Doctors Explain Which Seemingly 'Healthy' Foods Aren't All That Good For Us

Every day it seems like some new health fad pops up.

Eat this, don't eat that.

But, often, whatever is touted as a cure-all isn't as healthy as they claim.

Reddit user AnxiousAmbassador991 asked:

"Dentists/Doctors of Reddit, what 'healthy food' is actual not that good for us?"

Label Lies

"The marketing people that created the labelling '25% less* sugar' is evil."

"* 25% less than the most sugar-laden product ever produced."

~ Inevitableness

Sticky Icky

"Raisins and dried fruit. Those sneaky jerks will cling to your teeth for dear life and cause cavities."

~ mbaggie

Superfooled

"As a dentist, I remind people that the diet industry will come up with 'superfoods' that are supposed really good for you, but in reality are marketing terms for a new fad over foods that you probably wouldn’t enjoy eating so they fill them with sugar."

~ LupusDeusMagnus

Crunchy Calories

"Granola, especially granola bars. Pretty much candy bars."

"It's like eating an oatmeal cookie."

~ Chiperoni

Interference

"Grapefruit. It’s a fruit so good, right? Not if you’re on psych meds or anti-rejection meds or pretty much any kind of meds, because it affects the rate of med absorption and can cause unintentional overdose or reduce efficacy."

~ m_e_hRN

Empty Calories

"Basically all juices have all the sugar of what my an actual fruit (sometimes more), but without any of the beneficial fiber, so it's a double whammy."

~ zaminDDH

Wearing Thin

"Anything with citric acid in it, like those hot lemon juice 'cleanses'. The citric acid chelates the calcium from your saliva and stops your enamel from absorbing it."

"I remember a patient moved to a property with a lemon orchard and she became obsessed and put lemon juice on absolutely everything."

"When she came in for a check up 2 years later, she had worn such deep abrasions into the surfaces of her teeth that it looked like the base of her teeth were missing on radiographs."

"There was so little mineral left that they became partially radiolucent. Only ever seen it to that extent twice over the past 12 years though."

~ sleighco

Fruit Fooled

"The guy who convinced parents that gummy bears weren’t candy if you used a differently shaped candy mold to make them and called them 'fruit snacks' was a marketing evil genius."

~ SquashAny566

Debunked

"The 'red wine is good for you' thing was debunked a while back when they figured out it didn’t really control for income/wealth disparity and really it turns out people who regularly drank red wine were healthier because they had the resources to be able to do so."

"We are coming to realize now that any level of alcohol consumption at all, no matter the type, increases your risk for health conditions including cancer."

~ bethcon2

Deez Nuts

"Dental-wise, I caution my patients about eating too many nuts. The force that our food exerts on us is either exerted to our teeth or to the bone (more accurately to the periodontal ligament)."

"Hard foods, like almonds, ice cubes, stray popcorn kernels, can wear down and even fracture teeth (force exerted on teeth) or create mobility (force exerted on ligament and/or jaw bone). When the tooth becomes mobile, plaque and bacteria can get into the space where the ligament is housed, and bone loss and recession will happen as a result."

"It’s really hard to keep these areas clean once plaque gets into these spaces, so prevention is key. So for my avid nut eaters, I recommend getting sliced or crushed varieties so that they can still obtain the nutritional benefits without exposing their teeth to excessive biting forces."

~ dannytatas

Sour Note

"Apple Cider Vinegar. I know not all would agree it has health benefits, but as a dentist I absolutely f*cking hate the stuff."

"The number of patients I’ve seen with sudden onset attrition quite frankly scares me. It’s like one moment they have healthy, non worn out teeth. The next minute a 30-year-old has the teeth of a 50-year-old."

"Stay away from apple cider vinegar, kids."

"A lot of people who drink apple cider vinegar are actually aware it’s bad for their teeth."

"So after drinking it they brush their teeth immediately. It’s doubly bad when you do this because your teeth are weakened by the vinegar."

"And then brushing immediately essentially removes the layer of weakened enamel. This is the same with all acidic substances e.g. red wine."

"Rinsing with water afterwards does help. But much better off not drinking the vinegar in the first place."

~ Wunz

Labeling

"VitaminWater is full of sugar. Sure, it’s less than a full sugar soda, but I think the deceptive labeling/marketing fools a lot of people."

~ DamnItHeelsGood

"The deceptive Vitaminwater labeling issue is one of my favorite examples corporations lacking any sort of ethical compass.

"Coca Cola was sued for promoting Vitaminwater as a healthy drink....which they were clearly doing; it was incredibly egregious at the time of the lawsuit."

"Coke's legal defense was that 'no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

"It was shocking that they could claim this with a straight face...almost impressive."

"Coke eventually settled."

~ hardergj

Burnt Bite

"For people taking prescription medications, anything with activated charcoal can decrease their absorption and efficacy.

~ ingres_violin

"Activated charcoal really isn't necessary for anyone. And please, please, PLEASE stay away from activated charcoal toothpaste. It'll strip the enamel right off your teeth.

~ an_ineffable_plan

Moderation Model

"My dietitian always says that most flavored yogurts have so much sugar that they really should be considered a dessert."

"But she also likes to say that unhealthy foods are fine in small amounts and even healthy foods are unhealthy in large amounts."

"It's about moderation. Like, one banana is good for you. 1000 bananas is not."

~ CaptainFartHole

H2O No

"I work next door to a company that creates veneers and fake teeth for dentists. They told me one of the worst thing you can do is chew on ice."

~ xoxomaxine

"Ya, it can crack teeth pretty easily because of how hard it is. Especially if that tooth already has a filling. Once you cut into a tooth its structure is compromised and something really hard like ice, almonds, a random cherry pit you didn’t realize was in there can break the tooth in two or fracture a piece off."

~ sleepkeeper

What's something you thought was healthy that turned out not to be?