What to buy and NOT to buy from the health food aisle, according to a dietitian
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Were it not for the labelling, you'd assume your local supermarket's health food section was a beacon of pure goodness. According to a dietitian, those things slathered with health marketing buzzwords aren't quite as healthy as they appear.
Rebecca Gawthorne, a mum from Sydney who goes by the handle Nourished Naturally on Instagram, has divulged the specific items that are on her shopping list whenever she is in the health food section of a store.
The products that are considered to be healthier than others are stocked on the shelves that run along this aisle. Some examples of these products include sugar-free chocolate, low-carb carbohydrates, and protein powder.
However, Rebecca claimed that not everything is as it appears and that she would steer clear of some things.
This health food aisle is full of products that are thought to be "healthier" than others. Credit: Instagram/@nourish_naturally.
Rebecca began by examining a bag of roasted pumpkin seeds. According to her, these pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of nutrients like magnesium and zinc, as well as a rich supply of healthy fats, and she strongly recommends that you make this purchase.
And then, she moved on to a package of sugar-free cookies. Unlike the bag of roasted pumpkin seeds, the chocolate chip cookies had an excessive amount of processing, and she would rather have a traditional cookie that was free of all the additives. (Or, you could just make a few batches at home yourself!)
The next product on her list is virgin coconut oil. According to Rebecca, this is an overhyped health product that is high in saturated fats, and she believes that as your primary cooking oil, you would be better off purchasing another type of product.
She continued by saying, "This is not something I would purchase on a daily basis."
She continued by saying that dry roasted mixed nuts are a wonderful source of healthy fats and contain plant-based protein, including iron, so you ought to include them as well on your grocery list.
After just two days since she posted the clip, it had been viewed more than 31,000 times, and numerous people praised Rebecca for sharing her suggestions.
One person wrote, "So useful," and another person added, "Thank you for your clear information!"
Rebecca responded to the question of a third customer who inquired about the type of oil she would recommend by saying that extra virgin olive oil is an excellent option for the majority of the cooking done in the home.
Some of you folks may have already observed that the majority of the packaged goods in the grocery store carry a health star rating somewhere on their labels.
This is called the Australian Health Star Ratings System and it was designed by the government to assist consumers in making more informed and wholesome food purchasing decisions.
The whole nutritional profile of packaged food is evaluated by the system, and a rating ranging from half a star to five stars is assigned to each item, providing a method that is quick, easy, and standardised for comparing packaged items. The more stars a food item has, the better for your health it is.
However, the system has received a lot of criticism from health professionals, and some of them believe that it ought to be viewed with a healthy dose of scepticism.
Check out the video below for more guidance on which grocery products are considered "healthy" and which ones you should steer clear of.
Credit: FlavCity with Bobby Parrish.
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