4 Incredibly Healthy Foods You're Probably Eating Wrong

When it comes to starting your pre-bikini season diet, you want to make sure you do everything the right way.

That means eating healthy and hitting the gym every day—no cutting corners. But you may accidentally be cutting corners as we speak, and you don’t even know it yet.

If you have to swap bagels and burgers for lean protein and veggies, then you want to make sure you’re absorbing as many healthy vitamins and minerals as you possibly can.

The problem is: you’re probably not. The way you prepare, cook, and even store your foods could be changing the way your body takes them in.

If you want to make sure your diet truly is the healthiest it can be, then watch out for the way you eat these 4 common foods:

1. Strawberries: Nothing tastes quite as good as fresh strawberries in the summer. Not only are they sweet and juicy, they’re also incredibly diet-friendly. Packed with fiber, vitamin C, and powerful antioxidants, these bright red fruits are a healthy eater’s go-to summer snack. But, if you want to make sure you’re really taking advantage of all those nutrients, then leave them uncut for as long as possible. Certain nutrients—especially vitamin C—are extremely sensitive to light and oxygen. So, the sooner you slice those strawberries, the sooner those nutrients will start deteriorating.
2. Flaxseeds: High in fiber, omega-3s, and lignans, a sprinkle of flaxseeds inside your morning yogurt or smoothie is the perfect little health boost—as long as they’re ground first. The problem here is that your body can’t digest whole flaxseeds properly, so it won’t be able to absorb all the nutrients they have to offer. If you don’t want to flush all those health benefits away, make sure to buy pre-ground flaxseeds or throw them in your coffee grinder before adding them to anything. 

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3. Broccoli: You’ve probably already heard that broccoli is best eaten raw or steamed—and that’s true. If you’re trying to absorb all those healthy nutrients—like vitamin C, antioxidants, chlorophyll, and anticarcinogenic compounds—then you have to resist the urge to boil or stir-fry broccoli.
4. Grilled Meat: Believe it or not, those perfectly charred cuts of meat could be putting you at a higher risk of cancer. In fact, two potentially cancer-causing chemicals, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are formed when meats are cooked using high-temperature methods, especially chargrilling. It’s important not to rely on the color of the meat when grilling. Instead, make sure to use a thermometer to see if the meat is cooked through and safe enough to eat.

Do you have any foods to add to the list? If so, tell us in the comments!

Photo Copyright © 2012 Steffen Zahn/Flickr