Diet gun

In recent years, when the internet has influenced all of our lives with the abundance of information options it gives us, we have noticed that the awareness of nutrition issues has increased and the interest is mainly focused on so-called healthy foods.

Food companies could not remain without participation in this and immediately prepared foods that are considered healthy, such as low or no-fat foods, foods with sugar substitutes, gluten-free foods, etc. The aim of the companies is of course financial benefit.

Low or no-fat foods, foods with sugar substitutes, gluten-free foods are now considered healthy foods.

But are such foods healthy ?

Low-fat or no-fat foods

Fat adds flavor to foods. Tasteless, fat-free or low-fat foods would not have the consumption and profits that the companies that manufacture them expect, so they have to add flavor, which is usually done by adding sugar or synthetic sugar substitutes.

Such food is not healthy, as it is known that sugar consumption can cause obesity and cardiovascular problems. The consumption of sugar substitutes such as saccharin, acesulfame K, aspartame have been associated with the appearance of tumors.

¨Organic¨ fruits and vegetables

The word ¨organic¨ next to the food refers to something… healthy.

Organic is a product that, before reaching the market, has gone through the stages of the production, processing, packaging, storage, and transportation chain in accordance with the specifications set by the organic product certification organizations.

In the case of fruits, vegetables and herbs, they must have been grown without the use of herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetic methods. How certain is this if the neighboring field that is not ours also uses herbicides and growth factors? With a little air, they will also pass into our field and our products will be contaminated with these ingredients.

Prepared fresh fruit juices

Prepared fresh fruit juices such as juice nectar, natural juices may not contain any fruit at all. They are usually made from water and chemicals that give the water a taste similar to the fruit and of course they also have added sugar which is low cost giving the appropriate sweetness to the…juice.

Breakfast Cereals

Most breakfast cereals claim to contain whole wheat or are low in fat or contain added vitamins.

However, most of these cereals contain a large amount of sugar to be palatable and to keep their buying public with their sweet taste. However, if they wrote in big letters on their box that they contained sugar, no one would buy them, now that they write that they are made from whole wheat, everyone buys them without looking at the fact that out of 30 grams of product, 20 may be pure sugar.

Vegetable oils and their products

Consuming vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil does not guarantee the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Vegetable oil products such as margarine, mayonnaise or salad dressings also contain emulsifiers, added starches or proteins, salt, acids, preservatives, chemical flavorings and have undergone partial hydrogenation (creates saturated bonds in the fats) to help the stability and durability of the product. Maybe not so healthy after all?

Gluten-free foods

Foods that are formulated to be gluten-free usually contain more sugar, saturated fat, or additives to enhance flavor and texture, lower fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and are often the same or less nutritious than foods with gluten.

YES, we should use gluten-free foods if we have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or an allergy to wheat, rye, or barley because avoiding gluten is essential for our health, but NO, we should not use these foods if we do not have these conditions.

Energy drinks

Energy drinks contain sugar and electrolytes, helping athletes replenish the energy and electrolytes they have lost during training or competition and need to continue to compete.

Energy drinks are UNSUITABLE for people who do not exercise intensely (e.g., those who only walk) or do sports that do not consume much energy from the body, or sports of very short duration because they do not lose such a large amount of liquid electrolytes and carbohydrates through sweating and fatigue that they need to immediately replenish their reserves.

Just because a food is promoted and advertised as healthy does not mean that it is. We should always read the labels of prepared foods and judge based on their overall nutritional value, not just the marketing.

Critical thinking, that is, the ability to think logically, methodically, and independently, so as to evaluate information, arguments, and opinions with distinction and depth, judging the reliability of information and drawing well-founded conclusions instead of being influenced by emotions, authorities, or stereotypes, will help us choose truly healthy foods and not foods that are offered to us as healthy.

Finally, critical thinking is the path to a better life, or… am I wrong?