Food
brands are unscrupulous when it comes to marketing their products as
healthy. In fact, there are some healthy foods keeping you from losing
weight.
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They’ll say anything to get you to try an item, even if
it’s not quite true. It’s gotten to the point where labels such as “all
natural,” “made with real fruit,” and “low fat” raise red flags. These
labels don’t necessarily mean a food is good for us, yet they often
trick us into buying a product. Some “healthy” foods turn out to be not
so good and not so healthy after all.
When I first embarked on my
fitness journey, those red flags were invisible to me. Any bag, box, or
container that said “all natural”, “made with real fruit”, or “low fat”
was on my grocery list and, therefore, in my tummy.
Contrary to
popular belief, this did not help me shed the pounds. Instead, it made
me feel sluggish, unhealthy, and aided in putting me in a plateau. In
other words, it helped me to do everything BUT shed the pounds because
those products were not always all natural, they weren’t made with only
real fruit, and although some were actually low fat, they still were not
healthy.
Since I don’t want any of you following in my first
footsteps toward weight loss, I’m sharing these 5 healthy foods that
might be keeping you from losing weight. I’m doing so in hopes that you
will follow my recent footsteps toward weight loss–you know, the
footsteps that actually lead to losing weight. My first 5 steps were
eliminating these foods from my grocery list, my pantry, and, therefore,
my tummy.
These 5 foods are common offenders when it comes to
marketing. They’re branded as health foods, but in reality are loaded
with unnecessary calories, sugars, and fats. Read on and steer clear of
these “healthy” foods that might be keeping you from losing weight.
1. Dried Fruit
Fruit
is the perfect sweet treat for weight loss. However, when it comes to
dried fruit, it’s too easy to overeat. Dried fruit is missing all of the
water of regular fruit, which means it’s not as filling. When you take
out the water, you make concentrated fructose (sugar). A handful of
raisins has about 25 grams of sugar, with little fiber or protein.
And, let’s be honest, no one just eats a handful when they do munch on dried fruit. The sugar in it just tastes too good!
But,
whole fruit tastes just as good and contains natural sugar that’s good
for you and fills you right up without overeating. When I grab an apple
as a pre-lunch snack, I have no issue staying full until lunch time
rolls around, and I feel a burst of energy–something that dried fruit
doesn’t provide.
Fix It: Whenever possible, aim for whole fruit instead. Try a tasty honey mint fruit salad or some grilled fruit skewers.
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2. Granola and Granola Bars
Granola
is often marketed as healthy, but in reality, most store-bought granola
is packed with added sugar. When I first started working to lose
weight, I was buying boxes and boxes of different granola bars and bags
and bags of different granolas. Like many people, I wasn’t even paying
attention to the labels. I just knew that granola bars and granola were
considered health foods, so I bought them and ate them.
Instead of
making me feel like a healthier me, I actually felt too full after
eating them. They bloated me right up! Instead of walking around with a
flat stomach after eating them (how I imagined), I was walking around
looking like I had an entire bag of granola underneath my shirt. It was
disappointing and demotivating.
I just recently learned that even
homemade granola can be too sugary to be considered healthy. According
to the USDA, a single cup of granola can be as high as 600 calories! Now
I know that it wasn’t just the excess sugar that was causing me to feel
and look bloated after eating granola bars and granola. It was also the
immense amount of calories I was consuming. Yikes!
Fix It: Skip the bowl of granola and start your day with some oatmeal. Try this sweet potato oatmeal or, if you want a little extra protein, this chocolate oatmeal with egg whites.
3. Fat Free and Low Calorie Snacks
Not
all store-bought snacks are bad for you, but many are no better than
dessert. Companies market single-serving snacks as healthy by labeling
them “fat-free” or “low-calorie.” Nevertheless, when you look at the
nutrition facts you’ll be surprised at how terrible these snacks really
are. Fat-free snacks are usually loaded with refined sugars. Low-calorie
bars are often too small to be filling.
These snacks will taste
great for two or three bites, but leave you hungry after five minutes.
It’s for that reason that when I used to snack on them, I ended up
eating two or three of the snacks–which ended up being two or three
times the amount of calories I should have been consuming.
Fix It: Pack snacks made with real ingredients. Kale chips are a great alternative to potato chips, or you can try having baby carrots with a tablespoon of hummus.
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4. Veggie Burgers and Other Veggie Meals
It’s
easy to assume that since veggies are healthy, anything made from
veggies is good for us. That is not always the case. Many companies
flavor their veggie products with cheap low-quality ingredients, adding
unnecessary fats and carbs. Always study the nutrition label before you
dig in. You might be surprised what you find.
I sure was surprised. I even stopped eating them altogether when I found out what was actually in them:
- Caramel coloring
- Canola oil
- MSG/hydrolyzed protein
- Textured vegetable protein
- Artificial colors and flavors
Once
I could no longer resist my cravings for my beloved veggie burgers, I
started excessively reading food labels and only bought veggie burgers
that were non-GMO and didn’t contain any of the above ingredients.
Fix It: Check the nutrition label before you buy a product, or try making veggie burgers at home. Grilled stuffed mushrooms are a great option for weight loss, or you can try a traditional meatless burger patty, such as this black bean and mushroom veggie burger.
I love making my own veggie burgers too!
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5. Pasta
Whole
wheat is better for you than refined pasta. Nevertheless, food
companies don’t have to do a lot to label a product “whole wheat.” In
fact, pasta doesn’t have to be 100% whole wheat to carry the label. This
means that while you think you’re making the healthier choice, the
benefits are actually marginal.
You might still be consuming tons
of refined carbs with little nutritional value. As someone who is now
much further along on her fitness journey, I know that nutritional
values should always be high in the foods that I’m eating. I’m just
always trying to get the most from the foods I’m eating. So, with that
being said, I try to stay away from pasta all together.
Fix It: Try spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, which have a fraction of the calories and double the nutrients.
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