Healthy Foods Illusion

Granola has always been on the list of healthy foods, as it contains nuts, dried fruits, oats, and grains that make people love them. However, nutritionists show that not all the foods that look healthy have the necessary content of fibers, vitamins and mineral to sustain their appearance.

The Food and Drug Administration announced a future revision of the standards for healthy foods, in order to adjust the old figures with the newest discoveries in the field.

A recent survey compared the opinions of nutritionists with the general perception of the consumer. The result showed that people had very different expectations when it comes to healthy foods. The most poignant misconception involved granola.

The granola bars were considered by 71% of the public to be healthy. On the contrary, the percent of nutritionists that agreed was only 28.

When it comes to regular granola, the percentage of consumers rose to 80%, while the nutritionists remained at a cautious 47%.

One of the key points in these differences is that the regular granola and the bars can differ in terms of ingredients. Thus, the experts recommend always reading the nutritional label before buying them. The content in sugar and fat is as important as the number of calories and the ingredients.

Many of the granola products on the market are filled with sugar. For example, one bar contained oats as the main ingredient and sugar as its second. It included brown sugar syrup and honey.

Another product, labeled as peanut butter chocolate chip chewy granola bar, contained mostly brown sugar, sugar, and corn syrup.

The nutritionists warn that there is a big difference even among the type of sweeteners used in the granola products. For example, corn syrup is more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream than honey, and it can raise the level of blood sugar very fast.

Another product that raised a debate is coconut oil. 72% of the population considered it to be healthy, while only 37% of the nutritionists agreed.

The same thing happened with SlimFast Shakes, frozen yogurt, and quinoa.

The latter was a big surprise for everyone, as the seeds had been extendedly advertised as a miraculous food. It contains essential amino acids, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The only problem is that it has to be consumed raw. Any cooking can drastically reduce its nutritional value. It seems that the general population disagreed with this.

On the bright side, the products that everyone agreed to be healthy are wine, sushi, hummus, shrimp, and tofu. They may not cover a week-long diet. However, it’s good to know healthy foods still exist.

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