Good foods can be bad foods for you 

As I’ve said numerous times, there’s a lot of information you need to know to understand and ensure what foods contribute to your fitness goals. This can be difficult to obtain because we spend a lifetime hearing endless false claims about getting in the shape you want and what healthy products will get you there fast. From Miami Diets to Grapefruit Diets to not eating after 6pm, the key is to find your way past the quick fixes and more towards foods which will bring the proven results that will have long lasting impact.

The problem is, marketers make this extremely difficult. In fact, they seem to take advantage of our fast moving world and people believing something is healthy without actually verifying whether it is or not. This is not new as people have been buying products and foods for centuries with the promise of improved health.

This is definitely the case as companies are looking to take advantage of people looking for what healthy foods will help them reach their goals. The problem is, the products they’re selling are not always healthy. From sugar loaded ‘nutrition’ bars to sodium packed baked chips to highly processed frozen diet meals, people automatically buy into the promises on the front of the package without figuring is out for themselves.

So how does one get by all the crap, discover what foods are best and and focus on the facts? The key is not what the front of the package says, but what is on the label. Sugar is one of the key deterrents to reaching your fitness goals and can even be found in whole, healthy foods such as fruit. However, in pre-prepared foods, be sure to check the sugar content along with the other nutrients. The same should be said about sodium, which many people easily overlook.

The point is, just because something is marketed as healthy, doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Don’t automatically pick up that a bag of chips because it claims it’s healthy. Don’t rely on frozen processed meals because they’re made by Weight Watchers. Don’t only look at the carb, protein and fat totals. Read the label, ensure the nutrients and ingredients fit into your plan and continue to educate yourself to best understand what healthy foods and fuel you’re putting in your body.