Things disguised as healthy...

[marshmallowmamma]

A light hearted post but what are some things that are portrayed as healthy but aren't really ? My list is as follows...

Flavoured water
Most yoghurts
Yoghurt coated raisins
Most cereals
Fruit juices

Obviously we need to live a little but give us some that yiu think are purely just marketed to reel us in

Beyond meat is nutritionally very similar to a beefburger. 20g complete proteins, 20g fat, 5g carbs. A beef burger has a bit more fat and zero carbs.
It's definitely not a con. Sure, it's processed but it has plenty of nutritional value.

Anything that says ;
low fat
zero sugar
low saly
and fucking plant based shit!

I’m surprised by the the statistic of 40% of over 60’s being diabetic or pre-diabetic when adults aged 45 to 64 are the most diagnosed age group for diabetes.

@Shmanmonet

Beyond meat is nutritionally very similar to a beefburger. 20g complete proteins, 20g fat, 5g carbs. A beef burger has a bit more fat and zero carbs.

you have described nothing at all about nutritional value. That split tells you nothing about vitamins, nutrients, and ingredient sources. It is so far away from being a beef burger!

bur just goes to show how good the marketing is

Is there any scientific evidence to back this up?

See I don't see how you could eat 100g of them

2 or 3 chunks with a few nuts is a great snack

Many people
Don't get sugar abs insulin spikes form bananas

also with pp, high calorie doesn't mean bad for you and what does another pp believe wrong whole grain rice and pasta
brown rice can just be coloured white rice

I looked at macros. I'm aware it's processed which is a disadvantage and not something to be eaten all the time and there may be micronutrients in meat that are not present in meat substitutes . But to go from that to 'there is no nutritional value' is quite different.

No need to be so patronising that it 'goes to show how good the marketing is'. I'm just as capable as you are at understanding nutrition.

Exactly this. Some of the misinformation in this thread is 🤯

Not much of a disguise though is it, the information is readily available these things aren't healthy, nor do they even seem healthy at first glance.

It's marketed as an alternative to meat, which it is. Who got conned? lol

its marketed to people who want to not eat meat and still want to eat a burger.

Most of these things mentioned are not marketed as health foods and havent been for years

I agree that chocolate can have a place in a balanced diet, and that having "normal" chocolate would be arguably nicer than a "low fat/low sugar" version but it was the fact you got charged the same for about half a bar that aggrieved me!! It would have probably been better value to buy a multipack of fun size bars (but then been strict about only having one)

I would consider myself pretty healthy. I am slim and i average 18000 steps a day.
I have a smoothie for a snack every day- it has a whole banana in it too! I probably eat three portions of fruit in a day.
Also eat rice a few times a week and hummus and museli.
I tried to avoid processed food as much possible but not completely.

@3WildOnes sounds good. It really is all about balance and having a life which you seem to be doing v well xx

since when is giving a teenager a breakfast smoothie "forcing them to eat"?
Its just giving them a fruit smoothie. Its giving them a bit of energy to try and get them through the morning so they dont go fill up on pastries at break or buy a bloody energy drink on the way to school.

All sugar is just sugar. It doesn’t matter if it comes from virgin mangoes or a Mars Bar. The body just breaks it all down incredibly easily to glucose. You need to look at the whole picture - if you’re eating something with 10g of sugar what else does it have in it? Is there also protein, or good fats, or plenty of fibre? What’s the overall profile? Yes, bran flakes and coco pops might have the same amount of sugar, but the bran flakes will also have more fibre and so keep you regular and keep you fuller for longer (though cereal is generally poor for breakfast) so they’re still a better choice.

Granola - portion size is 45g and that's 200 calories and a load of sugar (and it's tiny and not filling at all). Some of them are so sweet they makes my teeth hurt. Smoothies give me a massive sugar rush - most of them are full of apple juice.

Cereal bars

Cereals

Continental breakfast. Cakes and pastries for breakfast, then.

What’s wrong with yoghurt?!

Exactly. A beyond meat burger is pretty good and does the job for me as I prefer not to eat meat and have a vegan daughter. It's not unhealthy in moderation, just as a beef burger isn't unhealthy. Aware that probably a homemade bean burger would probably be healthier but it's not unhealthy and it's not marketed as being healthire than a beef burger. It's actually quite similar (reading further, turns out there's quite bit of iron in the beyond meat burger - cool!)

What's wrong with yoghurt rice cakes and raisins? I thought they were a healthy lunchbox snack for kids? I grew up with penguins and crisps in my lunchbox so assumed the rice cakes and raisins were a healthier option?

Has anyone ever suggested continental breakfast is health food? Sure if you are having yoghurt and fruit, but nobody has ever claimed that the criossants are healthy.

In terms of generally improving the health of the population, 'choose a smoothie instead of coke' is simple advice, easy to follow, and positive.

Smoothies are delicious and nutritious, even if they do have high sugar content. It's a better choice, even if it's not perfect, and fulfills the desire for a sugar hit without all the rubbish that is in fizzy drinks.

Telling people they ought to be meticulously researching nutritional content in everything they eat, and that they should all have more discipline to deny their desire for a sugary drink, will just make them switch off. Sometimes it's about small steps on a large scale.