8 'Healthy' Foods You Never Knew Are Actually Making You Fat (Photos)

If you've suffered through a diet, you know eating healthy can be pretty damn hard.

Especially when the world is filled with all sorts of tempting treats like pizza and ice cream.

But you know what's even worse than skipping out on your favorite artery-clogging snacks and noshing on something healthy? Finding out most of those "healthy" foods are just a big fat lie.

Yep, food companies tend to be sneaky assh*les when it comes to disguising their products as wholesome snacks. Oftentimes these foods are no better for you than their unhealthy alternatives.

Trust me, there's nothing more frustrating than single-handedly sabotaging your diet by eating a "skinny chocolate cake" that claims to help you lose weight.

In order to help you make smarter eating decisions, we set out to uncover some of the "healthy" foods that aren't actually as good for you as you may think.

Seriously, if something tastes too good to be true, it normally is.

Granola

Granola is often regarded as the holy grail of healthy breakfast grains.

But like most things that taste amazing, this allegedly wholesome snack is actually pretty terrible for you. Those crunchy clusters are packed with sugar and a sh*t ton of calories with relatively few nutrients.

If you're going to pour yourself a bowl, make sure you opt for a granola that has less than 10 grams of sugar and lots of fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied for a longer period of time.

Green Juice

If it's green it's gotta be good for you, right? Well, not necessarily.

Sure, sipping on liquid kale may sound like a great way to get some extra vitamins and minerals, but there can be lots of sneaky sugar lurking inside those green juices and smoothies.

In fact, some of those bottled juices can contain as much as 50 grams of sugar per serving because they contain fruit in addition to veggies. Make sure you read labels and keep track of the calories you're sucking down throughout the day.

Sushi

If you're sticking to boring old sashimi or seaweed-wrapped rolls, then yes, sushi is a relatively healthy meal.

However, we usually sabotage our rolls by wrapping them in white rice and smothering them in spicy mayo, tempura flakes and lots of avocado.

If you're going to order sushi, keep your calories in check by skipping out on the fancy add ons and making sure you opt for sushi made with high-grade, low-mercury fish.

Dried Fruit

We all know that fruit's healthy, so dried fruit must be a pretty solid snack.

Wrong.

This sweet snack is basically nature's version of Skittles and even if you get unadulterated, dried fruit with no added sugar, this snack is still loaded with tons of calories, carbs and sugar.

If you're craving a sweet fruit snack, you're much better off eating a normal, non-dried piece of fruit.

Protein Bars

If you love protein bars just as much as the next gym rat, you might want to look away: Your favorite post-workout snack is about to be ruined.

Protein bars may seem like an awesome snack for any health-conscious person who's on the go. But in reality, these things are usually just glorified candy bars with a little extra protein pumped into them.

Although these bars are passed off as "fitness products," these things usually contain all kinds of artificial crap, high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats that contribute to weight gain.

Instead, you should consume real foods like lean meats, eggs and fish to hit your daily macros rather than relying on processed slabs of protein.

Veggie Chips

Sure, veggie chips may sounds a like a wholesome snack. But don't let the name fool you.

In most cases, they're made with potato starch or corn flour, along with some colored vegetable powders. They're really not much better for you than a bag of Lays.

Make sure you check the ingredients on the label and try to avoid the processed veggie chips that look more like potato chips than vegetables.

Yogurt

In theory, yogurt seems like it should be a pretty healthy snack since it has vitamins, minerals and protein.

But not all yogurt is created equal. If you're chowing down on a cup of yogurt that's designed to taste just like chocolate mousse or cheesecake, it's probably not going to be the healthiest thing in the world.

In some cases, flavored yogurts (including the low-fat and fat-free varieties) can have more sugar than a candy bar and contain things like high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and starch.

You're best bet is to stick to plain yogurt that's low in sugar and packs a lot of protein into each serving, like unflavored greek yogurt.

Whole Wheat Bread

If you thought wheat bread was the solution to your sandwich woes, I have some bad news: Your beloved bread has been deceiving you.

Bread labels can be pretty misleading, and sometimes bread that claims to be "whole wheat" is actually made from refined flour rather than whole grains. It can contain all sorts of unhealthy sh*t like hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives.

Yep, I know. We've all been living a lie.

Make sure you're getting the real deal by sticking to breads that are "100 percent whole wheat" and steer clear of “multigrain” or “made with whole wheat" breads that have enriched wheat flour as a main ingredient.