Have you ever craved something sweet, which could be ice cream, creamy doughnut, or a cake with several layers of icing sugar but the “healthy” part of you somehow starts to feel betrayed? Well, today is National Junk Food day so why not use it as an excuse to grab yourself what you want to eat without guilt?
Anyway, the National Junk Food Day celebrated every 21st of July sheds light on different junk foods and in this article, we will highlight five foods you never thought are junk foods but are junk. Before that, what is junk food? Nutritionists describe junk foods as food and drinks low in nutrients that are vitamins, minerals and fibre but have high saturated fats, kilojoules, added sugar and/or added salt. They are also known as discretionary choices.
Yoghurt
If you make yoghurt at home, you can be sure of the content and its quality, compared to buying one from the store. Bought yoghurt can surprisingly be considered junk food because it is high in sugar and contains other unhealthy additives. For this reason, you need to pay attention to the labels and choose carefully which yoghurt to buy.
Whole wheat bread
White bread has often fallen victim to the fact that it is super refined, hence people opt for whole wheat bread as a ‘healthier’ option. However, brown bread that are believed to be made of whole wheat may be partially made of refined flour (Maida), which makes them as unhealthy as white bread
Fruit Cocktails
When you drink juice, the sugar goes directly into your bloodstream and makes your body work harder to process the sugar. From your body’s perspective, drinking fruit juice has the same impact as having a sugary soda. This important difference is why fruit juice is more like junk food. unless you blend tour juice at home without adding sugars or salt or any flavours.
Peanut Butter
While peanut butter is a good source of protein and low in carbohydrates, it can also contain sugar and salt. To make sure peanut butter is safe for you, check labels before adding it to your cart to be sure it contains only peanuts.
Low fat salad
There’s a problem, low-fat salad dressings might not be as healthy as you think. Low-fat salad dressings eliminate the healthiest part of most dressings, which is the oil. Although oil is fat fat, oil in small quantities helps your body absorbs the very nutrients you are eating in your salad.
With this information, ensure you choose what you eat is healthy by checking the contents before buying and consuming.