These Low-Quality Foods Are Frequently Advertised As “Healthy”

Ask a health-conscious person about their diet, and you’ll almost always hear that they’re a super healthy eater. But if you probe a little deeper, it often becomes clear that this person is unknowingly consuming some foods that aren’t part of a healthy diet, which are potentially contributing to inflammation, reduced immunity, and a host of other unwanted results.

The truth is, there’s just so much confusion surrounding labels these days. Companies throw around buzz words such as “organic,” “all-natural,” “sugar-free,” and others like they’re no big deal. So it’s on us, the consumers, to use common sense, and a little detective work. If you need a cheat sheet, here are some foods that many of us consume on a regular basis that we absolutely, positively shouldn’t…

Energy Bars

Energy bars should really be written “energy” bars. These are essentially candy bars in fancier wrappers, masquerading as health foods. The highest-quality “energy” bars are incredibly processed, laden with sugar and contain hardly enough protein or fiber to make them worth the tradeoff.

When you go with low-end “energy” bars, now we’re talking GMO and pesticide-packed ingredients such as nuts, soy and other low-quality processed fillers and coatings such as maple syrup, chocolate etc. Unless you’ve got absolutely no other choice within a many-miles radius, do yourself a favor and pass on these altogether.

You can replace the convenience of this snack by making your own nutrient-dense trail mix, and eating that along with a banana or other piece of fruit. But whatever you do, save yourself the energy and don’t be eating “energy” bars.