Introduction
On your weight loss journey, you may have come across advice regarding “superfoods”, which claim to be a cheat code in the weight loss world. Some which you may have heard about include avocado, popcorn, and protein bars. But how accurate are those suggestions? Are they really dieting foods? Misinformation spreads online all too often these days, usually without consequence. We are here to change that.
At the Difference App, we want to distinguish between foods that people commonly perceive as healthy and nutritious and those that are not. This article will debunk some of the most common dieting foods that are falsely considered healthy. We will reclassify them as overrated health foods if they don’t provide the dieting value that they advertise. To avoid leaving our readers in the lurch, we provide some underrated foods that serve as healthy alternatives.
Nutritional Information
A nutrition label is found on the back of any food packaging. It is important to understand what kinds of things you should prioritize, what you should avoid, and further your nutritional knowledge. From the very top, the serving size can be somewhat tricky. It is directly related to all the nutritional values written on the label, but never tells the full picture. The serving per container part allows you to do the math yourself and determine the total calories, sodium, added sugars, and other nutritional values in a food package.
Fats
The next section gets more specific. In terms of fats, there is generally unsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Unsaturated fat is the most healthy, where it lowers the risk of heart disease and reduces inflammation. Saturated fats are the kind that you want to limit, found in butter, cheese, etc. It is essentially the complete opposite of unsaturated fat, multiplying the chance of heart disease. Trans fats are the worst type of fat. They are like saturated fats, but on steroids. The AHA recommends that a person should not consume more than 40-70 grams of fat. Conversely, they recommend a 20-30g daily limit for saturated fats.
Cholesterol + Sodium
High cholesterol is generally the result of continued eating of trans/saturated fats. 200g of cholesterol is the common daily limit – anything higher than this will inevitably lead to heart disease and inflammation. High cholesterol leads to an increase in tension on the arteries, leading to a risk of heart disease and stroke. An important part of your diet that indirectly correlates to high cholesterol is actually excess sodium. Generally, sodium is one to keep under a daily limit of 2,000mg per day to promote a healthy diet. Excessive sodium intake can also lead to difficulty in weight loss as it holds onto water weight. More importantly, though, excessive sodium intake will lead to higher blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and stroke, etc. Your kidneys struggle to keep up with excessive sodium intake, resulting in kidney damage and even potential failure.
Carbohydrates, Proteins, Vitamins
The carbohydrate section is generally composed of fiber, sugar, and starches. The label will only show fiber and sugar. Depending on the diet, carbs should generally only take up 45-65 percent of your daily diet. The American Heart Association recommends a daily sugar intake of 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. You can treat yourself to added sugar occasionally, but it’s best to avoid it whenever possible. Additionally, aim for 30 grams of fiber per day to speed up your digestive system and reduce constipation. Proteins are also a staple in a healthy diet. They promote tissue regeneration and aids recovery from muscle fatigue from exercise. Depending on the diet 10-35 percent of your diet should come from protein. The vitamins section is pretty self explanatory, there aren’t any you should be avoiding.
If you aren’t sure how much of each you should be consuming, the daily % values are extremely beneficial. They tell you exactly how much you should eat according to an average 2,000 calorie diet. With all this being said, let’s get into which foods are overrated and underrated in the dieting world.
Fruit Juice – Overrated
Whilst fruit juices can logically be thought of as nutritional, that label is very misleading. When we are specifically talking about brands such as Naked, Tropicana, V8, etc… – yes, there are essential vitamins and minerals. However, the sugar content of these drinks is so extraordinary and has no place in a healthy diet. As mentioned previously, the AHA states that the daily sugar intake should be 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. In contrast, the average Naked© 500ml bottle contains about 53 grams of sugar. While natural fruit sugars are healthy, the sheer amount of it can cause blood sugar spikes.
On top of that, the lack of fiber within these drinks is alarming considering that natural fruits are full of it. The cherry on top is that 99% of the time, these drinks have at least one of these three: artificial flavoring, sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup), and/or preservatives. A drink that markets itself as a natural beverage has seemingly become anything but.
Sweet Potatoes – Underrated
Sweet potatoes are perhaps one of the most nutritionally dense foods that many are beginning to introduce into their diets. Not only are they rich in vitamins A and C, they actually do contain fiber – a lot of it. About 3-4 grams per sweet potato, on average. This fiber is great for digestive health as it lowers inflammation and the chance for constipation to occur. Due to its low glycemic index, sweet potatoes can also be a good food to eat something sweet without the insulin spikes. We recommend incorporating sweet potatoes into your diet. They are certainly an underrated food to consider.
While sweet potatoes are high in carbs, these are complex carbs. Meaning, the energy dispersion you get from them is a lot smoother. You don’t get the “sugar crashes” that you would with soda, sweets, etc. You can use them to replace simple carb foods and maintain a healthy diet. Next time you are prepping your dinner, think of ways you can incorporate sweet potatoes into your diet. Whether mashed, roasted, or baked, this food is one of the most versatile, nutritious, and diet-friendly.
Avocado – Overrated
While avocado is filled with unsaturated fat, dietary fiber, and various vitamins/minerals, it is often overlooked how caloric it actually is. The average avocado contains between 200 and 300 calories, which is far higher than one would expect. That’s only about 200 grams of avocado as well, so you don’t even need to consume a lot of it to put on some calories. The tricky part is that you are never eating avocado alone either, often combined with toast, chips, sushi – all very caloric as well. Ultimately, there are a lot better options. If you do decide to incorporate avocados into your diet, consider eating it in moderation.
Popcorn – Underrated
Popcorn is definitely one that will turn some heads. This food is commonly associated with the buttery, salty movie popcorn that you get in theaters. That popcorn is very unhealthy. Movie theater popcorn is unhealthy due to its large portions, high calories, saturated fat from oils and butter-flavored toppings, excessive sodium, and it is easy to overconsume. However, that is a major outlier and does not represent the potential for popcorn in healthy diets. Popcorn, the store-bought, microwave-ready kind, is actually a really effective low-calorie, low-sodium snack. It can 100% replace other salty snacks.
Generally, 1 cup of popcorn equates to approximately 30 calories, which is a fantastic deal! Popcorn is also entirely whole grain, meaning it is packed with fiber, about 1 – 1.5 grams of it per cup. This also results in quicker and effective digestion. Consequently, digestion will allow the body to absorb foods at a higher rate, leading to a better metabolism. That said, popcorn is a great snack, but it should never replace full meals. Either way, a good way to take small steps to improve your diet.
Protein Bars – Overrated
Despite its marketing, protein bars are some of the worst foods in terms of nutrition. While you can make an argument that they do provide protein and a meaningful boost, they aren’t really a food that is beneficial in the long term. While they do provide a good amount of protein, many bars contain processed protein. Plant-based protein is generally something to stay away from, as protein from plants are often incomplete and do not contain the essential amino acids. Although animal-based proteins provide essential amino acids, both animal and plant-based proteins tend to be highly processed.
This results in a product high in calories and lacking essential nutrients that you would find in other high-protein foods. Along with the high prices you find on protein bar products, makes other high protein foods like meats and dairy a lot more of an attractive option when considering what to add to your diet. At the end of the day, whole foods are what you should be looking for in terms of incorporating food into your diet. This way, you find foods that will not only fill you, but will also treat you right with dense and important nutrients.
Broth – Underrated
When talking about broths such as chicken, beef, or bone broth, you can’t go wrong with it. Another low calorie option, which contains a lot of collagen, minerals, and essential amino acids. All of which support your immune system, digestion, and gut health. One of the most attractive components of these kinds of broth is its hydrating factor. In a world where hydration is one of the most important things in terms of diet, it’s very beneficial to have that and the amount of nutrients all in one broth. With everything, it is important to consume in moderation. Be mindful of the sodium content in each serving.
Veggie Chips – Overrated
This is another one that many fall for due to tricky marketing. While they do contain some vitamins and minerals, notably vitamins A, C and potassium, they are fundamentally the same as normal potato chips. They are not only extremely processed but also high in sodium and fried in unhealthy oils, just like potato chips. The processing procedure sucks out the majority of nutrients that are healthy, and the oils used to fry introduce new unhealthy fats that weren’t there before. There is often only 1 gram of fiber left, which really hits home how many nutrients are left in these so-called “veggie” chips.
If the points above are not bad enough, marketing veggie chips as beneficial is borderline unethical. Certain chips even contain added sugar! Along with the high cost due to “bougie” marketing, this is one that you should avoid altogether.
Conclusion
Ultimately, all foods have their pros and cons. It is up to you to decide what you are willing to sacrifice in order to fit in the kind of food you want to eat. Want to snack down on a protein bar before a workout? Make up for it by eating a dinner with lots of greens, meat, and grains. Want to incorporate broth into your diet? Perhaps replace it with that soda you were gonna drink. There are ways of incorporating these “overrated” foods, and there are ways to have a healthy diet without these “underrated” foods. Fundamentally, you make the decisions. If you’re not sure what you can or can’t fit into your diet, use the Difference App to track your calories. With an unlimited number of foods in our database, you are bound to find the exact food and brand you are looking for.