As time goes on, people have become more and more conscious of what is going into their bodies. People are very interested in finding new, healthy foods to incorporate into their diets, however not all of these “healthy” foods are exactly what they seem. A lot of these foods, though better than their alternatives, are still quite unhealthy in their own respects.

People will see things with the words “vegetables”, “lite” or “sugar free” and assume that eating those things will be better for them in the long run. Though it is best to avoid artificial foods all together, it is hard, but there are many substitutes that are actually healthy. People will turn to vegetable chips rather than their usual potato chips without realizing that they usually have the same amount, if not more, sodium and fats. Instead, people can make their own chips by baking and spicing vegetables like kale, seaweed and roots, this allows you to 100% know what is going in and on your chips.

It is hard to find healthy foods when you go out to eat. A lot of times people will turn to turkey or chicken burgers instead of the usual beef burgers. Though it is true that those are better alternatives to the regular burger meat they are still cooked with large amounts of oil and are usually modified in some way. A better alternative is getting a salad, but even those you have to be careful with. When ordering a salad you must pay attention to what cheeses and sauces they come with, because those two things alone may negate your “healthy” choice in terms of fats, sodium and sugar.

Fat-free and sugar-free foods are also some deceptively healthy foods. When foods are “fat-free” that fat is replaced with extra sugar and sodium, and the same goes with “sugar-free” foods. More often than not, it is better to buy the original product. Meal substitution bars and smoothies are also usually bad ideas. The bars are high in flour, sugar and saturated fats to make your stomach think it is full, and none of those things are good for you in the high quantities that are in those bars. The smoothies, though they may be made with real fruits, will usually have high amounts of artificial sugars to help sweeten them. Making your own smoothies at home with a blender helps to save you money and assures you of what exactly is going into your drink.

At the end of the day, the best you can do for your diet is to buy organic and make your meals at home. This is the only way to really know what is going into your food and the only way to totally regulate the ingredients you are consuming. Though it can be time consuming to make your meals from scratch it is the best way to maintain a healthy diet, which is always good in the long run.