Welcome to Insight into Health, my radio show on listener-supported KSVY 91.3, where I explore ways to make healthy living realistic, enjoyable, and sustainable. I am your host, Allison McKeany, and these are the show notes for the live radio show that aired on December 22nd, 2025.
Listen to the episode:
Beyond the What:
“Health food impostors” have been a pet peeve of mine for years. Decades, even.
You know, those foods that sound healthy, often look healthy, yet may be quietly sabotaging your health.
This is no one’s fault. Everyone out there is up against contradictory information, confusing labels, and aggressive marketing.
I remember watching sugary cereal commercials way back when and questioning the “part of a complete breakfast” line. On the screen, they’d show a plate of eggs, toast, and fruit with a glass of milk. Oh, and a tiny bowl of cereal off to the side like a breakfast dessert.
Let’s pull back the curtain on some of the most common health food impostors:
Juice:
What could be misleading about juice? It’s fruit! It’s natural! The issue with even fresh-squeezed juice is that while the whole fruit has fiber and requires chewing to slow digestion and increase fullness, juice doesn’t have anything to slow it down. Juice makes its way so quickly through the digestive system and into the bloodstream, in fact, that we often use orange juice to raise someone’s blood sugar quickly when they are having a low-blood-sugar emergency.
Juice is essentially concentrated fruit sugar. And yes, while the sugar from fruit sounds like it should be healthy, it can cause similar problems to other forms of sugar. Plus, one glass of orange juice can contain the equivalent amount of sugar as 3-4 oranges!Juicing:
Just like fruit juicing, juicing anything removes the fiber. And the fiber is one of the most important parts of these foods. Fiber feeds your gut and supports countless areas of health. You are better off eating these foods whole.
Smoothies:
If not juicing, then maybe smoothies? Well, it depends. A lot of smoothies out there are dressed-up milkshakes, especially if the rest of the ingredients are disguised sources of sugar (juice, sweetened yogurt, and frozen yogurt).
Plus, even the most well-planned smoothies can’t get away from the fact that they are liquids. Liquids are much less filling than whole, chewable foods. Part of how satisfied you are after a meal depends on how much digestion your body must do. If you’re like me and you find yourself hungry an hour after having a smoothie for a meal, it may be time to rethink it.
If smoothies do work for you, here is a template to make sure that they have all of the protein, healthy fat, and fiber for lasting energy:
Granola (& granola bars):
Oats, nuts, and honey — what could be wrong with that?! While some of these ingredients by themselves can play a role in a healthy diet, many granolas are heavily sweetened and can lead to overeating without realizing it.
Just a half-cup serving can pack as many carbohydrates as a full meal, without the protein to keep you satisfied. Not what most of us need.
Granola bars? Many are glorified candy bars. While the packaging on these snack staples often touts “made with whole grains,” or “all natural,” the truth is that most are high in sugar, low in protein, and more like a sweet snack than something to give you lasting nutrition and energy.
Energy bars:
Have you ever thought about what “energy” means? In the case of food, it means calories. Imagine companies marketing a “calorie bar.” I don’t think it would be a great seller. In fact, the original energy bars were made for athletes who needed extra calories to fuel performance. Not what most of us need while sitting at our desks.
I could go on: Muffins as disguised cupcakes. Sports drinks. Trail mix. Frozen yogurt.
My point is not to be a pessimist here. My point is to validate how difficult it is to choose foods that work for you, instead of against you.
For those familiar with my approach, you will know that I am not even close to suggesting that any of these health food impostors be avoided.
Instead, I hope to inspire you to reconsider what you think of as healthy. And understand that marketing and packaging can play tricks on us all. My hope is that the information I share here, on Insight into Health, plays a small role in cutting through that confusion.
Let’s Talk: Suzie Silverman
I was joined by my friend, neighbor, and Sonoma Valley Christmas Bird Count Coordinator, Suzie Silverman. I have been aware of Suzie’s involvement in the bird count, but I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know what exactly it was, how it was done, or why it was important. I learned so much in this conversation about the fascinating history of the Christmas Bird Count, the impressive population of birds we have living in and around Sonoma Valley, and how to get involved. What a great way to get outside and connect with our non-human neighbors.
Here’s What I’m… Baking, with Lyle McKeany
This holiday, you won’t find any decorations, a tree, or holiday lights at my house. But if you had stopped by last week, you would have seen “gingerbread central.” I’m not always such a holiday minimalist, but this year we had an especially busy beginning to our month as our daughter went through—and recovered from—two medical procedures and then caught the cold that is going around the valley. She is back in action now, but I knew I had to triage this holiday season. The one thing that just couldn’t be cut is my annual tradition of homemade gingerbread houses.
On this episode, we talk about when this all started (before I was born), the joy it brings me during the holidays, and the tradition it has become in our household. I’ll be writing more about my annual Gingerbread Extravaganza on putyourfoodtowork.com later this week (including the recipe!).
Oh, and we finished with a new holiday song called Cats in Christmas Sweaters, co-written by our good friend (and Lyle’s bandmate), TJ Carter.
Thanks for being here. Please remember to send your questions and topic inquiries to insightintohealth@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
~Allison
Allison, you are so much more than a well educated, articulate nurtitionist! You are also one steeped in family traditions, mother of a special needs child, traveler, and creative. I have enjoyed your articles and look forward to more in the new year. Thank you for your efforts to make this world a healthier, happier place to live.