Many of us are trying to lose weight and live healthier lives. We work out and go out of our way to find the best foods. Most of us already know that white sugar, white flour, and trans fats are not good for our health, especially if we want to stay slim.

Unfortunately, some of the foods we think are good for us are actually bad for our bodies and can even make us sick. Here is a list of some health foods that you might not expect to be bad for you.

Artificial sweeteners

People on diets, whether they are low-calorie or low-carb, often choose drinks with artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Sugar is bad for you and you should stay away from it, but artificial sweeteners are even worse and could be harmful to your health.

All artificial sweeteners are bad, but NutraSweet is one of the worst for us (Equal, aspartame). Aspartame is linked to more than 92 different health problems, such as brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional problems, and epilepsy, also called seizures.The FDA has heard about more bad reactions to NutraSweet than to all other foods and additives put together.

Stevia, which comes from a plant, is a much better sweetener than those made from chemicals. It has been used for hundreds of years with no adverse effects. It is available at most health food stores in the United States.

Sports Drinks

Marketers would have us believe that sports drinks are what the body needs when working out hard, but the truth is that sports drinks are full of sugar (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), salt (potassium and sodium), and artificial flavors and colors. If you put a little salt in Cool-Aid, it's pretty much the same thing.

Marketers would have us believe that sports drinks are what the body needs when working out hard, but the truth is that sports drinks are full of sugar (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), salt (potassium and sodium), and artificial flavors and colors. If you put a little salt in Cool-Aid, it's pretty much the same thing. You would do much better to drink spring water or freshly squeezed juices that have been watered down.

Most sports bars and energy bars

Most sports bars and bars serve food that is just as bad for our bodies as candy bars. Many of them have sugar or sugar substitutes, chemicals, preservatives, and artificial nutrients. Before you buy an energy bar, make sure you know what's in it. Look for one made with healthy foods like oats and flax seeds, as well as fruits and natural sweeteners.

Soy-based goods

This is one of the ones that surprised me the most. The usage of soy dates back centuries in Asia. But how we use soy now is very different from how Asians have used it in the past. Ancient Asians knew that it was hard to digest soybeans, so they used long fermentation processes to break down most of the parts that were hard to digest. This made soybeans much healthier to eat. This would be the case with things like soy sauce, tempeh, and miso. Small quantities of these were used as condiments and spices, not as a replacement for meat.

But the way we use soy as a meat substitute (texturized vegetable protein, or TVP) can be very unhealthy because soy has a lot of toxins or things that make it less healthy to eat. Some of the problems that anti-nutrients in soybeans cause are problems with the thyroid, the pancreas, and cancer. Soybeans can also stop the body from taking in minerals it needs.

Granola (and Other Unprepared Grains) (and Other Unprepared Grains)

Granola has been a symbol of healthy food for 30–40 years. But only in the last 50–100 years have people started eating grains that haven't been soaked, fermented, or sprouted. People who lived before us knew that grains that weren't cooked could make people sick.

Anti-nutrients like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors make it harder to digest grains, just like they do with soybeans. These antinutrients can cause serious health problems like Crohn's disease, colitis, and even mental disorders. One reason celiac disease is so common now is that we don't prepare our grains well enough.

So, don't eat the granola. Oatmeal is a great addition to our diets, but we should use whole rolled oats (not instant) and let them soak overnight before boiling them for breakfast.

Breads with properly cooked grains, such as whole grain sourdough and sprouted grain breads, are good to eat. Most of the time, you can find these in health food stores and specialty grocery stores.

Summary

If you're trying to lose weight or eat better, remember that just because a company markets a healthy product well or a health food store sells it doesn't mean it's good for you. Before you grab that sports bar, do some research, or even better, grab an organic apple, cherries, or some other natural (not processed) food. Your body will thank you for it and feel better because of it.