TeamThere is a constant stream of products and new information in the food industry. New products keep pushing each other around, old brands constantly trying to innovate and, with this new fitness trend, there is a constant and endless stream of information regarding old and new products alike. It is madness!
We never really know what we are buying and if the things we buy are actually healthy! Have you ever noticed that reduced-fat products most of the time turn out to be worse than plain regular products? The marketing plays are insane, and we need to be very careful with our diet and with our wallets.
Unhealthy foods that you should not buy again
- Products with “blueberry”: this is not to say that there are no products with actual blueberry in them; however, most items that do advertise to have “blueberries” turn out to be a total flop. They add an artificial flavor to granola bars, muffins and more and market it as real blueberries. This is super unhealthy for you and your wallet!
- Reduced-fat products: one of the most deceiving tricks in the food industry – reduced fat.
- There are indeed products that can have their fat-reduced, but most of them are marketing traps intended to trick the customer. For example, reduced-fat peanut butter, is still delicious and tastes nearly the same as the original.
How? They replace the fat with sugar! It is not “misleading” because it indeed has reduced fat, but it does not have a lower number of calories at all! Even worse, the removed fat from the peanut butter is healthier than the added sugars. - Meat patties: Frozen burgers are a product that has always felt odd to me. First of all, they are more expensive than just buying ground meat, which you then form into the shape of a burger. It literally takes five to ten seconds when you throw them on the grill! Frozen burgers sometimes come with a bunch of weird textures and a bunch of artificial preservatives. Would you not feel safer knowing what you are grilling?
“Fitness” foods that you should avoid
- Energy drinks: these little bombs may seem like a harmless energy boost. Are they harmless though? Apparently not. One of these can have a crazy amount of caffeine, equivalent to five or even ten cups of coffee! In addition to the caffeine, they are also packed with high amounts of sugar to make sure that you feel energized. And they have been linked to severe health consequences, such as convulsions, heart attacks, and, in rare cases, even death. So… do not replace your cup of coffee anytime soon.
- Energy and/or protein bars: Supermarkets leave these bad boys by the counter to try tricking you into an impulse buy. There is no denying, some of these bars are super delicious but you really should not cave in and buy them. Very similarly to energy drinks, these so-called “fitness” bars can be packed with high amounts of sugar and fat. They are delicious after all. In most cases, they just produce a normal chocolate bar and add whey protein to increase the protein level and brand it as “fitness”.
Final thoughts
Now, more than ever, we all need to be extra careful when we buy our groceries. Multiple products that were considered healthy are now seen as extremely unhealthy. We used to trust in our producers and supermarkets, but it is evident that we have to do our own research to find what we should buy and the products and food that we absolutely should not buy again.
