Is light and ready-to-eat really that healthy?

1. The supermarket shelves are full of temptations and screaming packaging. You quickly load your cart in the belief that you will indeed eat light, low-sugar and / or healthier. But some of these products can increase not only your weight but even your cholesterol and blood sugar levels! A quick guide to avoid nasty surprises.

Light Biscuits

1. Light biscuits have the advantage of being able to feast on them without feeling guilty. But in what way are they light? Anyone who wants to bake cookies needs a number of solid ingredients in any case: flour, eggs, sugar and fat. If you reduce the amount of one ingredient, you will automatically have to add more of another! Less sugar almost always means more fat. And vice-versa. Even when the manufacturer uses an alternative sweetener (such as aspartame), nothing proves that your organism will be satisfied. If your spontaneous sugar cravings aren't met, your body may try to satisfy those cravings elsewhere, anywhere, anytime. And let's say for yourself, what's the point of buying light biscuits if you reach for candy? Our proposal. Feel free to buy a pack of delicious cookies that are not light! Provided that you only have one every day, for example as a snack.

2. Light biscuits have the advantage of being guilty-free. But in what way are they light? Anyone who wants to bake cookies needs a number of solid ingredients anyway: flour, eggs, sugar and fat. If you reduce the amount of one ingredient, you will automatically have to add more of another! Less sugar almost always means more fat. And vice-versa. Even when the manufacturer uses an alternative sweetener (such as aspartame), nothing proves that your organism will be satisfied. If your spontaneous sugar cravings aren't met, your body may try to satisfy those cravings elsewhere, anywhere, anytime. And let's say for yourself, what's the point of buying light biscuits if you reach for candy? Our proposal. Feel free to buy a pack of delicious cookies that are not light! Provided that you only have one every day, for example as a snack.

Ready-made

1. It makes sense that it is popular: just heat it up in a pan or in the microwave and a few minutes later the food is on the table! Maybe it is too good to be true ... Because most ready-to-eat dishes contain quite a lot of fat (about 5 g per 100 g). How come? Because fat brings out the flavors and aromas better. Adding fat is therefore a cheap way for manufacturers to give more flavor to often bland preparations. Another undesirable guest in prepared dishes is salt, another flavor enhancer and therefore often prominent. Smart from the producer, but not healthy: anyone who absorbs too much salt runs the risk of retaining water. Too much salt also causes high blood pressure. Our proposal. Only use ready-made dishes as an emergency solution. Choose canned foods rather than vacuum-packed meals.

2. It makes sense that it is popular: just heat it up in a pan or in the microwave and a few minutes later the food is on the table! Maybe it is too good to be true ... Because most ready-to-eat dishes contain quite a lot of fat (approx. 5 g per 100 g). How come? Because fat brings out the flavors and aromas better. Adding fat is therefore a cheap way for manufacturers to give more flavor to often bland preparations. Another undesirable guest in prepared dishes is salt, another flavor enhancer and therefore often prominent. Smart from the producer, but not healthy: anyone who absorbs too much salt runs the risk of retaining water. Too much salt also causes high blood pressure. Our proposal. Use ready-to-eat dishes only as an emergency solution. Choose canned food rather than vacuum-packed meals.

Breaded products: sometimes miserable ko (r) st

1. A breadcrumb crust may add a festive touch to a turkey steak or a slice of fish, but often it just serves to hide the fact that the product in question is not doing well. If you don't read the label, you might be buying a product that's 75 percent breadcrumbs and only 25 percent fish or meat. Then you have to look carefully for the proteins on your plate! Even more annoying is that industrial crusts are prepared with inferior fats, especially with palm oil. Our proposal. Bread your fish or meat yourself. Mix crushed dry bread with an egg yolk and some rapeseed oil. Very tasty and an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin E, proteins and good unsaturated fatty acids (including the famous omega-3 fatty acids).

2. A breadcrumb crust may give a turkey steak or a slice of fish a festive touch, but often it simply serves to hide the fact that the product in question is not doing well. If you don't read the label, you could buy a product that is 75 percent breadcrumbs and only 25 percent fish or meat. Then you have to take a closer look for the proteins on your plate! Even more annoying is that industrial crusts are prepared with inferior fats, in particular with palm oil. Our proposal. Bread your fish or meat yourself. Mix crushed dry bread with an egg yolk and some rapeseed oil. Very tasty and an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin E, proteins and good unsaturated fatty acids (including the famous omega-3 fatty acids).

Light cheeses: also less calcium

1. It's true that light cheeses contain less fat than their real counterparts. Unfortunately, they often also provide less calcium. While you still need 1200 mg of calcium per day to prevent osteoporosis. Our proposal. Feel free to enjoy a delicious ripe Camembert: it delivers 260 kcal per 100 g, the light version 180. The difference is too small to deny you this pleasure!

Non-alcoholic drinks: more sugar

1. A producer who makes non-alcoholic wine must in any case replace that alcohol with another ingredient. And that becomes ... sugar! Result: in terms of calories you are not better off - on the contrary - and you deny yourself the beneficial effect of the alcohol in the wine, because it protects against Alzheimer's disease and a heart attack, among other things. Our proposal. Feel free to drink a glass of wine, but limit yourself to 15-20 g alcohol per day (1.5 to 2 glasses).

2. A producer who makes non-alcoholic wine must replace that alcohol with another ingredient anyway. And that becomes ... sugar! Result: in terms of calories you are not better off - on the contrary - and you deny yourself the beneficial effect of the alcohol in the wine, because it protects against Alzheimer's disease and a heart attack. Our proposal. Feel free to drink a glass of wine, but limit yourself to 15-20 g alcohol per day (1.5 to 2 glasses).

Toast bread: more fat

1. Industrially prepared soft crust bread, such as casino, can contain up to 12 g of fat per 100 g. In comparison: with a baguette this is barely 1 g. Toast bread is baked in a mold: to prevent the dough from sticking to the mold, the producers make lavish use of fat. Moreover, it gives the bread a creamy taste and keeps it longer. Our proposal. Bread that you bake yourself or buy from the bakery usually contains less fat and is much tastier. Get a baguette every now and then: a lot healthier!

Surimi: especially sugar and fat

1. Surimi sticks appear like fish but are much less nutritious. You will not get the proteins that are indispensable in a balanced diet from surimi sticks. And if that weren't enough, they are full of sugar and excess fat. Our proposal. Raw carrot sticks are a much healthier appetizer: they provide 54 kcal per 100 g compared to 110 kcal for surimi.