Açai Berries
Yes, they are healthy in the same way that any fruit is healthy; but, no, they are not the best weight loss solution around.
These little berries boast that their “açai berry diet” is a sure way to lose weight, and even have fans such as Oprah raving about their benefits. However, since the berries are a supplement rather than a weight-loss drug, they can claim anything they want without having to get FDA approval.
Others expect great benefits because açai berries, along with avocados, is one of the few fruits that contain monounsaturated fats. Unfortunately, you would have to eat pounds and pounds of the berries to get any substantial amount of those healthy fats.
Vitamin Water
It is better for you than soda, and it does contain vitamins, but Vitamin Water isn’t really helping you out.
Back in January, Coca-Cola was told by the Advertising Standards Authority that it can no longer market Vitamin Water as being “nutritious” because of the all the sugar the product contains—about one-fourth of the recommended daily amount.
So it has vitamins, but truthfully, many of those vitamins proudly listed on the side of the bottle are easy enough to get by eating a normal diet.
Besides the small amount of vitamins that are trivial to many people, Vitamin Water is basically sugar water. Scratch that—basically very expensive sugar water.
Rice Cakes
Rice cakes are so light, it’s almost too easy to eat another, and another, and another, until you suddenly realize you’ve eaten a whole roll of six.
Since rice cakes lack any substantial amount of protein or fiber, they do next to nothing to fill you up, but instead, tease your appetite into wanting more food.
While the plain, whole-grain rice cakes are the healthiest option, many people (myself included) would rather eat the sugar or salt-loaded varieties such as chocolate drizzle, caramel apple or cheese.
When you’re munching on chocolate drizzled oat puffs, there’s no use pretending it’s a healthy snack any longer.
Dried Fruit
It does often taste better than regular fruit because most companies add in tons of unnatural sugar and preservatives.
For example, one ounce of banana chips can contain about 10 grams of fat, since the chips are deep fried. Never thought fruit would be so high in fat, did you?
Dried fruit is denser than regular fruit, which means that a handful of raisins is going to have way more calories than a handful of grapes. Besides the increase in calories, the dehydration process often takes nutrients out of the fruit.
So while raisins may be a yummy salad topping, don’t count on them to fill your fruit quota for the day.
Granola
Granola is a healthy, good-for-you breakfast option when you consume it wisely.
An entire bowl of granola often contains around 500 calories before adding milk. That’s a pretty heavy start to your day.
Manufacturers often make granola cluster or bars by binding everything together with sugar, oil and more sugar. If you don’t catch on to this, it’s easy to get addicted to the sweet and crispy stuff all while thinking it’s healthy for you.
If you’re careful with your granola, it can be great. Try to buy plain granola in bulk from a whole foods store. In the caf, you can use granola as a topping on yogurt, cottage cheese or oatmeal instead of filling your bowl with it.
Chewable Vitamin C Tablets
As you have probably figured out by this point, nothing beats getting your nutrients from fruit au naturale.
Most people can get all the vitamin C they need just from eating fruits and vegetables, but instead of trusting enough to be enough, many people take an additional vitamin C supplement.
Vitamin C tablets are made from abscorbic acid. The chewable tablets are adding in acid on top of that. Acid plus sugar can never equal a good result for your teeth.
The chewable tablets can cause a change in the pH of the saliva in your mouth, which can lead to dental erosion.
