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If something has the word “vegetable” in its name, it’s a healthy option, right? Wrong! A lot of seemingly harmless vegetable-labeled dishes are packed with sugar and calories. Next time you’re reaching for a healthy snack, be sure to check the label and avoid these six secret saboteurs.
1. Ketchup:
Even though ketchup is seemingly harmless, it’s packed with high fructose corn syrup and sugar. Next time you’re looking for something to dip into, opt for salsa, spices, or nothing.
2. Corn:
Corn actually isn’t a vegetable. It’s a grain. While corn does have its fair share of B and C vitamins, it’s also loaded with sugar. An average-sized ear can have up to 15 grams of sugar. As with most grains, corn is best enjoyed in moderation.
3. Vegetable Juice:
When trying to reach the five-a-day fruit and veggie requirements, it’s easy to reach for a can of veggie juice. When fruits and veggies are juiced, the majority of their nutrients and fiber are compromised. Veggie juice boasts a whopping two servings of veggies per serving, however, those veggies are smothered with sugar-enhanced fruit juices. As delicious and tempting as store-bought juice might be, check the label before ingesting.
4. Veggie Chips:
If you’re addicted to the crunch of potato chips but avoid ’em because of the grease and carbs, veggie chips would seem like a logical options. Unsurprisingly, most veggie chips are deep-fried and primarily made with corn and potatoes. Those rich red and green hues come from food coloring, not bell peppers and zucchini.
5. Canned Vegetable Soup:
Canned veggie soup seems like a healthy, low-cal meal option, right? Not always. They’re often laden with excessive amounts of sugar and sodium. While soup is a great option, stick to the homemade variety.
6. Vegetable Tempura:
While it seems like common sense that any veggie that’s thrown in the deep fryer should not be included in any diet regimen, many people think tempura is ok because tempura is touted as a light batter. Wrong. Tempura is loaded with sugar, oil, and cornstarch, a sure-fire way to sabotage your diet.
Edited by Jody Smith
Add a Comment56 Comments
There is sugar naturally occurring in the rice flour 766mg/cup according to wolfram alpha
also in an egg(defined as 35g) 253mg
plus whatever's in the oil, plus whatever's being deep fried.
In fact nearly every food of any description has some sugar.
September 28, 2011 - 1:40amIt's hard (and a bad idea, we need it to live) to go to a NO sugar diet.
This Comment
So, this article implies that the problem is with the vegetables themselves. When, really, you're actually just saying that lots of sugar and processed food is bad for you. No, really?
The message should be: eat more vegetables and less processed food and processed sugar (cane sugar, HFCS, etc...). Cook at home more and it will be easier to accomplish this goal. Vegetables should not be something to be afraid of (too many people already are).
Also, under no circumstances is ketchup a vegetable- it is a nasty processed product that comes from a fruit.
August 29, 2011 - 1:14amThis Comment
All vegetables, fruit, produce, fresh plants, whatever you want to call them, that are available in American supermarkets are healthy. I bet folks could eat most of 'em to their hearts' content without any problems, except for maybe 'taters and avocados. And even those are extremely healthy in moderation.
Fresh foods = good
Processed foods = not as good
Meat and Dairy = I like them a lot, but not even gonna go there
Anyway, this article was stupid. The person who wrote it probably isn't stupid, but she is (to put it mildly) not an expert on this topic. Most of the commenters are entertaining. For some reason, the NY Times had a link here. Hopefully that'll bring more to join in.
August 29, 2011 - 12:14amThis Comment
They are not all healthy.
September 15, 2011 - 3:02amThis Comment
Well put.
August 29, 2011 - 1:16amThis Comment
Sweetcorn won`t make you fat because you can`t digest it. If you eat a can of it, the next morning your poo is full of undigested lumps of corn. I know mine is. My turds sometimes resemble a corn on cob. I probably need to chew my food more thoroughly, though. Sometimes I get peanuts in my poo, when I haven`t eaten any, does anyone know how this is possible?
August 26, 2011 - 10:34pmThis Comment
Please tell us more about different things and how they affect your poo. I don't know about anyone else, but I sure want to know. I think I'm becoming addicted. Actually, I'd like to know how your poo responds to eating cheese and rice and crackers ... and how is it affected by long-term antibiotics and plenipotentiary supplements. Also, do beets make your poo red? And what about asparagus ... does it make your pee stink? About the peanuts, corn can turn into peanuts in the digestive tract and come out in the poo when you pee. Many people don't believe this and that it's just a case (24 in a case, I think) of magic poo, butt iss snot. Wait till I grab a bite to eat ... this has made me hungry. I'll be right back.
September 15, 2011 - 2:59amThis Comment
I had forgotten about posting here, but since you ask, yes, certain foods have alarming effects on my poo. If I drink lots of red wine or Guiness, which I often do, my poo comes out like black boot polish.
October 5, 2011 - 4:15amYes, aparagus makes my wee glow in the dark. Hot foods like chilli, curry etc, have no noticeable immediate effect but the next morning, I get explosive diahrhea. A few weeks back, after a saturday night curry, early on a sunday morning, I was walking my two toy poodles and I got chronic stomach cramps. The type that tell you that the poo tsunami arrives in 30 seconds, "ready or not, I`m coming!" So I had no option but to squat in the gutter. Very embarrasing, on a main road.
This Comment
too funny.. Like the person who wrote shouldn't isn't a word! And it faux pas not faux pa, ma. Back to poo school all of yas.
September 24, 2011 - 1:51amThis Comment
That could be from having diverticulitis. The peanut could lay in the pockets until something else comes in and sweeps it back out. A person can have diverticulitis for years without even noticing they have it, because they mentally write it off to be something minor, such as cramping, bloating, or minor ulcer. Like heartburn, many people will associate the symptoms of diverticulitis to be caused by a certain food they ate, when it fact it is NOT any one certain type of food. Since it is strictly an internal issue, only a doctor can tell if you have diverticulitis or not. However, left untreated it could lead to other truly serious health problems. Some of the pockets can be very large/deep. If food sits in intestinal pockets for too long the food will rot and become poisonous or even cancerous!
August 27, 2011 - 2:06pmThis Comment