Startling Food Facts

Juliet & Francie
May 11, 2016
2 min read

We've all eaten some sort of food that's not so good for us, in terms of health. There's no use trying to deny it. After all, how long can a person last on carrot sticks and celery? After a while, (or five minutes, same difference) our stomachs start to crave the taste of rich, creamy chocolate, and salty, crispy potato chips. Neither have the best reputations for being good for you.... though, no matter what might be in these two foods, it is okay to want and eat them. Everything is fine in moderation. However, too much of these foods that are loaded with salt, fat, and sugar can be unhealthy, and cause many problems.

Sometimes, eating and overeating sugary foods aren't the only cause of unhealthiness. You may also be misled by food labels and what the foods are advertised to have in them. Look below to find many startling facts as well as recommendations.

Milk- whole and skim

You might sit down at your kitchen table, and drink a glass of milk, thinking it's the most healthy thing for you. Guess what? It's not. In a single cup of whole milk, which is the kind you are most likely to drink plain, there are 8 grams of fat. That's 12% of your daily serving of fat, if you're following a two thousand calorie diet. Though, don't worry! You can always have healthy substitutes, which are still milk all the same, though they might not be as creamy as whole milk. These types of milk are reduced and fat free. The fat free milk, corresponding to its name, is fat free. Reduced fat milk, or one percent milk, has only 2.4 grams of fat in it, and is 3% of your daily serving of fat. I hope that these facts help open your mind to more healthy food options for the future. Please note that there is nothing wrong with having whole milk- it is only that skim (fat free) and reduced fat milk are healthier alternatives, if you want to drink a large quantity of milk.

Things to know

Some granola bars are just as healthy for you as candy bars.
Juice isn't as good for you as you might think, because it has lots of sugar in it, natural or not. Also, a good amount of juices have artificial flavors in them, which are not good for you. A way to know if juice is creditable or not is to check on the front label, and see if it says "juice cocktail." If it does, then that juice is most likely artificially sweetened.
Store-bought smoothies can sometimes contain more calories than a cheeseburger.
Store-bought muffins can have more calories than a doughnut.
Fat-free doesn't mean calorie free. Many fat free sweets have just as many calories as regular sweets.
Prepared salads often have hidden fats and calories.