Popular Health Foods That Are Actually Junk in Disguise

Lisette Marie

21. Sushi Rolls (with Tempura/Creamy Sauces): Hidden Calories & Fat

tempura sushi roll. Photo Credit: Envato @Paulynn072

Sushi can be incredibly healthy, focusing on fresh fish and vegetables. However, popular "Westernized" rolls featuring tempura (deep-fried ingredients), cream cheese, or drizzled with mayonnaise-based spicy or sweet eel sauces dramatically increase the calorie, unhealthy fat, and refined carbohydrate content. A single elaborate roll can pack more calories and fat than expected. Stick to simpler rolls featuring fresh fish, avocado, and vegetables, and request sauces on the side to control intake.

22. Coconut Oil: The Saturated Fat Story

Bottle of coconut oil and fresh coconuts with palm leaf. Photo Credit: Envato @esindeniz

Hailed widely as a miracle food, coconut oil gained immense popularity for its potential MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) benefits. However, it's crucial to remember that coconut oil is extremely high in saturated fat – even more so than butter. While some research on MCTs is intriguing, excessive saturated fat intake is still linked by major health organizations to increased LDL (bad) cholesterol. Using it sparingly might be fine, but relying on it as a primary health fat over options like olive or avocado oil could be counterproductive for heart health.

BACK

(11 of 20)

<div class="ads ads-1 collapse-container group-display-adsense unit-2024-desktop-rail-336x600-long zone-slideshow-desktop-rail-bottom">
<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6736552601239305"
     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:300px;height:600px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-6736552601239305"
     data-ad-slot="7087745678"></ins>
<script>
     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
<script>
  addBlurHandler('sdr-bottom', function (el, zone) {
    if (cf_utm_source === 'bing') {
        uetqApi('outbound_click', {
            'event_category': 'PPC',
            'event_label': 'Adsense',
            'event_value': '1'
        });
        console.log('Fired bing.');
    }
	
	if (cf_utm_source === 'google') {
		gtag('event', 'conversion', {
			'send_to': 'AW-17008664059/yUYKCMCtl7kaEPu7rq4_',
			'value': 0.0,
			'currency': 'USD'
		});
    	console.log('Fired Google Conversion.');
	}
	
    console.log('Fired pixel.');
});
</script>
</div>

OpenAI Playground 2025-05-13 at 10.55.45.png

<div class="ads ads-1 collapse-container group-display-adsense unit-2024-desktop-rail-336x280-sticky zone-slideshow-desktop-rail-sticky">
<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6736552601239305"
     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:300px;height:280px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-6736552601239305"
     data-ad-slot="9869999824"></ins>
<script>
     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
<script>
  addBlurHandler('sdr-sticky', function (el, zone) {
    if (cf_utm_source === 'bing') {
        uetqApi('outbound_click', {
            'event_category': 'PPC',
            'event_label': 'Adsense',
            'event_value': '1'
        });
        console.log('Fired bing.');
    }
	
	if (cf_utm_source === 'google') {
	  gtag('event', 'conversion', {
		'send_to': 'AW-17008664059/yUYKCMCtl7kaEPu7rq4_',
		'value': 0.0,
		'currency': 'USD'
	  });
	  console.log('Fired Google Conversion.');
  	}

console.log('Fired pixel.');
});
</script>
</div>

21. Sushi Rolls (with Tempura/Creamy Sauces): Hidden Calories & Fat

22. Coconut Oil: The Saturated Fat Story

MORE FROM HealthPrep