Trap Foods - Meals

Aug 23, 2024

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Note
The following is an excerpt from my post ‘Healthy’ Trap Foods, in which I made a detailed list of foods that I believe to deceptively unhealthy. I’ve broken that list down into easier to digest categories based on what food they are. Linked below are all the individual posts:

Introduction
I wanted to put together a list of foods that people consider to be healthy, but are really just either a product of good marketing or misinformation. These foods are typically referred to “Trap Foods”, or “Fake Healthy Foods”, as they can lure customers into thinking they’re making better decisions, when in realty these “healthy” alternatives can be just as bad, if not worse.

TLDR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Extensively read ingredient labels
Avoid ultra processed foods, especially ones containing refined sugar, refined grains, and vegetable/seed oils
Don’t believe marketing claims
Prioritize nutrient dense whole foods or minimally processed foods

Disclaimer
I’m not saying you should absolutely never eat any of these foods. Moderation is key, and the dose makes the poison. Most of the foods on this list are treats, and should be treated as such, but it’s healthy to enjoy treats every once in a while. Don’t eat them all the time, but don’t forbid yourself from having anything. Find a proper balance.

List of Foods

White Rice
Frozen Meals
Processed Meats
Fake Meat
Baked Beans
Cornbread
Potatoes

White Rice
White rice is fairly processed, removing the hull and bran and leaving just the starch. It’s basically the white flour equivalent for rice. With just the starch, white rice is lacking the fiber, vitamins, and minerals of brown rice, which is why it’s often enriched with micronutrients (the same is done with white bread). More starch and less fiber leads to greater insulin spikes, increasing your risk for diabeter and metabilic syndrome. Now I’m not saying that white rice is the most unhealthy thing in the world, far from it; I’m just simply saying there are better options. Instead of white rice, try instead using brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, couscous, or even riced cauliflower or broccoli.

I like have rice on the side with my meals, like with my Classic Rice and Beans or Simple Cauliflower Rice. Rice also works great mixed into dishes, such as Baked Rice and Beans with Vegetables or Lebanese Riced Cauliflower Casserole.

Frozen and Canned Meals
Frozen and canned meals are great for convienence, but that they can very high in sodium, fat, added sugar, calories, and artificial preservatives. I don’t want to keep beating a dead horse; instead, I’ll just leave some links to examples:

Processed Meats
Processed meats can be a great convienence food. They’re typically used on a sandwich, but can also work well in eggs, pizza toppings, salad, or even more. Examples include pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, and lunch meats (ham, turkey, chicken, and roast beef), as well as other cured meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and ham.

Unfortunately, these meats tend to be very heavily processed and have high amounts of sodium and saturated fat. Sodium can be up to 400% higher in cold cuts as compared to standard cuts of meat, as well as containing more fat than protein in many cases. Plus, cold cuts are often paired with cheese and bread, which can also be quite sodium dense. Additionally, the curing processes involving nitrates and nitrites to preserve the meats have been linked to colorectal cancer, as well as heart disease and high blood pressure.

Try grilling, roasting, or shredding your own chicken, or sautee some ground beef or turkey to use instead. Here’s some ideas to get you started:

Fake Meat
If you’re vegan, it can be hard to find a meat substitute, both for getting enough protein and for the feeling of being able to replicate meat. However, you don’t want to be a junk food vegan. This means avoiding fake meat replacement products like Impossible Meat, Beyond Burger, Bac’n Pieces, and Chick’n Filets. All are worse for you than regular meat, being ultra-processed and so far removed from what they started as.

Either eat real meat, or prioritize whole food or minimally processed plant based protein sources, like soy (tofu, tempeh, and edamame), seitan, beans, lentils, and hemp hearts. I actually have a recipe for Ground ‘Meat’ Seitan that you can check out, and use in place of ground beef in tacos, skillets, or chili.

Baked Beans
Beans are a healthy side dish. They’re a good plant based protein, contain a lot of fiber, and can even make you a musician. Baked beans on the other hand, not so much. Canned baked beans are just navy beans covered in a ton of sugar, often containing as many grams of total sugar as protein and fiber combined. With 11 g (nearly a tablespoon) of added sugar per 1/2 cup (130 g) serving, this is really a dessert in disguise on your dinner plate. I prefer my version instead: No Added Sugar Baked Beans. Not to mention that it’s often paired with…

Cornbread
…cornbread. Cornbread is another dessert that somehow weaseled it’s way onto your dinner plate. Just like muffins, banana bread, and baked beans, cornbread is secretly a dessert with good marketing. The one linked above (and shown below) has sugar as it’s first ingredient, closely followed by bleached white flour and seed oil (wait, where’s the cornmeal?). There’s more added sugar, fat, and calories in 1 slice of this cornbread as one of these large chocolate chip cookies!

Cornbread or corn muffins can be a fine dessert in moderation, but know what you’re getting when you reach for a slice. If you’re anything like me (if you’re this deep down then congrats, you probably are lol), you should enjoy my Cheesy Protein Cornbread, which is much higher in protein, lower in fat and carbs, and free of any added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Potatoes
Finally, at long last, we’ve reached the end. I bet you’re asking: why are potatoes, a nutritious whole food, on this list? It’s true that potatoes are a great starchy vegetable, where 1 medium baked potato with the skin (173 g) contains:

Calories: 161
Fat: 0.2 g
Protein: 4.3 g
Carbs: 36.6 g
Fiber: 3.8 g
Vitamin C: 28% of DV (daily value)
Vitamin B6: 27% of DV
Potassium: 26% of DV
Manganese: 19% of DV
Magnesium: 12% of DV
Phosphorus: 12% of DV
Vitamin B3: 12% of DV
Vitamin B9: 12% of DV

Sweet potatoes are even healthier (and taste better imo), where 1 cup (200 g) of baked sweet potato with skins contains:

Calories: 180
Fat: 0.3 g
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 41 g
Fiber: 6.6 g
Vitamin A: 213% of DV
Vitamin C: 44% of DV
Manganese: 42% of DV
Copper: 36% of DV
Vitamin B5: 35% of DV
Vitamin B6: 34% of DV
Potassium: 20% of DV
Vitamin B5: 19% of DV

Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are highly nutritious foods. Sweet potatoes are my preferred carb side to a meal as opposed to pasta, rice, or bread, such as in the following recipes:

Potatoes are on this list because of what’s been done to them, not because what they are. While a baked potato or simply sauteed or roasted cubes are certainly healthy, potatoes are more often than not turned into junk food:

French fries
Mashed potatoes
Hashbrowns
Tater tots
Home fries
Twice baked potatoes
Scalloped potatoes
Loaded potato skins
Potato salad
Potato chips
Potato rolls
Gnocchi

Most of these foods contain extremely high amounts of oil, butter, cheese, or mayo, or they are deep fried (or both). No one thinks that potato chips or French fries are healthy just because they come from potatoes. While all of these dishes can me made in ways that won’t clog your arteries, it’s best to be mindful about what you’re eating, as the calories for all of these can very quickly add up.

Sources