The raw whole food faze could be making you fat. Celebrities and nutritionists promoting healthy smoothies on instagram has seen us adding more kale, almonds and coconut water into our daily diet. What bloggers, social media and even some well-known health experts are missing is that, just like any other thing, excess of the ‘good’ food can also be bad for us, meaning: that your healthy daily green juice could be making you fat.
So, if you think that adding more of spinach and broccoli is going to make you healthier in lesser time, you are wrong. It might make you land in a hospital instead. Here is a list of 10 healthy foods that can actually be bad for you if you over indulge.
Although there is no need to ditch these foods totally from your diet, but make sure that you take these health fads with a grain of salt and you don’t exceed the amount that is nutritionally recommended.
- Coconut Water – Raises Blood Sugar and Potassium levels and leads to weight gain. Before skipping water to chug down coconut water at every chance to get ‘supermodel skin’ and ‘hydrate faster’, think about the sugar content (10 grams of sugar per cup). Nothing beats plain water for hydration plus you nix the calories and sugar spike leading to a crash and burn and weight gain later.
Coconut water may not be as healthy as famous ‘instagrammers’ portray - Spinach– Yes, we all know that spinach should be an integral part of our diet as this leafy green is packed with an excellent source of protein, fiber, and vitamins. Spinach is also high in lutein, a carotenoid that may help prevent age-related macular degeneration (a common cause of vision loss and blindness). On the other side, spinach is also high in oxalate, a compound that can lead to the formation of kidney stones—so patients with calcium oxalate kidney stones should avoid overdoing it with this veggie.
- Green Tea – the whole Kayla Itsines fitness craze has led to ladies consuming up to five cups of green tea per day to increase metabolism. This could be dangerous as high blood pressure, liver damage, IBS and also can make anemia worse by inhibiting iron absorption.
Green Tea: packs a punch with antioxidants but too much could be dangerous - Animal Protein– Lean animal protein: If you primarily rely on low-fat meats like chicken breasts or egg whites for your daily dose of protein, it might be time for a diet makeover. Consuming too many animal proteins can be dangerous since it makes your body produce the hormone insulin-like growth factor, which promotes aging and increases your risk of cancer. Extra wrinkles anyone?
- Almonds- Almonds are at the top of the nutritious-snack-foods list. They’re packed with protein and fiber, and can help lower your cholesterol. Nevertheless, if consumed in excess, almonds can lead to serious weight gain as it is packed with over 80% fat.
- Skim Milk- extra sugar or ‘lactase’ is added to skin milk. If you are trying to lose weight skin milk is seriously working against you. Full cream milk and even cream is a better option for those trying to lose weight.
Almond Mylk and Skim Milk: extra sugar anyone? - Protein bars and balls- Protein bars are basically vitamin and protein-infused candy. They seem like a healthy snack replacement, but they can contain more than twice the amount of fat and carbs as a chocolate brownie. Next time you’re in the health food isle check out the nutrition information on the back of a protein bar.
- Yogurt- in any form is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. But some brands have as much fat and sugar as two donuts. Be sure you’re only getting the good stuff by choosing plain, low-fat versions. Flavor them on your own with fruit and honey. And go Greek when you can. Plain Greek Yogurt offers twice as much protein and half the amount of carbs as the traditional type. Steer clear of the ‘fruity’ snack pack ones.
- Fat-free and low-fat..anything- From peanut butter to salad dressing. Just like with skim milk, fat-free/low-fat equals extra sugar and sodium. In just two measly tablespoons of fat-free Italian dressing, you take in up to 500mg of blood-pressure-raising sodium!
- Daily green juice- A carrot, beetroot and orange concoction of mostly green veggie cocktail with apples and pineapple could contain up to 50 grams of sugar per serve, more if it’s spiked with agave syrup, a high-fructose bomb. Remember: juice, even the green kind, without fiber makes a beeline for your liver and kick-starts the production of fat. Juice with fiber , i.e the whole fruit and veg lessens the sugar-spike effect. Try adding the a whole apple or cucumber and some chia seeds for a green juice without the extra weight gain.
Is your daily green juice making you fat?
The raw whole food faze could be making you fat. Scrolling through those inspirational ‘health food’ posts on Instagram may be encouraging you to add unnecessary calories and sugar to your daily diet. The point to remember is that health food fads come and go, there will always be a a new ‘super food’ and ‘super smoothie’ recipe popping up on your social media feed, but overdoing anything is bad for anyone. That healthy green juice you’re adding to your daily diet could actually be racking you up an extra 500 calories a day and making you fat!
