Must-Read: Foods That Aren’t As Healthy As You’d Think

When it comes to what to eat, there are a few truths that we all recognize at this point. Water is good for you. An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but it will certainly help. Hey, you know all of those burgers and red meat that you love, well, that’s not really that good for you. And is something that is great for you.

Except, well, that last bit of information isn’t really true. Granola, actually, isn’t as good for you as we’ve all been led to believe. In fact, there’s a lot of food out there that we just KNOW is good for us, but it’s not really at all. And so today we’re heading to AskMen.com where they have a list of foods that you may think are healthy, but are really not. For instance, among the items they are pointing towards, our good friend:

Granola

Why we think it?s healthy: It?s considered the ?healthy person?s cereal,? made with rolled oats, nuts and dried fruits. The term has become so synonymous with health that it?s used to describe hippie-esque people who are socially and environmental aware, left-wing, usually vegetarian and who buy only fair-trade goods. All this is good for the planet and our souls, but nutritionally speaking, isn?t good for our waistlines.

Why it?s not: Granola got its reputation as a health food in the 1960s because, at the time, it was a healthier option to the heavily sugared, frosted cereals on the market. Nowadays, is almost just as bad. A bar contains the same stuff you?d find in any other processed food: corn syrup, soybean oil, sugar and artificial flavors. Granola contains far more calories that you realize, averaging about 500 per small bowl. Even the natural organic brands that use honey, evaporated cane juice or beet sugar are high in calories. These sweeteners may sound healthier than regular old sugar, but they?ll still send your insulin levels skyward. Some brands have so much sugar that a bowl of the stuff has as much as a can of Coke.

This is just one of 50 food items that the piece goes through in order to get all of those thoughts out of your head regarding certain foods that aren’t nearly as healthy as you’d think. So head on over to the above-linked site to check out the rest of the foods that you need to try to avoid, despite their reputation for being super good for you.