Just how healthy are 'health foods'?

We generally trust that 'health foods' will benefit us in the way they claim to, but just how good for us are they?

Cereals


We're often told to start the day with a nutritious bowl of cereal. While breakfast cereals contain vital vitamins and minerals, what the experts don't tell us is that they are also laden with sugar, salt and saturated fats.

Nutrition expert Anna Parton says: 'Cereals are a great way to start the day, but be careful to avoid high sugar varieties. Even muesli can have a lot of fat and sugar because of the nuts which will push up the fat content, so not a great choice if you're slimming.' Instead, Parton advises, 'go for porridge or an oat-based cereal to help stabilise your blood sugar.'

Breakfast/cereal bars


Like breakfast cereals, these are full of sugar and saturated fats, shattering their image as a nutritious, low-fat and low-salt nibble.

A nutrition report by Which? claimed that hidden fats in cereal bars made them every bit as unhealthy as junk foods - a far cry from their image as a healthy alternative to cereal.

Parton says: 'They can sometimes have the same fat and sugar content as a chocolate bar! Remember, manufacturers want you to buy their product so just because it says "healthy", it doesn't necessarily mean it is healthy!'

Pre-prepared salads


Pre-prepared and ready-washed salads are a godsend for those of us who lead busy lives, but they are often washed in chlorine, not water.

The chlorine is used to disinfect the salad and kill bacteria, but it also destroys the vitamins and minerals. It can be rinsed in up to 200 times the amount of chlorine found in tap water, although most of the residue is removed to ensure it meets government safety regulations. The chlorine can react with the sap from the salad leaves to create chloramines, which are a common cause of eye and respiratory problems.

Organic salads cannot be washed using chlorine. Countries such as Germany, Denmark, Holland and France do not allow salads to be washed with any more chlorine than is found in tap water.

'I'm not really concerned about trace amounts of chlorine; I'm just pleased that people are having a salad in the first place!' says Parton. 'However, some salads can come with a very high-calorie dressing so "healthy" becomes unhealthy, especially if they are very oily or creamy.'

Fruit juices/fruit yoghurt


Fruit juice drinks tend to be full of sugar to preserve them. They can actually be as rich in sugar as fizzy drinks. Don't be fooled by the 'concentrated fruit juice' label - there can be less than 10 per cent real fruit juice, the rest is sugar, water and flavourings.

Look out for '100 per cent fruit juice' on the label. This means it contains no added sugar, but you should still be aware of the natural sugars found in fruit, so don't go overboard.

Parton advises: 'Fruit juice can have added sugar, so always go for the sugar-free variety and look for the words "pure fruit" rather than "drink", which tends to mean that it has added sugar. You need to be careful if you're diabetic (one glass a day only).'

'Fruit smoothies are a good way of getting people who dislike fruit used to the flavours. These haven't had the pulp - a rich source of fibre - removed, which juice has.'

In the same way, fruit yoghurts contain little in the way of real fruit pieces.

Parton says: 'There is such an array of yoghurts around and many are made with full-fat milk. Greek yoghurt is like eating single cream.'

Canned soups


Canned soups are packed full of salt and are high in fat, especially the creamy and cheesy varieties.

Just one cup of soup can contain a third of your recommended daily salt allowance. Even supposedly low-salt canned soup contains a substantial amount of salt.

Parton says: 'Be careful with salt content. Homemade soups are so easy to make. The trick is equal quantities of vegetables. Add celeriac root and cauliflower mix to make a vegetable soup really creamy. Just liquidise and enjoy!'

Healthy foods are on the up


It's not all doom and gloom though. Ranges like The Food Doctor have created healthy sandwiches (available in Boots stores), salads (available in Boots stores) and ready meals (available in Waitrose stories) which are low in fat and salt.

There are also Food Doctor yoghurts available, which have none of the sugar or preservatives of regular yoghurts and are also packed full of Omega-3. Another good range to look out for is Fresh! Naturally Organic.

A number of supermarket chains, like Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer, are now listening to customer demand and moving towards providing healthier foods by removing hydrogenated vegetable oils and lowering salt levels in their own brand ranges. The message seems to be 'it pays to read the packaging'.

Anna Parton is a BSc RD (HPC Registered) Specialist Dietician. You can find Anna and other registered dieticians in your area at www.dietitiansunlimited.co.uk