In today’s day and age, it is a herculean task trying to make sense of what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to picking healthy food choices from what’s presented on the Internet. With content creators shoving information down our throats at every step of the way, a new category has emerged, titled ‘health foods’- which promise nutritional benefits. But are these health foods completely safe, or do they come with their own set of health risks?
Indianexpress.com spoke to a nutritional expert to debunk myths associated with some common health foods.
“In my opinion, any commercial food claiming it is a diet or a low-calorie food is a scam. Until the food is self-prepared, wherein an individual possesses complete knowledge about the ingredients and can monitor its calories, we cannot be sure whether diet foods that are sold commercially are truly diet,” said Arooshi Aggarwal, Nutritionist and wellness consultant, Arooshi’s Nutrylife.
She shared that these foods might comparatively be less salty, sugary or oily compared to other products but still be high in calories.
“What to buy and what not from outside is an individual choice based on commercial knowledge and preferences, but I believe label reading is something that every individual should know before they welcome any commercial foods into their homes and eventually in their bodies,” said the nutritionist.
For example, a common health food is dark chocolate, which she explained to be packed with antioxidants and has benefits such as anti-ageing and controlling blood sugar levels, as it contains less sugar than the milk chocolates available in the market.
Grilled meat
“Grilling any vegan or a vegetarian source of protein at very temperatures isn’t that harmful in comparison to non veg ones. In fact, there might be a nutritional loss – hence, cooking methods play an important role,” said Aggarwal.
However, she added that grilling meats at very high temperatures makes it highly carcinogenic, as the probability of meat getting charred is very high. She advised consuming lean meat in the form of soup or in the boiled form as it does not get charred.
Low fat yoghurt
“Low fat yogurts that are commercially prepared are still high in calories. Curd on the other hand is homemade and has no added sugar required for its preservations,” she said.
What to buy and what not from outside is an individual choice based on commercial knowledge and preferences (Source: Freepik)
Artificial sweeteners
When it comes to artificial sweeteners, they might have no sugar in them but they are synthetic in nature and overconsumption can cause various digestive issues like bloating. In the long run, dependency on it harms vital organs like kidneys and might cause renal diseases, especially if one is diabetic.
In general, Aggarwal said that the only rule that works here is to constantly remind us that moderation is the key, as excess of anything is always always injurious to health.
According to her, having various variations of foods on a platter not-only fulfil nutritional requirements but also helps in breaking the body natural urge to depend on a specific food.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
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