Are whole grains, zero sugar, and vegan foods really that healthy?

According to a report on the website of Spain's "Abesai" on June 18, consumers' enthusiasm for healthy eating has brought a variety of industrialized foods to supermarket shelves, but some so-called healthy super-processed foods just look healthier

First, "whole wheat" isn't everything

Nutritionists do recommend that we prioritize whole grains over refined carbs, but they're referring to meal staples: meal packs, rice and pasta

Nutritionist Beatrice Robles said: "A fruit, no matter how high in calories, is a relatively good choice; a croissant, even with a certain amount of whole wheat flour, is only suitable for occasional consumption

For years, we've looked at nutrients in isolation, and businesses have taken advantage of that

Experts point out that when businesses emphasize that their products contain a certain nutrient (e.

Trying to find health in a croissant is a mistake, says Miguel Luruena, PhD, food science and technology

The so-called "zero sugar" statement is actually quite tricky

According to the report, the World Health Organization recommends that we consume less than 25 grams of free sugars a day to reduce the risk of being overweight, developing diabetes and developing tooth decay

To identify whether a product contains free sugars on the label, Robles gives us some tips: "While the ingredient list is long, in general, it involves ingredients that end in 'sugar' (eg glucose, maltose, sucrose) , corn syrup, syrups such as agave syrup, fruit juice or concentrate, fruit puree or date puree, you need to be wary

"Vegan" actually has elements of playing with concepts

We often hear that eating more vegetables and less animal foods is good for your health

Coke, for example, is also vegetarian because a lot of the sucrose in it is plant-based

So, how can we identify ultra-processed foods under the propaganda of businesses?

Nutritionists say that you should look at the ingredient list first, then the nutrition facts list

The report said that the shorter the ingredient list of the product, the better, and the ingredients are preferably the foods we are familiar with every day

Commercial publicity is one of the channels for obtaining this information, but it is not necessarily the most informative

How do we find processed foods that are better for the body in the supermarket?

Processed foods contain natural foods, but they also inevitably contain condiments that prolong shelf life or improve taste, the report said
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The lower the salt, sugar, and fat content, the healthier the processed food
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Healthy processed foods are represented by canned vegetables and canned fish that are low in salt
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