Shhhhhh......don't tell, but here are foods that society advertises as healthy, but are secretly bad for you. In this article, I am going to tell you about some common "Masked Villain" foods and how to eliminate them from your diet.
Granola-
Granola is loaded with sugar and carbs, regardless of how much natural sweetener you use. According to livehealthy.chron.com, 1/2 cup of the average granola will cost you a whopping 300 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 13 grams of sugar. Since the average women should eat around 24 grams of sugar a day, 1/2 cup of granola would be more than half your sugar goal for the day. Not only that, but granola is a food that will make you crave more sugar and carbs throughout the day. So, the next time you see that nature valley granola bar, put it down, and remember that this "health" food is not all that it seems. Plus, many granola companies don't use natural sugar like honey, agave, or maple syrup, and use corn syrup and cane sugar instead!
Fruit Juice-
Fruit Juice brings back so many memories of sipping on juice boxes as kid without a care in the world. Now, we should know better. Since the process of juicing the fruit removes the fiber from the fruit itself, it becomes devoid of all nutritional value, leaving you with sugar soup. Fruit juice will also make you crave more sugar. Next time you are craving something sweet, opt for a piece of fruit instead.
Açaí Bowls (in certain circumstances)-
The açaí bowl is super trendy today. It is all over instagram and snapchat, and most likely is in a store near you. Now, listen carefully. The açaí berry has tons of nutritional benefits and is very healthy to eat by itself, however, the problem arises when you add toppings. The most common toppings for açaí bowls are peanut butter, nutella, and granola and more high calorie and high sugar additions. When you add these to an average açaí bowl, you can be consuming up to 600 calories! Be mindful that even though you are eating a very healthy fruit, the toppings are just like ice cream and should not be added, only in special occasions. If you do want toppings, put sliced bananas, strawberries, coconut flakes, and eat only half the bowl.
Starbucks-
It pains me to say that my favorite place Starbucks, serves some painfully unhealthy drinks. The majority of Starbuck's frappes, cappuccinos, and lattes all have processed sugary syrup added to them. These drinks are all super high in sugar and unnatural flavorings, making them awful for our health and looks. Unfortunately, since Starbucks is super popular in our generation, many people don't realize how truly bad these drinks are for you. A tall Vanilla Bean Frappuccino has 280 calories and 57 grams of sugar! More than twice the amount of daily allowance for sugar intake!
Masked Villain foods are widely advertised and praised by society, so it is so important to understand exactly what you are consuming and the destructiveness of it.