I want to start doing some MyTakes on fitness-related subjects, my passion.
Here are 4 foods/beverages that are asserted by major food and beverage conglomerates, portrayed as being healthy, but clearly lack nutritional substance:
1. Fruit juices/smoothies/sports drinks.
Wouldn't that be nice if we could consume nutrients and it would be as sweet as nectar, without consequences? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.
Fruit juices (orange, grape, apple, etc.), sports drinks (gatorade, powerade, etc.), fruit smoothies (Jamba juice for example) have equivalent sugar content (spikes blood sugar and leads to almost immediate fat gain) and acid content (enamel-teeth stains and erosion) to soda. These drinks are simply vitamin-enriched sugar beverages. A simple multi-vitamin would be much more effective.
A quick note on sports drinks, yes they are used by many collegiate and professional athletes. And yes, the fructose (fruit sweetener) helps replenish quick energy during a game, but the simple truth is most likely everyone that would ever read this does not engage in the level of physical activity requisite to justify the sugar intake.
2. Diet soda
You can't have your cake and eat it to. Soda and diet soda are both poison. Both are beyond abnormal for your body to consume on a regular basis. All nutritionists I've read or spoken with strongly discourage consuming more than a small amount of soda or diet soda more than once a week or once a month. Complete exclusion would obviously be the smartest choice.
The research is clear on this one. (1) there is a causal link between aspartame and certain types of blood cancer and colon cancer. I can dig up scholarly sources if someone wants me to, but it's all over American Society for Nutrition, Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences, British Journal of Nutrition, and many others.
(2) Aspartame destroys your body's metabolism from the inside out. That zero calorie label comes with a price. Aspartame confuses your body (further proving how abnormal this chemical is) in its insulin response. Your body doesn't know how to react, so it does 2 things: 1- Aspartame contains the chemicals phenylalanine and aspartate. Both of these substances cause a dramatic increase in body fat storage. These substances interfere with insulin and leptin, which both control how fat is handled, and stored. 2- Aspartame creates a dramtic increase in appetite and cravings.
This is controversial since diet sodas are so popular, but the research is absolutely conclusive. Make no mistake, consistent consumption of diet soda is guaranteed to increase body fat.
When I was a personal trainer in college and I'd bring this up, I'd be asked what is a safe alternative. In my opinion, the one and only safe alternative is what I used personally to permanently eliminate soda consumption (other than with an occasional cheat meal): sparkling water/seltzer water. Carbonation has no ill nutritional effects. Water + carbonation helps simulate the soda effect and you can easily wean yourself off of soda forever.
3. "Wheat" bread
Hear me out on this one, I'll keep it concise. At your local grocery store, there are several brands of bread labelled as "wheat" or "multi-grain" but still contain many refined/enriched flours that you see in white bread and other high glycemic index carbohydrates.
We need to select carbohydrates based on the glycemic index, lower GI ranked carbs do not result in body fat response.
Examples of low GI and healthy carbs would be: whole wheat pasta, rice, quinoa, oats/barley/rye/core grains, sweet potatoes.
Examples of high GI and poor quality carbs would be: white bread, refined/enriched flours, pizza dough, cakes and pastries, white pasta, processed corn found in many leading brand cereals.
You have to really look at the nutrition labels on wheat breads. Avoid anything: "enriched" flours, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, or high-fructose corn syrup. A safe route to avoid poor quality breads would be sticking with brands like Ezekiel Breads or true grain breads found in health stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. This is a tough area you have to be really independent on. One time I asked 3 employees at my local grocery store if they had Ezekiel bread, and this was the look I got:
4. Some protein bars
Alright I'm getting tired of typing. Luckily this one is simple, in the guise of being a nutritional supplement, some protein bars are really saturated with sugars, or fake sweeteners. It's really just a candy bar with some extra protein. You have to be careful, like everything else. I personally would recommend Quest Bars or Pure Protein Bars, Think Thin Bars are good too.
Just like all supplements, it just fills in gaps between meals.
In conclusion, being healthy is a lifestyle that requires initiative, commitment, and self-education. It's extra time that is a very profitable investment. It really isn't that expensive. My rice cooker and dirt cheap chicken breasts on the grill produce a week's worth of very, very high quality protein and carbs for bodybuilding needs than the pricey box of Lucky Charms, that 12-pack of Coke, pop tarts, frozen pizzas and King size Snickers bar. Having a cheat meal here and there enables you to stay motivated for the long-term.
It's not nearly as pricey, it's not nearly as intimidating as it looks to eat clean and eat right. It's very tempting to leave the world of Paleo diet (wholesome, clean, unprocessed foods that have been around forever) and dive into the world of comfort eating like the rest of America. Colon cancer is very high in North America for a reason, and it starts with our groceries we purchase.
Eating clean truly is worth it. Which derives more pleasure, the 5 seconds of mental europhia from sugar or a lifetime of having a fit body?
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