Snacks You Thought Were Healthy...

An article from the Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/160396/snacks_you_thought_were_healthy.html?cat=22

5 Snacks that Can Be Very Deceiving

Believe it or not, snacks are an important ingredient to a healthy lifestyle. When you skip snacks, you are tempted to overeat at meals. But, all too often, people are lead to believe their favorite snacks are healthy, when in reality they are from it. The next time you go to the grocery store you might want to avoid the following snacks that you thought were healthy.

Snacks You Thought Were Healthy #1: Fruit Snacks

Look at a package of fruit snacks and what does it say? It will say something similar to, "Contains 1 serving of fruit." Wow, that means you can eat all you want, right? Wrong. While these not so healthy snacks will count as a serving of fruit, they will also count as several servings of sugar. Do not let snacks like this fool you. Read the nutrition label and always look for the amount of sugar contained in each serving.

Snacks You Thought Were Healthy #2: Frozen Fruit Bars

These truly sinful snacks may seem healthy, but unfortunately they aren't. Fruit bars that contain whole pieces of fruit are usually made with fruit puree, sugar, water, and then pieces of fruit. Things get even worse if you choose the coconut fruit bars which taste like that have a pina colada mix added to them. You can easily make these snacks in your home, so that they are healthy. Take equal parts of Splenda and water and then add strawberries (or other fruit) that has been ground up in the blender. Once all of that is combined, add bite sized piece of fruit to the mix.

Snacks You Thought Were Healthy #3: Baked Fruit Bars

What's not healthy about a baked fruit bar? I mean they claim to be made with grains and fruit, so they must be a healthy snack. Well, they're not. Fruit bars are not made with whole grains, so that's one strike against them. Also, they have a lot of sugar. Then there's the fact that these are so small you could eat three of them before you were satisfied. You can make similar bars are home using whole wheat flour and sugar free preserves. There are several recipes available online.

Snacks You Thought Were Healthy #4: Tortilla Chips with Salsa

First of all, yes salsa is healthy. If you make homemade salsa, it's even healthier. But, when you dip tortilla chips into salsa, you ruin this healthy snack. Luckily this is a very easy fix. All you need to do is buy baked tortilla chips instead. Better yet, buy tortillas
and make your own baked tortilla chips for a fraction of the price.

Snacks You Thought Were Healthy #5: Smoothies

Smoothies are deceiving. Many people do not realize that smoothies have unhealthy ingredients added to them like full fat yogurt, sherbet, or even ice cream. If you enjoy smoothies, don't worry, these too can be made at home. To make a healthier smoothie choose ingredients like fresh fruit, fat-free yogurt, and honey for a sugar substitute. This is a smoothie you can actually feel good about.