6 Diet Foods That Are Not as Healthy as You Think

When you want to start eating healthier or are interested in choosing a diet plan, things can quickly get confusing. The Internet is full of eat this, not that articles backed up by professionals who argue that their diet or definition of “healthy” is correct. Paleo dieters swear by the benefits of eating higher quantities of animal protein, while vegetarians argue that a meat-free diet leads to a healthier lifestyle and reduces the risk of chronic illness. Nutritionists, dietitians, health coaches, and fitness gurus all have their own definition of healthy and research on the health, weight loss, and fitness industries is varied enough to back up almost every claim. Differing opinions, contradictory research, and the latest diet fads make it almost impossible for an average person to tell what’s actually healthy and what’s just part of the latest diet craze. To start, turn to the basics by learning about those diet foods that most people perceive as healthy, but aren’t.

1. Protein bars 

You probably think you’re pretty smart when you pull out an energy bar rather than in indulging in morning donuts at the office. Before you get too smug, keep in mind that many protein bars have a nutritional profilesimilar to that of a candy bar. Seriously. While their packaging makes them look healthy with lofty claims about whole grain content, organic certifications, and high levels of pure protein, many protein bars are packed sugar. Some bars have an ingredient list of over 50 ingredients and upwards of 30 grams of sugar, which is more than the sugar content in some candy bars. Read the label and choose bars that have low sugar content and minimal ingredients.

2. Muffins 

Choosing that bran muffin for breakfast may seem like a good idea, until you find out that most commercially sold bran muffins contain about 800 calories, most of it coming from sugar and fat. Not only are the calorie levels high – especially considering you’ll probably feel hungry an hour later – but the high levels of hidden sugar and fat in muffins categorize them alongside donuts and other pastries. While indulging in a muffin from time to time is fine, don’t let it become too regular of a habit. For a healthy alternative, make your own batch so you can control the ingredients and sugar content.

3. Flavored yogurt

Yogurt is harmless, right? Turns out, your favorite breakfast may not always be the best choice. Because ofyogurt’s naturally tart taste, companies throw in fruit, honey, sugar, and other flavor boosters to balance it out and make it more appealing. Turns out those delicious fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups are one of the worst routes you can go with some containing as much sugar as a candy bar. Bypass the brightly packaged fruit filled yogurts and reach for plain, unsweetened yogurt. For a good source of protein, healthy fat, and stomach pleasing probiotics, try out a plain Greek yogurt. If it’s too tart for your taste, stir in a sliced banana or a handful of blueberries.

4. Deli meat 

Dieters often try to increase their protein levels to keep them full longer, so it makes sense that turkey (a leaner meat) would be on the menu. It’s one thing to eat a turkey sandwich made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and quite another thing to consume packaged deli meats everyday. These meats are packed with sodium and preservatives. Before you get a hefty dose of salt, be sure to read the label carefully or ask at the deli counter for an option that has less than 350 milligrams of sodium per 2-ounce serving.

5. Instant oatmeal

You may be trying your best to be healthy by grabbing a packet of cinnamon apple oatmeal rather than skipping breakfast or giving into the temptation of the Dunkin’ Donuts on your way to the office. While instant oatmeal may beat the alternatives, keep in mind that those packets of flavored oats aren’t doing you any favors either.Instant oatmeal is low in fiber and protein, which means you’ll be starving by mid morning. To make matters worse, the flavored varieties have their fair share of added sugar. If you can, eat steel cut oatmeal or look for instant oatmeal where steel cut oats, whole oats, or whole groats are the first ingredient. Healthy oatmeal varieties should have at least 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per serving.

6. Bottled juices

Smoothies and juices may be on your guilt-free list, but some variations should be treated more like a milk shake than a fruit or veggie based drink. This includes those green variations that claim you can get your fill of veggies without actually having to eat any. To hide the bitter, earthy taste of kale, spinach, carrots, and beets, companies throw in a hefty dose of sugar or fruit to make it go down easier. Some of these smoothie-like juices pack upwards of 50 grams of sugar per bottle. If smoothies are one of your go-to meals or snacks, make them at home where you can control what ingredients go in.

Instant Foods: Are They Good for You?

In this fast-paced world, we want things quick and easy. Food manufacturers have responded to these needs and over the years have developed foods that are ready in an instant. However, these foods are not healthy for you — or are they? Find out.

Ramen Noodles

These cups of noodles were popular when I was in college back in the 1990s, but aren’t losing any steam. Many folks stack up on them for a quick and easy snack or meal, but in reality these noodle cups are basically salt and fried noodles.

Verdict: Eat sparingly.

Instant Rice

Here is a comparison of the nutrients in 2/3 cup of instant versus regular brown rice:

• Instant: 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 2 percent of the recommended daily value of iron and 0 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium.
• Regular: 143 calories, 1 gram of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 5 percent of the recommended daily value for iron and 2 percent of the recommended daily value for calcium.

Instant rice is parboiled and then packaged so you can prepare it in about 5 minutes. Parboiled (aka converted) rice is treated when the rice is harvested and still in the hull. It is soaked, steamed and then dried. The result is a transparent-looking grain that is less sticky. Instant does have a few more calories and a touch less fiber than regular brown rice.

Verdict: If plain, instant brown rice is a reasonable substitute for regular brown rice. (It will also save you time.) Just make sure it doesn’t have any flavor or sodium added.

Hot Cocoa

The first ingredient in most instant cocoa mixtures is sugar. These instant mixes are also filled with a laundry list of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients. Some food companies fortify their cocoa mixes with calcium, about 30 percent of the recommended daily value per serving. However, one glass of cow’s milk also contains about 30 percent of the daily value for calcium, which is all your body can really absorb in one sitting.

Verdict: Skip it.

Quick-Cooking Oatmeal

Instant oats are more processed than old-fashioned and steel-cut oats. They are precooked, dried, and then rolled and pressed thinner than rolled oats. They cook quicker than old-fashioned (or rolled) oats and steel-cut (or Irish) oats. Instant oats are the most processed of all the three types of oats and don’t have as much texture as the other two. Some folks complain that instant oats taste mushy.
The problem arises when instant oats are mixed with flavors and sugar in breakfast cups. You’re better off choosing a plain variety and topping it with fruits for sweetness.

Verdict: Choose old-fashioned and steel-cut oats more often, but instant oats can be part of a healthy eating plan and are better than many other breakfast options.

Don’t Be Fooled by These Healthy Impostors

A recent news story revealed that many brands of grated Parmesan cheese contain wood-pulp fillers. This may seem like an isolated occurrence, but there are more food faux pas to be looking out for. Don’t be fooled by these six seemingly good-for-you foods.

 Fruit Snacks
They might sound like a good choice for your little ones, but there’s no real fruit going on in these teeth-destroying chewy bits. They are made from a mix of sugar, juice concentrate, thickeners, colorings and flavorings.

Microwave Breakfast Sandwiches
They’re promoted as a healthy and fast way to start your day, but these boxed sammies are filled with sodium, fat, sugar and a bunch of other junk, including trans fats and azodicarbonamide (yes, that additive used in tires and yoga mats). Munch on one of these for breakfast and you’ll be taking in nearly 30 percent of the daily recommendation for sodium.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread
You might think this stuff tastes too good to be healthy … and you’d be 100 percent correct. Even though it’s advertised as Mom’s healthy breakfast staple, with more than 10 grams of sugar per tablespoon, chocolate-hazelnut spread should be treated as a treat!

Multigrain Anything
The more grain the better, right? The word “multigrain” may imply a plethora of grains, but most are not whole grains, and that’s where all the nutrients are. Check ingredient lists on breads and cereals marked with this title and make sure there are actually whole grains in there.

  Fat-Free Cheese
You can’t have cheese without fat. Period. Slices of nonfat processed cheese contain an impressively long list of additives and fillers to achieve a rubbery and somewhat cheeselike texture. Pass on this impostor and stick to the real thing.

Pancake Syrup
You may have grown up with a sweet face smiling back at you from the syrup bottle at the breakfast table, but it’s called “pancake syrup” because there’s no maple to be found in it. This syrup is just a gooey mixture of corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors.

5 Promising Health Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherries are loaded with important nutrients, but you'd have to eat an entire bag of them to obtain all of the benefits you can get by sipping the juice. The fruit also contains many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, and its juice aids in cancer prevention and heart health and as an anti-inflammatory, which can help alleviate a variety of ailments like asthma symptoms and pain.

In short, tart cherry juice offers protection against a host of conditions.

Before adding tart cherry juice to your diet, however, be aware that one 8-ounce serving of tart cherry juice contains 140 calories and 25 grams of sugar. These excess calories over time may cause weight gain -- which comes with its own set of health problems -- if you don't cut back on calories elsewhere in your diet.

Tart Cherries Contain Important Phytonutrients Called Anthocyanins 

Tart cherries, like all red fruits and vegetables, are rich in anthocyanins, a class of antioxidant phytochemical (a disease-fighting agent found in plant-based foods).

Other fruits and vegetables in this class include raspberries, strawberries, beets, cranberries, apples, red onions, kidney beans and red beans. Phytochemicals give brightly colored fruits and vegetables their colorful hues. Anthocyanins, in particular, encourage healthy circulation, ensure proper nerve function and offer cancer fighting properties.   

Antioxidant Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice 

Consumption of tart cherry juice provides older adults greater protection against the development of heart disease, cancer and age-related cognitive decline, according to a research study published in August 2009 by the Journal of Nutrition. In the study, "Tart Cherry Juice Decreases Oxidative Stress in Healthy Older Men and Women," researchers Tinna Traustadóttir, Sean S. Davies, Anthoney A. Stock and others investigated whether the consumption of foods high in anthocyanins is associated with improved health, in particular if the consumption of tart cherry juice (high in anthocyanins) improves the ability of older adults to resist oxidative damage.

Oxidative damage may lead to an increased rate of death and disease in the elderly in response to infections, and diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

"The roles of anthocyanin pigments as medicinal agents have been well-accepted dogma in folk medicine throughout the world, and, in fact, these pigments are linked to an amazingly broad-based range of health benefits," says Mary Ann Lila in an article titled "Anthocyanins and Human Health: An In Vitro Investigative Approach" published in a 2004 issue of the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.

"For example, anthocyanins have historically been used in remedies for liver dysfunction and hypertension; and bilberry (Vaccinium) anthocyanins have an anecdotal history of use for vision disorders, microbial infections, diarrhea, and diverse other health disorders," wrote Lila, who currently serves as director of North Carolina State University's Plants for Human Health Institute.

Clinical research trials later supported the anecdotal and epidemiological evidence of the use of anthocyanins for therapeutic purposes, the researcher went on to say, noting "some reports suggest that anthocyanin activity is potentiated when delivered in mixtures" -- that is, a juice blend may provide even greater results.

BENEFIT #1: Tart Cherry Juice Provides Extra Cancer Protection 

Carcinogens, harmful substances in air, water and foods, may damage the body's cells, triggering changes that may lead to cancer. Tart cherry juice offers more than anthocyanins; it is loaded with three disease-fighting chemicals that may be beneficial for halting cell transformation (that often leads to cancer). These powerful chemicals are perillyl alcohol, limonene and ellagic acid. Citrus peel offers limonene and berries offer ellagic acid, but only cherries offer all three chemicals. They are particularly protective against cancers of the breast, lung, liver and skin.

"Anthocyanins have demonstrated marked ability to reduce cancer cell proliferation and to inhibit tumor formation," Lila said. "Fruit extracts with significant anthocyanin concentrations proved to be effective against various stages of carcinogenesis."

Though the perillyl alcohol does show promise, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, researchers still have much to learn about dose, methods of delivery, as well as how to identify who might benefit most.

HOW MUCH TO CONSUME FOR THIS BENEFIT: Estimated two or three servings of tart cherry juice per day.

BENEFIT #2: Quercetin in Tart Cherry Juice Helps Fight Heart Disease 

Tart cherry juice contains one of the most powerful antioxidants that exists, quercetin. Among other functions, quercetin prevents oxidative damage caused by free radicals from damaging low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol), according to a study published in European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Science in 2013. When LDL cholesterol is oxidized, it is more likely to adhere to artery walls, forming plaque which contributes to heart attack and stroke.

Numerous studies cite the effectiveness of quercetin in reducing blood pressure, but also call for more research on the correlation between consumption of the flavonoid and such health benefits.

"In one study, intake of high levels of quercetin was associated with reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes," note authors of a 2013 study published in International Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"In vitro studies showed different effects of quercetin as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-clotting, and vasodilatory properties. But, human and animal studies did not have consistent results, which may result from different physiology of species and also different levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory status," according to Maryam Zahedi, Reza Ghiasvand, Awat Feizi, Gholamreza Asgari and Leila Darvish in the article "Does Quercetin Improve Cardiovascular Risk factors and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial."

HOW MUCH TO CONSUME FOR THIS BENEFIT: Estimated two or three servings of tart cherry juice per day.

BENEFIT #3: Tart Cherry Juice Protects Against Muscle Damage 

One study tested the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage in 14 male college students. The dosage was 12 ounces of a cherry juice blend or a placebo taken twice daily for eight days with a series of elbow flexion contractions performed on the fourth day of supplementation.

Pain and strength loss were significantly lower in the cherry juice trial versus placebo, according to "Efficacy of a Tart Cherry Juice Blend in Preventing the Symptoms of Muscle Damage" published in a December 2006 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine by researchers D.A. Connolly, M.P. McHugh and O.I. Padilla‐Zakour.

"Most notably, strength loss averaged over the four days after eccentric exercise was 22 percent with the placebo but only 4 percent with the cherry juice. These results have important practical applications for athletes, as performance after damaging exercise bouts is primarily affected by strength loss and pain. In addition to being an efficacious treatment for minimizing symptoms of exercise induced muscle damage, consumption of cherry juice is much more convenient than many of the treatments that have been presented in the literature," the researchers say.

HOW MUCH TO CONSUME FOR THIS BENEFIT: 10.5-12 fl oz. twice daily.

BENEFIT #4: Tart Cherry Juice Aids in Sports Recovery 

In related findings, marathon runners who consumed 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for five days prior to a marathon, on the day of the marathon and for 48 hours after the run experienced less muscle damage, soreness, inflammation and protein breakdown than runners who consumed a placebo, according to research published in the December 2010 issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.

Runners who consumed 11 to 12 ounces of tart cherry juice twice daily for seven days prior to a long-distance relay and during the 24 hours of the race reported significantly less pain following the run than those who consumed a placebo, according to another study, published in a 2010 issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

HOW MUCH TO CONSUME FOR THIS BENEFIT: 11-12 fl oz. twice daily.

BENEFIT #5: Tart Cherry Juice Is a Safe Way to Treat Insomnia 

Drinking a glass of tart cherry juice in the morning and the evening may be a better and a safer way to treat insomnia and add nearly 90 minutes of sleep to your night, according to researchers at Louisiana State University.

Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, say Frank L. Greenway, MD, director of the outpatient research clinic at the LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Jack Losso and John Finley, professors in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the university's Agricultural Center in their study, "Tart Cherry Juice Increases Sleep Time in Older Adults with Insomnia" presented at Experimental Biology 2014. 

You’re Wasting More Food Than You Think

You might think of them as only kitchen scraps, but many common foods that we throw away are healthy eats in the making. Reduce waste and give these ingredients a reboot in your kitchen.

Stale Bread
Revitalize day-old bread and turn it into croutons, French toast or bread pudding. Dried-out bread is actually a superior choice for these recipes since as it will absorb the other ingredients better than fresh bread can. 

Extra-Ripe Fruits and Vegetables
Bananas for banana bread is the most-obvious choice, but you can also get more mileage out of other fruits and veggies before they go bad. Tomatoes can be frozen whole — just run them under warm water to defrost and peel. Bell peppers can be roasted and peeled, then refrigerated for up to one week. Chop fresh herbs, then freeze or puree them into a pesto or chimichurri sauce — combining herbs with oil and acid (like citrus juice or vinegar) increases the shelf life. Think beyond applesauce and make fruit sauces out of pears or berries. Squeeze the juice from lemons, limes and other citrus; freeze it in ice cube trays for smoothies and cocktails. 

Cheese Rind
There’s ample flavor left in a piece of cheese rind. Cut it into pieces and store in the freezer. Add chunks into simmering pots of soup, stew or marinara sauce to infuse with a savory flavor. 

Veggie Scraps
As you’re chopping up celery, onions and carrots for other recipes, place the scraps into a resealable bag. Keep them in the freezer for later use in soups and stocks. 

Chicken Carcass
Combine those reserved veggie scraps with the remains of last night’s roasted chicken and get a bonus batch of chicken stock. Add the ingredients to a large pot, cover with water, then season with kosher salt, peppercorns and herbs; bring to a boil and simmer for two to three hours, then strain. 

Whole Milk and Cream
You have a houseful of low-fat milk drinkers, but you bought a bunch of high-fat dairy for a specific recipe. What do you do with the leftovers? Look no further than homemade ricotta cheese. 

Buttermilk
You made pancakes, now what? Instead of tossing that last bit of buttermilk, make ranch dressing or a tangy sherbet. 

Nearly Expired Yogurt
Instead of letting that yogurt go to waste, cut the fat in your favorite baked goods. As a general rule, swap 1 cup of butter with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt combined with 1/2 cup butter to boost the protein and cut back significantly on the fat. 

Shipping Containers Transformed Into Vacation Homes (10 pics)

aUsing shipping containers as something other than cargo carriers is a very popular idea these days. They are perfect for temporary facility like, for example, vacation rentals. They are cheap and can be installed only a few meters away from the beach. Plus they can be modified in different creative ways and look awesome. This one is a perfect example of it.

Just a short walk away from the warm, sandy beaches in Carolina Beach, NC, are two large shipping containers.

They are much more than storage units, however.

They are modern structures, packed with everyday amenities, and they’re ready for visitors!
There are two almost identical shipping containers that act as vacation homes for North Carolina visitors.

The shipping containers are named the Conchs and comfortably fit two adults and one child.
They were created by the owner, Shelly, in an effort to offer a unique, low-profile vacation rental for visitors.

The two shipping contains are located on adjoining lots so they can be rented together or separately for couples who are looking for a simpler type of getaway.

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