Clean eating is one of the most popular topics around the world. It is a lifestyle opted by many and desired by others. However, it is becoming harder and harder to find foods made up by real ingredients and that are beneficial to our health.

So, after being multiple times a victim of the business' merchandizing and had a really hard time truly finding natural products, I want to share with you some of the trendiest foods that are said to be “healthy foods”, but actually are extremely nutrient dense.

These are some meals that aren't as healthy as you think: 

CLIF Protein Bar

chocolate, sweet, candy, cake
Hannah Linn

It is no shocker the reason why Clif bars are unhealthy is because of its high amount of calories. No, not all calories are bad, but in this case, the effect this bar has is similar to the one Regina George ate to become slimmer, but couldn't! 

Clif sells itself to be an energetic snack that will satisfy your hunger and will be able to keep you going all day. However, while reading the label I found out the amount of sugar a regular chocolate chip bar contains is 21 g-- 5 1/2 teaspoons.

The problem here is that the American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day for women and 9 teaspoons for men, meaning that by ingesting a single bar you will be having most of the sugar you need for the entire day; and lets be honest, the bar will not be the only source of sugar you will be consuming. Therefore, your dietary calorie intake will surpass your daily percentage which in the future can become problematic for your body  due to the effect  all foods with sugar on it have. When ingested-- your blood begins to rise and the pancreas releases insulin in order to control your blood levels. However, overtime, elevated levels of insulin can lead to type 2 Diabetes. 

If you're an athlete, or just want to grab a snack before of after your workout this is a good option for you. Otherwise, I recommend taking a bar such as LÄRABAR which has half of the carbohydrates as the Clif and it is made up of 6 ingredients max! It will give you the amount of energy and sugar you need without taking most of your daily percetange.

Tofu

dairy product, cheese, milk, candy, tofu
Lauren Kaplan

As one of the most popular foods in the Asian countries, and labeled as a healthy food all over the world, Tofu is made up by curdling soja milk and pressing it into a block and then cooling it. It is an excellent source of protein, where all of the eight amino acids are found. Nevertheless, some researchers have discovered that Tofu is not as good as it is said to be. 

It contains phytoestrogens- compounds that have estrogen-like on the body which block the production of estrogens and can lead to breast cancer.  93% of soy is genetically modified because of the resistance it has on herbicides. Hence, the amount of GMO's found in Tofu are what makes this “healthy food” to be more harmful than it seems.

Yet, not everything is bad about this meal, because organic Tofu is the alternative and better option if you want to consume this soy milk curd. The reason behind this is that the amount of ingredients it has is less than the non-organic, which mean that the growing of this food is natural, hence better.

Instant Oatmeal

cereal, corn, wheat, oatmeal, porridge, oat
Gabby Phi

In the world of breakfast, oatmeal is one of the healthiest. However, there are multiple options of it and some of them have not a high nutrient value as others. Instant oatmeal is one of them. 

It is made exactly the same way as the old fashioned oatmeal, the only difference is that instant oatmeal is cut thinner so that it can cook faster.

So... what is the real issue with this? The amount of sugar. One packet of Instant Oatmeal Apple & Cranberries have 12g of sugar, whereas the Original Oatmeal has none. That's a huge difference!  

I recommend adding the flavor yourself to the regular oatmeal so that you are sure you are consuming the desired amount of sugar and ingredients you want. 

So.. now you know! Be sure to have good sources of information and read the nutrition labels. 

Remember that the most important thing about clean eating is not to lose weight, or to have the “perfect body”, but to feel good! To give to your body the necessary amount of energy and the right food for you.