Here are a few foods that appear to be nutritious but should only be consumed in limited amounts.

Forget what you think: Not every dish including veggies or nuts, or one consumed by athletes, is necessarily healthy.

Here are several well-known foods that are marketed as healthy and nutritious, but actually contain excessive calories and unhealthy components.

Sushi

Sushi has a reputation for being nutritious and diet-friendly, but its ingredients list paints a different picture. The typical sushi roll has much too much rice, which is high in calories and low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It also includes a tiny amount of low-calorie fish, veggies, and seaweed, all of which are high in nutrients.

To put it another way, sushi has high-quality components, but the ratio between them is off, so any roll can get in the way of a healthy, balanced diet. A typical maki roll with rice, fish, and one vegetable (aside from avocado, which is a healthy fat) contains between 200 and 400 calories, 40-50 grams of carbs, and 5-8 grams of protein.

This is before you add in the soy sauce, teriyaki, and spicy mayonnaise, which raise the calorie value and sodium content of the dish.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices usually have a lot of sugar in them. Simply reading the list of food ingredients in descending order according to the amount of each in the product will reveal that sugar is the second ingredient in many drinks, after water, and before the fruit concentrates — assuming there is any fruit at all.

Various juices have recently undergone improvements that have resulted in a reduction in harmful substances such as preservatives and food coloring.

Choose juices that are free of preservatives and food coloring, as well as drinks that contain only natural food coloring. And, best of all, you can get your dietary fiber by squeezing the juice yourself or eating it whole.

Coconut Oil

According to a survey conducted in the United States, 72 percent of the general public believes coconut oil is healthy, whereas 37 percent of dietitians agree.

Coconut oil has been hailed as the ideal healthy alternative to many types of fats and oils in recent years, but the American Heart Association maintains that these assertions are false.

Coconut oil has a saturated fat content of 82 percent, which is much greater than olive oil (14 percent) and even butter (63 percent ). Saturated fats can raise harmful cholesterol levels in the body, and studies have linked their consumption to an increased risk of heart disease.

Granola

According to a recent New York Times poll, 70 percent of the general public believes granola and granola bars are healthy, but only 28 percent of dietitians agree. It’s no surprise that most commercially available granola contains a lot of sugar. Granola has a high calorie and carbohydrate content, however it is poor in protein.

Although granola is high in fiber and contains heart-healthy lipids from its variety of nuts, we recommend eating only a little amount or making your own due to the high sugar level.

Dried fruit

Dried fruits aren’t damaging to your health, and they often have more fiber and antioxidants per gram than fresh fruits. However, per gram of fruit, they contain more sugar and calories. Furthermore, people tend to consume far more dried fruit than fresh fruit.

To improve color, prevent oxidation and decomposition, and increase shelf life, most dried fruits must be “artificial treatment” with high temperatures and preservatives like sulfur dioxide.

Additional oils, glazing additives (to provide a shiny sheen), and artificial food colors are found in some dried fruits, which might induce an allergic reaction in sensitive persons and children.

Protein drinks

Protein drinks are popular among athletes because they guarantee that the protein supplement in the drink will boost performance and appearance by increasing body muscle mass.

The recommended amount of protein per kilogram of body mass at an ideal weight for most people who train to improve their physical fitness is about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body mass, and most of the protein needed for the body’s needs can be obtained solely through food, without the need for protein supplements.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Foods that look healthy can cause long-term health damage