Five Foods That Improve Your Health and fitness

Food products marketed as health foods may not necessarily provide any nutritional value. There are many popular misconceptions about these foods that need to be clarified.

Health care and proper dieting is now being followed by majority of the people, who are concerned about their fitness. It is general knowledge that trans fats, white flour or white sugar are detrimental to good health, and should not be consumed very often. People are becoming much more conscious about their health nowadays. As we go out of our way to exercise, stay healthy and incorporate the saltiest foods into our diet, we might like to keep an eye open about the food that we eat.

Let us discuss some of the popular food items which are available nowadays and the nutritional value which they actually hold. What may be advertised as a “health” food may come out to be as not so healthy after all. Some of the items under this category are:

Artificial Sweetener: Available as a substitute for natural sugar, people generally make use of artificial sweeteners to avoid the ill-effects which too much sugar intake can cause. It is true that calories and carbs can be cut down by avoiding sugar, but the use of artificial sweeteners to bring this about can cause even further trouble.

The worst among artificial sweeteners is NutraSweet, Equal or Aspartame. The health hazards associated with this sweetener are fatal, and numerous in their count. Diabetes, brain tumor, epilepsy are few to be noted.
A better alternative of artificial sweeteners is Stevia, which is extracted from a plant. It has been in use for hundreds of years, without any sign of a side effect. It is easily available at any medical store in the U.S.

Sports Drinks: A very common misconception about sports drinks is that they can be beneficial during sports and exercise. But, the reality is that they could easily be obtained by adding a little salt to cool-aid. They do not have any prominent health effects, and they are loaded with large amounts of salt and sugar products such as sucrose, glucose and fructose. Fresh fruit juice and spring water are believed to be much healthier than these products.

Sports or Energy Bars

These energy bars usually have little nutritional value other than what normal candy bars have. Generally, they maybe filled with chemicals, synthetic substances, preservatives and artificial sweeteners. However, there are some bars which contain whole grains like oats and flax, which are good for the health.

Granola

Granola or unprepared grains are the kinds of grain which are neither fermented, nor soaked or sprouted. Recently, these are being considered as healthy. But, the fact is that they possess very little nutritional value. Processed grains are better health foods.

Soy Products

Soy has long been one of the more popular health foods. It hails from Asia, being used in the form of soy sauce and other highly processed and fermented products. These are healthy as they can be easily digested. However, using it as meat substitute or TVP can be very unhealthy.
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