, like the shrimp tempura roll. That is the same amount of calories in a MacDonald’s quarter pounder! Given that you are likely to consume 3-4 rolls per meal, you might be pushing 1400 calories per meal. Sushi is also often loaded with salt, through soy sauce or extra salt for flavour. It might look innocent, but sushi is often high in calories.

A better option: Fish and brown rice: Make your own, using our good fish guide.

Conclusion

It’s important not to believe that everything that looks good for you is. Often to improve sales or flavour extra calories are added in the form of sugar or fat. Always make sure you check your packets to see the contents, and try to make your own food to reduce sugar and salt usage.

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Happy Eating!