5 Foods You Think Are Healthy that Are Ruining Your Goals

At this point in time, every company has jumped on the marketing-healthy-food bandwagon but that doesn't mean that their marketing matches what's actually on the inside. If you've ever looked at the nutrition label on something labeled "high protein," you know what we mean here.

What ranks in our top 5?

1. Granola

Granola has been a staple "healthy alternative" for quite some time now. Oats, raisins, honey--what could be the problem? Very generally speaking, granola often has more overall calories, carbs and fats per serving than most cereals. As well, a serving of granola is also fairly small leaving us overeating and in turn, ingesting way more calories than we need. While you can certainly enjoy some granola in moderation, you won't want to replace your bowl of cereal with it.

2. Trail Mix

The holy grail of handfuls of calories. Now-if we think about it--why would anything that contains lots of m & m's (or chocolate) ever really be considered healthy? And while not every trail mix contains little pieces of happiness, it all has lots of nuts, seeds and usually some kind of dried fruit. Nuts and seeds are not inherently bad, however, they are easy to overeat and very calorically dense. The difference between a serving of trail mix and a couple handfuls is hundreds of calories that you could've eaten elsewhere.

3. Protein Bars*

Not all protein bars are created equal* and this is where companies pry upon those looking for some extra protein. When looking for a protein bar, we aim to have at least 15-20 grams of protein, less than 25g of total carbohydrates and somewhere around 8-10 grams of fat. Often times, you'll see "protein bars" that are glorified granola bars with better packaging. These bars offer around 6 grams of protein which really isn't anything to get excited about. If you're looking for something to actually keep you full and not waste some calories, get a sports nutrition bar instead.

4. Flavored Yogurt

Flavored yogurts definitely taste better than the tangy plain but they're not the best way to get some protein in. Often, flavored yogurts are packed with sugar to make them taste good which is great for the yogurt, not so good for you. A little cup of the good stuff can leave you eating 15+ grams of sugar, and not even that much protein! Look at labels to find yogurts that have more protein than they do sugar and try adding fresh or thawed frozen fruit to plain for a better alternative.

5. Flavored Instant Oatmeal

Those little packets smell delicious before you even put them in the microwave! and delicious they are, but, also loaded with things that aren't so great. A 1/3 cup serving of plain, instant oats offers around 100 calories and 18 grams of carbohydrates where as a flavored oat packet can be upwards of 30 grams of carbs. With all the sugar, you're going to have a good tasting bowl of oats but it's definitely not worth all the sugar. Use plain oats instead and jazz them up with a little fruit, peanut butter, small drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup for a little something.

There are definitely more than these 5 foods that are sabotaging to goals.

Leave us a comment-what foods have you eaten that you thought were healthy but actually aren't?