These days, when you go to the grocery store, you are surrounded by snacks and food items that insist on being ‘healthy’ and nutritious for you. However, many times, they’re actually not.
One of the hardest parts about trying to maintain a nutritious, balanced diet and lose some weight in this day and age is the amount of influential and suspicious packaging on products that want you to think they’re super good for you. However, the scary thing is that many food manufacturers get away with marketing their items as extra healthy, while using ingredients that aren’t so great after all. We spoke with health experts about four ‘sneaky,’ gut-ruining ingredients that are often hiding in these so-called ‘healthy’ food items. Read more about them below.
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1. Sugar Alcohols
When you're at the grocery store, looking for a sweet treat that's labeled as 'sugar-free' or 'zero-calorie,' it's essential to check the ingredients list, as many of them still contain sugar alcohols, like xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol. They still contribute to overall calorie intake and, in some cases, can cause digestive issues.
"Sugar alcohols, while helping products provide sweetness without calories or blood sugar spikes, can still lead to an upset GI system, gas, bloating, and nausea," says personal trainer and registered dietitian Jesse Feder with MyHealthTeam. "In higher amounts, they have been seen to potentially alter the healthy balance of bacteria in our guts."
2. Seed Oils
Nowadays, more and more health and nutrition experts have come forward to explain how seed oils, like canola and soybean oil, aren't as good for us as we previously might've thought. A fascinating yet concerning 'game' to play at the grocery store is to read the labels on as many processed, "healthy" snacks as possible, and see just how many contain seed oils.
"Refined vegetable and seed oils like soybean, canola, and sunflower oil used in energy bars and baked 'healthy' snacks can create a pro-inflammatory state in the gut if consumed excessively," explains nutritional consultant and holistic health practitioner Dan Jackowiak. "It can also damage intestinal lining cells and reduce microbial diversity. Over time, this can promote chronic inflammation."
3. Synthetic Emulsifiers
While this is a pretty big term, if you aren't aware, synthetic emulsifiers are man-made additives that help mix ingredients that don't naturally blend well, like oil and water. They're commonly used in processed foods such as salad dressings, ice cream, baked goods, and coffee creamers to keep the texture smooth and prevent separation. They may not seem like that big of a deal, but they can do more harm than good over time.
"Synthetic emulsifiers are often used for shelf life in protein bars and sometimes for a creamy texture in dairy alternatives," notes Jackowiak. "They can affect the microbiome, reduce beneficial bacteria, and induce inflammatory responses in the intestinal lining."
4. High Fructose Corn Syrup
If you've been reading up on the health and wellness industry for the last few years, then you've likely learned about just how harmful high fructose corn syrup can be for us in large amounts. The alternative corn-derived sweetener is not only found in processed 'junk' foods, but can even be snuck into foods you might think are healthy, like power bars, 'low-sugar' sweets, and more.
"High-fructose corn syrup, even in healthy protein bars, can feed harmful gut bacteria, encouraging inflammation and reducing beneficial microbial species," says Jackowiak.
