free-health and wellness tips

Some foods we think of as healthy aren't necessarily good for us. To give you a clearer picture checkout the rest of this post.

1. Energy/Granola bars: Though marketed as high fibre, high protein and low carb, most of them range from 150 - 350 calories. Since one small bar can hardly make you feel sated, chances are that you just might end up eating three. While they might be good as a post-workout replacement for athletes or those into heavy training, for a normal person, they trigger insulin and later hunger pangs when the sugar levels go down.
2. Pro-biotic Supplements: Probiotics are your body's friendly bugs that keep the growth of harmful bacteria under check in your gut. It is found naturally in yogurt and other fermented food. Supplements are also available over the counter. There is no published evidence as to that pro-biotic supplements really. In one therapeutic trial done it was shown that the supplements would indeed be fatal to critically ill patients.
3. Low-fat cheese: Cheese is good for your health. The calcium in the cheese can actually help you burn fat if consumed in moderation. Low-fat cheese and spreads claim to have the same goodness sans the calories from fats. This may not be as great as it sound. In the run after low fat, the salt intake goes up, putting you at risk for hypertension. The synthetic emulsifiers with high omega-6 fatty acids ratio increase bad cholesterol.
4. Protein Shake: Though recommended for sportspersons and people on high protein diet they are not advisable for people who have balanced diets. They can cause health problems in the long run, particularly relating to kidneys and thinning bones. A person normally needs only about 0.8gm of protein per kg of body weight. Anything above the prescribed limit thickens your waistline.
5. Diet Sodas and Sugar Substitutes: Aspartame and sucralose are the two key players in this arena. While the former is forever looming in controversies blaming it for health problems ranging from brain damage to male infertility, the latter is promoted as a 'natural' substitute. However even sucralose has not been proven safe as the chemical composition of sucralose is closer to pesticides than sugar due to the presence of chlorine.