Many of us spend time trying to make healthy choices for ourselves. While most of us are aware of these common differences between healthy vs unhealthy food groups – such as broccoli and pizza – other consumables aren’t as clear.
Unfortunately, many snacks that are marketed as ‘healthy’ actually contain hidden sugars and bad fats that make them unhealthy. Let’s bust them out:

1. DIET DRINKS
Diet soda may save you from the calories of regular soda, but it has way more sugar content than regular drinks. People who drink diet sodas don’t typically lose weight. In fact, they may even gain, with added inches around waist. When your body gets that much sweetness all at once, it may begin to crave even more sweet, which leads to consuming more and more sodas.

2. FLAVOURED YOGURT
Yogurt can be a healthy, tasty addition to your diet.However, unlike most plain, regular yogurts, frozen yogurt usually contains a lot of added sugar. Other toppings like candy, fruit syrups, cookiesand chocolate chips can bump up the sugar content without any added fiber or nutrients. Instead, to make your dessert healthier, go for a topping like fresh fruit.

3. GRANOLA /ENERGY BARS
Many granola and energy bars look like they’re a great healthy snack on the go. But if you look at the ingredient list, you quickly realize that these are so high in calories and contain added sugar .To enhance the flavour, many use added sweeteners from stevia to unhealthy ones like high fructose corn syrup.

4. PEANUT BUTTER
A spoonful of peanut butter can be easy ways to add protein and healthy fats into your day. But they can backfire big time, they contain added sugars or trans fats, that increase bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol. Before you buy, make sure the only ingredient is nuts.. A single tablespoon contains nearly 100 calories.

5. SALAD DRESSING
You’re eating more salad for good health. But you may be undoing the benefits when you use a store-bought salad dressing. Salad dressings can add a lot of calories, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. Many of these are made with cheap and inflammatory vegetable oils, which can be worse for you than sugar.

6. MULTIGRAIN BREAD
Multi-grain breads are healthy only if they contain multiple grains made of the entire cereal grain. If they aren’t, then you’ll just be eating refined food made of many types of grains, and that can’t be the best choice. Whole wheat options are healthy choices. So unless you’re absolutely sure that your multigrain food is made of whole grains, it can’t be the healthiest choice.

7. PACKED FRUIT DRINKS
Packaged juices are low in fibre and high in fructose, which is related to increased insulin resistance. We think it’s healthy to buy those tetra packs of juices but sadly that is not the truth. The packaged juice is not healthy when compared to freshly squeezed juice or fresh whole fruits.

8. DRIED FRUITS
That dried fruit you’ve been snacking on could be adding tons of sugar to your diet. Be careful with the portion size, though. Even a small portion carries a high-calorie and high-sugar punch. If you eat more than your body needs, it adds to your body’s fat store.

9. VEGGIE CHIPS
This can be a trap for those looking to make healthier snacking choices— veggie chips tend to have a faux health halo because the average consumer may think they’re eating spinach, beets, or zucchini, when in reality they’re having a combination of starchy vegetables, salt, oil.

10. WHOLE GRAIN CEREALS
Breakfast cereals are marketed as healthy — with boxes featuring health claims like “low-fat” and “whole-grain.” Yet, their first listed ingredients are often refined grains and sugar. Small amounts of whole grains don’t make these products healthy.