Five Vegetables You Shouldn't Be Eating
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By Robin Westen
Okay, so all vegetables if prepared properly are good for you. But there are products that pretend to be vegetable-based and healthy but are really just junk food. What should you avoid?
Vegetable Chips
: You’ve probably seen them on the shelves in your supermarket or health food store-- everything from beet chips to carrot chips. But look again. Most are nothing more than potato or corn chips with a vegetable extract, or a chemically-manufactured colorant. Worse, most of these so-called “health” chips are cooked in high caloric canola oil.
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Vegetable Tempura
Don’t be fooled by the word “vegetable” on the menu if it’s followed by “tempura.” Even though it might seem like the batter on tempura is lighter than, let’s say, onion rings, most recipes call for liberal use of cornstarch and lots of sugar. Anything--animal, vegetable, mineral--is bad for you when deep fried. -
Vegetable Soup
Nix it if the vegetable soup comes in a can, even despite claims to be “heart healthy” or low in calories. Most canned soups are shockingly high in sodium and also contain honey, sugar and other sweeteners – whether real or artificial – that can amount to as much as 15g of sugar per half-cup serving. -
Vegetable Juice
Sure, it promises to deliver up to two servings of vegetables in a delectable drink, but the label on most products reveals the processed vegetable juice also contains plenty of sugar without the healthy fiber non-juiced vegetables offer. Remember: juicing, whether commercial or otherwise, can strip vegetables of their heart-healthy fiber. (By the way, it's also best to avoid another tomato-derived product, ketchup, which is made with high fructose corn syrup.) -
Corn
Even though it’s a good source of vitamins B1 (thiamin) and B5 (pantothenic acid), foliate, vitamin C, phosphorous and manganese, corn can pack as much as 15 grams of sugar in just one medium ear. Treat yourself occasionally to a fresh ear, but try not to make it a menu staple.
To comment, click here. About the Author
Robin Westen is ThirdAge's Medical Director. Check for her daily updates. Her latest book, co-authored with Dr. Alyssa Dweck, is "V is for Vagina."
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