Don’t Be Fooled - 5 Fraud Foods to Avoid
Muffins are often considered off limits for healthy eating, but not these. With oats and sugar substitutes, these Blueberry Oat Muffins are healthy and tasty. Enjoy!
Blueberry Oat Muffins
1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup non-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute or 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp margarine, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Sugar substitute (heat stable)
equivalent to 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, mix oats and buttermilk well. Let mixture stand 10 minutes. Stir in egg substitute and margarine. In a large bowl, combine flour, sweetener, baking powder and baking soda. Add oat mixture to flour mixture. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups almost full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing. Enjoy.
Yields 12 muffins, 1 serving = 1 muffin
Here are five foods that have successfully disguised themselves as diet-friendly foods. Don’t let them fool you.
Granola
Shocked? Granola is often touted as an outdoorsy health snack. Yet it’s super high in calories and many variations are loaded with sugar and saturated fat.
Solution: Go raw. Muesli is basically just raw granola and it tends to have less sugars and oils—but just in case, always read the label. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure to measure to keep your portion size reasonable.
Frozen Diet Meals
Frozen dinners are not as healthy as advertised. Though many are low in calories (most range from 240–400 calories), the meals are highly processed, lacking in nutrients and brimming with sodium. Although they may seem convenient, you give up a lot in exchange for the convenience of a three-minute microwaved meal.
Solution: Prepare healthy meals in bulk at the beginning of the week to deter you from having to choose these unhealthy convenient options. Or, if you absolutely must, read the labels. Some brands are better than others.
Sports Drinks
Note the word “sports” in the title. These drinks are specifically designed to replenish carbs, electrolytes and other nutrients during long, hard efforts. In any other situation, they’re just sugar water. You might as well drink soda.
Solution: Generally, sports drinks are only useful for hard exercise going longer than an hour. Otherwise, you’re probably better off with water. High fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes won’t give you the fitness boost you’re looking for.
“Fat Free” Products
“Fat Free” might look good on paper, but your body actually needs fat. Plus, as nutrition expert Denis Faye explains, in most of these products they just replace the fat with carbs and salt, so you’ve basically gone from pouring a little unsaturated fat on your salad to dumping on a pile of sugar.
Solution: Stick with simple homemade dressings like balsamic vinaigrette, and, if you’re out, ask for dressing on the side to control how much you use.
Veggie Chips
Just because something contains the word “veggie” in the name doesn’t mean it’s healthy. High in fat and sodium, veggie chips are often extraordinarily high in fat and sodium and, honestly, not much better for you than potato chips.
Solution: When snacking, eat your veggies raw—dip them in hummus if you want to add flavor.