5 Healthy Foods that Aren’t so Healthy

Sports drinks, fruit snacks, granola bars, instant oatmeal, fruit juice.

All of the above sound incredibly healthy. The commercials make them seem healthy, the packaging screams “LOW FAT,” and “Better for you!” However, if you take a closer look at these seemingly healthy foods, you’ll realize they aren’t so good for you – and here’s why:

1. Sports Drinks

Although these are GREAT for your little soccer stars during a game, casually drinking them around the house isn’t the best thing for your kids. These kinds of drinks include lots of sugars and electrolytes to replace those they lost during the big game. If they haven’t been exercising, they these drinks are just filling their bodies with unwanted sugars. So, if your little sports star hasn’t been running around and sweating, you should probably stick to water to rehydrate them throughout the day.

2. Fruit Snacks

Don’t let your kids fool you into thinking these are healthy just because they have “fruit” in the title and “low calorie” on the package. These bad boys have tons of added sugars and more resemble candy than they do fruit. They are jammed full of added colors, gelatin, syrups, modified ingredients, and yes – they do contain a small amount of fruit puree. You have to be careful when you let your little ones snack on these because they fool you into thinking they are healthy and are dangerously yummy.

3. Granola Bars

There seems to be a connection between the words granola and healthy. To be honest, we’re not sure where this connection started, but it is extremely misleading. Most granolas actually contain a ton of processed flour, added sugars, and unexpected fats. Because of its deceiving healthiness, companies feel like they can add in a few chocolate chips, some drizzled, sugar-filled icing on top and still call it a “healthy snack.” These sugar-packed snacks are easy to eat on the go and so popular in the pantry, just be careful about which ones you buy and always read ingredient labels before you send them to school with your kiddos.

4. Instant Oatmeal

Just like the foods mentioned above, kid-friendly instant oatmeal can really rack up the added sugars. If you’ve never tasted plain, unaltered oatmeal, let’s just say it isn’t kid-friendly. It is bland, tasteless, and quite unappetizing. For this reason, companies add in sugar, cinnamon, dinosaur eggs (which are just big clumps of more sugar), sweet apples, and more. Oatmeal isn’t so bad when it’s full of the sweet-tasting stuff! If your kids are huge fans of oatmeal, don’t go throwing out all the packets just yet. There are some healthier options for oatmeal that don’t sacrifice the flavor, and even some homemade recipes that your kids will LOVE! Check out Health.com to find some of those sweet oatmeal recipes.

5. Fruit Juice

While fruit juices contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they also contain tons of added sugars and extremely processed “fruit.” They contain added flavors because after the “fruit juice” is processed and purified, it loses all its flavor. Your kids love fruit juice because its sweet, and the sweetness comes from sugar – plain and simple. A healthy alternative would be to invest in a juicer and start making your own! The freshness won’t compare to that sugary juice you find at the store and your kids bodies won’t be getting filled with unwanted sugar.

So, next time you are grocery shopping for some healthy snacks for your kids, be proactive and start reading labels. Doing the extra work to find genuinely healthy snacks is worth it to fuel your kids’ bodies properly. If you’re needing a little healthy inspiration, check out our top 8 healthy snacks for kids on the go!