Every week it seems that yet another new food is being proclaimed as the answer to our health problems. Before you jump on the latest food bandwagon, do some research yourself (or ask me). Either way it is in your best interested to at least know if it is really ‘craze worthy’. Now theses 5 foods may be healthy, but their benefits are over-hyped and are the ones I think need to be explained in more detail for you all.

1.Protein Bars: Do you remember back in the day when these bars  (e.g power bars), tasted like crap?  Well it probably still would taste like that if the manufactures didn’t fill them with sugar or fake sugar substitutes. Make sure to check the ingredients; the majority of protein bars are the same  “Processed Junk”. If you still go out and look for protein bars then make sure to get one that is at least 3 grams of fibre, at least five grams of protein and less than 2 grams of saturated fat.

2. Yoghurt: Now there is nothing actually wrong with yoghurt, well the natural product anyway. But the real stuff is not nearly as easy to find due to the fact that hyper sweetened dessert versions are filling supermarket shelves. And I would say the same over-ratedness ( is that even a word :s) is doubly true of frozen yoghurt. 

3. Egg Whites: I will never understand why many people vilify the most nutritious part of the egg while glorifying the less impressive half. Sure egg whites are a good source of protein on their own, but you would benefit even more from the rich nutrients of the WHOLE EGG.

4. Gluten- free foods: Just put the label  “gluten free” on a product and suddenly people think it’s better for them and will even help them lose weight. But unless someone has diagnosed gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, gluten- free is unnecessary. For me it seems to be a craze that I’ve had a lot of questions about recently, but since gluten- free products tend to be higher in calories and fat, you could end up gaining weight instead of losing it!  Besides swapping out everything for gluten-free alternatives may do more harm than good. “ Choose portions of whole grains and steer clear of processed junk with or with out gluten”.

5.  Fruit Juice Drink: even if 100 % freshly squeezed! Yup that’s right as juicing fruit concentrates the sugar while stripping out the filling fibre. But to simplify it a 450ml bottle of orange juice is the equivalent of about SIX WHOLE ORANGES and you wouldn’t eat all that in one go would you?  Now you no why this was included.