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13 Trendy Foods We Waste Too Much Money On
Healthy food is trendy and every time we go to the supermarket, we try to buy the healthiest foods possible. Magic words like vitamins, antioxidants, and low-calorie make us buy the foods that prolong our youth and keep us fit. But we don’t always need to pay extra money for foods with a “healthy” reputation.
We at Bright Side looked closer at the supermarket shelves, reviewed the opinions of nutritionists, and now we know how to make a healthy menu without spending any more money than we have to.
Turkey doesn’t help reduce cholesterol levels.
Turkey is believed to be the perfect dietary product. But studies show that the people that eat bird meat and the people that eat red meat have the same cholesterol levels. A high level of protein in turkey meat is not healthy for those who have kidney problems. And ham or bird meat sausages are not recommended because of their high concentration of sodium.
So, turkey can be replaced with chicken. And it won’t really influence your cholesterol level.
Canned olives are delicious, but not all that healthy.
Olives have a great reputation and it is well-deserved. However, there is a little problem: only fresh olives are actually healthy, but they are not edible. You can only eat them after they have been processed. When olives are preserved, there is too much salt used, so it is not very likely that they are still good for your health.
Olives are valued for a high concentration of fatty acids. Alternative sources of these elements are pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Besides, the seeds contain a lot of vitamin E.
We throw away the healthiest parts of pineapples anyway.
Pineapples are literally legendary in nutrition. They earned their glory thanks to the concentration of bromelain. However, it is the upper part, the stems, and the core of the fruit that contain this element. When pineapples are canned, the useful qualities disappear since this fruit doesn’t like any heat.
So, when you have to eat pineapples, you can replace them with kiwis. They contain a similar nutrient called actinidine that can also help you lose weight.
Dried foods are processed using preservatives in order to help them retain their color.
Dried fruits are a great source of microelements. And also, they contain a whole lot of sugar. So, don’t eat too many of them. And don’t buy the brightest dried fruits on the shelf — some very unhealthy elements are used to help them retain their color which can cause an allergic reaction.
So, a very healthy snack is just regular fruit or tea with honey. Fresh fruit will give you as many vitamins as dried fruit, and honey will restore the microelements you need.
The usefulness of spinach is 10 times less than we think.
The myth about spinach containing a lot of iron has been around for more than 10 years. Afterward, it was found out that the data was 10 times higher than reality. Some people believe that someone made a mistake and didn’t put a decimal where they should have. So everyone thought that spinach contained 35 g per 100 g of spinach, instead of the actual 3.5 g per 100 g. Also, spinach contains oxalic acid that prevents the body from digesting the iron as effectively as it should.
As a replacement, you can buy regular cabbage: it contains about the same number of vitamins and nutrients as spinach.
Tuna is called “sea dumpster.”
Tuna also often appears on the lists of healthy foods. Just like any kind of fish, it contains fatty acids and phosphorus. But, aside from these healthy elements, it often contains something you don’t need at all — mercury. This is the result of the dirty environment that tuna are very susceptible to.
So, if you want to eat some fish, there is no need to pay extra money for tuna. You can buy regular mackerel instead. It contains just as much phosphorus, but doesn’t absorb mercury as fast as tuna does.
Cane sugar is also sugar.
The popularity of this product is a result of the trend of having a healthy lifestyle. However, cane sugar is almost identical to regular white sugar.
So, you can definitely buy regular white sugar — your body won’t see any difference anyway.
Blueberries won’t make you younger.
“Blueberries contain a lot of antioxidants and antioxidants slow down aging and prevent cancer.” — this is what many people believe and why they buy these berries in supermarkets. But scientists believe that there is no direct link between eating blueberries and living a healthy lifestyle. Also, there is a different idea that suggests that blueberries have been studied a lot more than any other fruit or berries, this is why they are believed to be the most useful berry.
You can eat different berries, for example, or grapes. There is even a certain kind of treatment called grape therapy. The dark kind of grapes are especially healthy. They contain resveratrol, which is useful for the heart, blood vessels, and the body in general.
Smoothies can’t replace fresh fruit.
It seems like a great idea to combine all the healthy nutrients from a variety of fruits into a smoothie. However, there is a concern about the amount of sugar in the drink. Besides, the concentration of vitamin C decreases very fast in shredded fruit.
The alternative is simple: eat the whole fruit. This is your chance to get all the vitamins and the fiber that we all need.
Nut milk is only necessary for those who are allergic to lactose.
New tastes, less fat, and lactose are the reasons why many people like milk made of almonds, soy, and oats. But this milk often contains a lot of sugar, and it doesn’t have nearly as much calcium or vitamin D.
Not everyone is allergic to lactose, so if you don’t have any medical conditions, you can drink regular cow’s milk.
Avocados are not the only source of potassium and fatty acids.
Avocados are believed to be some kind of superfood. One of the main advantages of avocados is their high concentration of potassium, which is necessary for the proper function of the cardiovascular system.
But this is not the only exotic fruit that is rich in potassium. Beans and beetroots contain a lot of this microelement. And about the fatty acids that avocados contain, you can get them from nuts, sunflower seeds, and vegetable oil.
Grapefruit can be replaced with sauerkraut.
Grapefruit is one of the most popular foods on the shopping lists of people who are trying to lose weight or get some vitamin C. But you can easily replace this expensive fruit with sauerkraut. Sauerkraut contains fewer calories and more vitamin C.
Pomegranates are not the only product that contains a lot of iron.
“Eat pomegranates if you need more iron” — many people try to follow this rule. But in fact, pomegranates are not champions in terms of how much iron they contain. Regular chicken eggs or seaweed can be good sources of iron. They actually contain even more iron than pomegranates.
Of course, we buy some foods because we love the taste, not because they’re healthy. But some of the foods on this list can easily be replaced. What do you often pay more for than you should? Are there any alternatives?
Preview photo credit Diana Haronis / gettyimages
