Nutrition is a complicated beast. Between counting calories, varying vegetables and proteins, and balancing vitamins, it’s easy to get lost or fall into marketing traps at the grocery store. That’s why we decided to debunk the most common misconceptions about so-called “healthy” foods and give you the real deal, straight from nutritionists.

1. Flavored Yogurt

Don’t fall for a “fat-free” label. If yogurt is pre-flavored, it probably has a lot of sugar. In a previous story investigating how healthy yogurt is, we found that one brand of 6-ounce strawberry yogurt had the same amount of sugar (18 grams) as a serving of vanilla ice cream. Still, there can be many health benefits of yogurt. Here’s what to look for when buying it.

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2. Wheat Bread

Wheat bread is actually fantastic. But what you have to watch out for here is misleading labeling. Unless a bag of bread says that it is made with “100 percent whole wheat,” it would very well be white bread mixed with a bit of wheat for marketing, Shape points out. Look for at least 2 grams of fiber per slice, which ensures that it’s a healthy loaf.

3. Skim Milk

“Skim dairy isn’t healthy and it’s not good for your weight,” Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, and founder of Foodtrainers, told Eat This Not That. Once you cut all the healthy fats from milk, it becomes much less satiating. Instead, drink low-fat or full-fat dairy or almond milk.

4. Light Salad Dressings

Loaded with sugar and sodium, store-bought salad dressings in general are a bad choice. But the “light” versions are the worst culprits of artificial ingredients, additives, and preservatives. Your best bet is to drizzle your greens with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

5. Granola

You may as well be eating cookies. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking one ingredient makes something healthy,” Miami clinical nutritionist Dr. Michael Forman told Eat This Not That. Instead of sugary, buttery oats mixed with a few dried berries, put seeds or nuts on top of your yogurt.

<p>"I have a friend who suddenly, at 40 years old, put on 20 pounds. She was confused, and to be honest, I was too&nbsp;because I knew she ate healthfully. Turns out, she had started making granola at home. It was packed with various nuts — a smart, antioxidant-rich snack that can also be very caloric. Plus, she was incorporating more fruit into her diet, specifically bananas and grapes, which are high in sugar. I suggested that she swap the granola for almonds (they're lower in calories, as long as you limit yourself to about 10 per day) and the bananas and grapes for a handful of berries, which are much lower in sugar. Within three months, she had lost the 20 pounds she'd gained without making any other changes, and kept it off. Just remember: You can overdo it with even the healthiest foods, so choose wisely!" <i data-redactor-tag="i">—Amy Rothberg, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Clinic at the University of Michigan in Ann <em data-redactor-tag="em" data-verified="redactor">Arbor</em></i><em data-redactor-tag="em" data-verified="redactor"><span data-redactor-tag="span" data-verified="redactor"></span></em>
</p><p><strong data-redactor-tag="strong">RELATED:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.redbookmag.com/body/healthy-eating/a10917/diet-mistakes/" target="_blank" data-tracking-id="recirc-text-link">7 Diet Mistakes You're Definitely Making</a></strong><br></p>pinterest

6. Energy Bars

The same principle applies to granola and energy bars. Most are loaded with sugar, fat, and artificial ingredients—they’re better compared to dessert than energy-boosting or a smart breakfast choice.

7. Smoothies

Watch what you’re adding to the blender. Popular fruits like bananas and berries can push your daily sugar intake well over the recommended limit of 25 grams, Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD explained to Cosmopolitan. What’s more, once you start blending and juicing fruit, you destroy its fiber, which helps your body balance out all that sugar. You’re better off munching on a whole apple or orange.

8. Veggie Chips

The actual vegetable and nutritional value here gets totally squashed one you put them in chip form. Anything processed like this—no matter if it’s been baked or fried—will always pale in comparison to raw vegetables.

9. Dried Fruit

We’ve got bad news if your go-to snack is dried mango or cranberries: “Raisins, apricots, prunes, dates, and figs are really the only dried fruits that don’t have sugar added to them during the drying process,” Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD told Cosmopolitan.


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