Food that seems good turns out to be harmful for people losing weight

A new survey shows that 19% of US adults plan to eat healthier by 2025. One way to do that is to ditch ultra-processed foods, which are often high in calories, sugar, fat and fat. salt.

When looking for alternatives to cookies, chips, cereal and marshmallows, some people fall into the trap of “healthy” foods. These are foods that “look nutritious, but are actually less healthy”, such as unsweetened milk and coconut oil that contain a lot of saturated fat.

Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of bariatric surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital, warns about a popular “health cover” food: dried vegetables. According to him, vegetables such as cauliflower, pumpkin, and potatoes are only really good for health if steamed or boiled. If they are used in pizza, fried or dried, the nutritional content will be reduced. In particular, dried vegetables are high in calories, high in salt and do not create a feeling of fullness.

“Tubes, such as potatoes, are actually very healthy, even though they contain a lot of starch. New ways of processing them make them less healthy. For example, drying them and using them as snacks can can make you gain weight,” Dr. Roslin said.

Nutrition expert Abbey Sharp at the University of Toronto also praised the nutritional value of potatoes. It is a good source of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6, and is naturally fat, cholesterol and sodium free. However, they lose a significant amount of nutrition when dried, fried, salted or covered with sour cream.

She has a similar opinion about other healthy dried vegetables. She noted that although they look healthy, dried vegetables are not really that different from fried vegetables. Recently, Eat This, Not That magazine ranked this food 11th based on calorie, saturated fat and sodium content.

“Some dried vegetables actually provide extra fiber and vitamins. But they still contain a lot of calories, sodium or fat,” says registered dietitian Caroline Thomason.