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'Healthy' Treats Not So Healthy, Probably Not As Good For You As You Think

'Healthy' Treats May Not Be So Healthy For You After All
Delicious raw cake. The base is made of pistachio and almonds and the cream of avocado, blueberries, raspberries and coconut fat.
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Delicious raw cake. The base is made of pistachio and almonds and the cream of avocado, blueberries, raspberries and coconut fat.

Banana Blueberry Tart. Vegan Chocolate Sundae. Raw Snickers Bars. Cookie Dough Protein Balls.

Sounds yum! And healthy too!

Not so fast…

If you’ve ever indulged in a delicious, raw treat only to go back for seconds, then thirds because it’s natural and “healthy” -- you should know that what you are eating probably isn’t as angelic as you think -- despite the oversaturated promotion of said treats by various health bloggers.

Scott Gooding, author of Clean Living, warns these “healthy” alternatives are still treats -- and should be treated that way.

“Health bloggers and influencers with thousands of followers post about these raw desserts as if they are healthy -- their pitch would be there is no added sugar in them -- but they still contain fructose,” he said.

According to Gooding, your body cannot tell the difference between table sugar and the sugar contained in fruit and while these treats are free from gluten and flour, whatever form sugar is eaten, it will have a negative effect on your body’s system.

“Dates have a higher GI than table sugar creating a more dramatic effect on blood glucose levels and the release of insulin,” he said.

Of course, they are better than say, a Mars Bar because they are mostly natural but they contain a high amount of sugar and are justified as being healthy when really, they should be consumed in moderation.

“Everybody knows people go nuts for sweet treats, but these bloggers have a duty of care and they are abusing their power by telling their followers these treats are ‘healthy’ and promoting them as fine to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Gooding.

He said while fine in moderation, people in the health sphere need to be taking more responsibility rather than promoting their platform through these highly shareable “healthy treats".

“They’ll post a picture of a brownie or cake, and of course their followers will share it -- and there audience will grow,” he said.

“But advocating these foods as OK for every day is irresponsible,” he said.

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