26 so-called ‘healthy’ foods you should avoid

Trying to follow a healthy diet in the real world can be like trying to follow a path through a jungle. Are carbs bad? Can foods really reduce your cancer risk? Do you need a multivitamin? Misleading labels on our food can only make things even more confusing. When buying things at the store, these labels can easily be misconstrued. “People love pretty designs and promises of health,” Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian at Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital in New York, told The Daily Meal. But don’t be fooled. A manufacturer may decrease fat in their foods, but replace it with sugar. Or a “lower sodium” label might only mean the food has less sodium than an earlier version of the same item. Where can you find the truth? “On the back, in the nutrition facts label, and in the ingredients list,” Schiff says. “Don’t believe everything they tell you. Read the back labels and judge for yourself.” These 26 foods, for example, may present themselves as healthy, but may not be as nutritious as they seem.