Various "Healthy" Thoughts in Croton

Various “Healthy” Thoughts

I often get asked about which foods are better for you or which foods are considered healthier.  I’ve decided to take the next few weeks to put some of these questions and thoughts on paper and share them with all of you!

Sea salt vs. table salt

I think sea salt is better in flavor and texture.  If you have thyroid issues, table salt contains iodine which may benefit your health.  The issue lies in that excess salt, no matter what type, can be damaging to your health and may be a precursor to high blood pressure and heart disease. No matter what type of salt you use, keep it to a minimum and please be aware that fast food and restaurant meals usually contain most of our daily sodium requirements which means it’s too much!

Drinking diet soda is a better alternative

Diet sodas are quite harmful to our health.  The issue lies in the sweetener such as sucralose or aspartame which has been shown to increase our appetites and cause harmful side effects due to its chemical nature.   It's best to drink good old H2O or sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime, or combined with natural fruit juice.

Low-fat foods are better for you

Excess calories and sugar is usually used as a substitute for fat in various low fat or non fat products.  In addition, low fat foods often contain saturated fats and chemicals to help preserve shelf life and to make the food taste better.  Making low fat foods part of your diet plan can increase your risk of heart disease and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol. Read the label and don't fall for all foods that are "low fat."

Energy drinks are better than regular soda

With all the fancy names of energy drinks out there; you may actually feel like a rockstar drinking them!!  They are very deceiving.  Most of these drinks contain various vitamins, amino acids and herbs which are touted for marketing purposes, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are healthy. The sugar content is often as high as 17 teaspoons, which is alone is about 280 calories. In addition they are loaded with caffeine.  For those drinks that are zero calories, then the rules from above apply.  Zero calorie drinks are usually laden with artificial sweeteners that are detrimental to our health.

Granola is healthy for you

Granola is made from whole rolled oats, which alone is healthy for you. If you stopped there you'd be fine! The problem is that those natural oats are now covered in sugar with added nuts, dried fruits and excess oil which increases the calories, fat and sugar. Maybe a handful for a quick snack is fine, but not as a daily breakfast. Your best bet is to have 100 per cent oatmeal cooked in water or non fat milk, adding a little brown sugar, cinnamon and even maple syrup for taste. Or select a high-fiber, low-sugar cereal and add fresh fruit and a few chopped nuts.