Costly 'healthy' foods that do more harm than good - Trainer's insights
The trainer named expensive foods that are not useful (photo: Freepik)
Many people mistakenly believe that healthy eating is expensive. A trainer has identified popular, costly foods that bring more harm than benefit, according to to Ukrainian trainer Yuriy Popko in Instagram.
Comparing products
“Healthy eating is expensive” — this is a common belief among people who haven’t actually calculated the cost of fresh, nutrient-dense foods. Moreover, there are “alternatives” that are far more expensive, as their price also includes marketing costs.
Meat
Protein is a basic element of the diet, so let’s take a piece of meat or poultry as an example.
In 100 g of meat or poultry, you get 22-25 g of protein, minimal fats (about 2-5 g per 100 g), and no carbohydrates.
In 100 g of sausages, the protein content is around 10-11 g, which is half the amount in a piece of meat. The fat content is around 20 g, depending on the brand, which is 4 to 10 times higher than in lean meat.
The fat content of poultry can vary depending on the part of the bird, but what’s actually in sausage products often remains a mystery.
Notably, meat products tend to be either fatty or very fatty. Carbohydrates are usually minimal, except when sugar is added for flavor.
Additionally, these products need a long shelf life, so they contain various preservatives, colorants, and flavor enhancers.
Granola
Granola is a mix of oats, wheat, barley flakes with added dried fruits, sugar or honey, and condensed milk, all baked together.
This product costs 4-5 times higher than plain rolled oats or other grains. Additionally, granola contains many unnecessary, low-quality ingredients such as sugar, honey, and syrups.
Its calorie content is high, and it has a high glycemic index, leading to quick hunger after consumption.
Choosing oats and adding dried fruits, cottage cheese, or protein powder is cheaper and healthier.
Glazed curd bars
In 100 g of this product:
- Proteins: 14 g
- Fats: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Caloric content per 100 g: 360 kcal
“Where’s the healthy eating here? It’s hard even to call this a protein product when it contains more fat than protein, and even more carbohydrates. This makes it more of a carbohydrate product,” said the expert.
In regular cottage cheese, 100 g contains:
- Proteins: 18 g
- Fats: depending on the type, but ideally around 5%
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Caloric content for 5% fat per 100 g: 120 kcal
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
