From low-carb snack bars to vegie chips and supermarket dips, these five so-called “health foods” may appear healthy, but can be anything but.
Health food is big business. In supermarkets, the range of products in the “health food” aisle is rapidly expanding while more general products are being marketed for their specific health-related attributes.
Low-carb, “natural”, high protein and gluten-free are just some marketing call-outs designed to attract more health-conscious consumers.
Some of these products are indeed “healthier”, with less fat, sugar and calories than other foods. But a growing range of ultra-processed foods are masquerading as healthier options when they are probably worse for us nutritionally.
Snack bars
Long gone are the days when a muesli bar was made from oats, fruit, choc chips and honey. Now, the average snack bar is coated in chocolate or has confectionery added, making it more like a chocolate bar than a wholesome muesli bar.
Lower-carb, high-protein indulgent snacks are also growing in number, plastered with the words natural, low sugar and goodness, when they are actually the definition of ultra-processed, with a long list of ingredients you would never find in a home kitchen.
The reality is it takes a lot of emulsifiers, flavours and sweeteners to create a bar that tastes like a chocolate bar, minus the actual chocolate. Nutritionally, these processed ingredients are not always good for us. So, if you see a muesli bar with an extremely long ingredient list, minus any sugar, fat or carbs, run, don’t walk a mile.
The worst offenders
- Mayver’s Low Carb High Protein Bars
- Noshu Protein Bars
Wraps
Wraps are often deemed “healthy” or even healthier than bread. When you see green and orange varieties marketed for their vegetable content, or high-protein, low-carb variants, you could be forgiven for thinking you are making a healthier choice.
However, a closer look at the ingredient list of wraps will show a long list of processed ingredients required to make bread into the flat, sticky consistency of a wrap. The lower-carb versions are far more processed again, with an even longer list of processed ingredients.
Or, in the case of vegetable-based options, closer inspection may reveal they contain little to no real vegetables (or even a colour to make them green). The take-home message is that wholegrain bread is a much healthier option, and if you want to eat a wrap, pick a regular wholegrain variety.
The worst offenders
- Simson’s Pantry Low Carb Keto Wraps
- Helga’s Spinach & Herb Wraps
Vegie chips
If we know that potato chips are not so good for us, surely an option made with vegetables is better? No, not really, when you consider that the average supermarket bag of vegetable chips is ultra-processed to turn a regular carrot into a straw or create a puff-like consistency.
Not only are these snack foods still relatively high in added fats, the carbohydrates are so highly processed that they negatively affect glucose levels and have zero bulk to keep you full and satisfied.
Plus, they can contain loads of colours and flavours, including MSG, to make such snacks more palatable. Enjoy real chips occasionally and don’t kid yourself into thinking vegie chips are that much healthier.
The worst offenders
- Infuzions Veggie Straws
- Harvest Snaps Baked Pea Chips
Dips
If your goal is to find a healthy dip, remember to read the ingredients list carefully. While there are many healthier options made with as much as 90 per cent vegetables, there are also plenty of options that just use legumes and vegetables as a flavour, not a base.
Less healthy options will list cheese, cream or oil as their primary ingredient, which leaves you with a coloured pot of fat, usually made from fats such as blended vegetable oil, which are anything but good for us.
The worst offenders
- Chris’ Avocado Dip
- Coles Spicy Capsicum Dip
Chicken bites
The increasing costs of living have seen many of us resort to the freezer section of supermarkets. While there are loads of frozen crumbed chicken options to help get dinner on the table quickly, not all frozen chicken pieces are created equal. In fact, some options have as little as 30 per cent chicken and are largely processed coatings that we still pay considerable coin for.
Always check your ingredient lists and look for frozen fish and chicken that has a base of at least 60 per cent protein.
The worst offenders
- Family Faves Crumbed Chicken Tenders
- Steggles Crumbed Chicken Fingers
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Susie Burrell is an accredited practising dietitian and nutritionist.
