by Alexandra Heep

Created on: June 02, 2009   Last Updated: June 06, 2010

Companies and manufacturers have caught on that people are becoming aware of unhealthy lifestyles. Many people do have the desire to reduce their food consumption of foods that are not healthy. You would think that this has led to a larger variety of healthy foods. However, all that has changed is the marketing strategy by making consumers think they are getting something that they aren't and adding things they don't want you to know about. Educate yourself by reading labels and becoming aware of what you eat. Here are some common foods that people think are healthy, but really aren't:

* Family Restaurant Foods

Even at sit-down restaurants, which are still better alternatives to fast food or takeout, the bottom line is that you can't get healthy meals off the menu. The problem is not in the main ingredients (such as meat and vegetables), but is in the way that foods are prepared. The businesses, as well as the consumers, are to blame for this. Customers don't want to wait too long wait for their meals, and restaurants want to make their foods tasty in the short amount of time they have to get them from the kitchens to the tables. In short, it's about making profit.

That means using liberal amounts of low-cost ingredients, such as fats, salts, and sweeteners - the common Western culprits for modern health problems. However, you don't have to avoid eating out altogether. Simply ask for substitutions, modifications, or omissions when ordering a meal. Menus generally tell you exactly what is in the meal.

For example, pasta dishes are often prepared with cheese in the noodles, as well as cheese in the sauce, and cheese on top. Before you know it, you have a triple threat of artery clogging hydrogenated oils on your plate. You can specify to leave out the cheese when they prepare the pasta, or leave the topping off.

Soups and salads are healthy restaurant foods, right? No they aren't, it depends what is in or on them. Always order salads with the dressing on the side (so you are in control of how much goes on your salad), and leave off the nonsense toppings, such as croutons, bacon bits, and shredded cheese (restaurant cheese is almost always of the non-healthy processed variety).

Many soups are high in sodium; so if you order them, don't make them an addition or appetizer to the meal, but part of the meal instead. Omit the crackers when eating soup - those are simply another blood pressure raising sodium time bomb without any nutritional values.

* Pizza

Pizza

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>