Are These 3 Foods Making You Fat?
It's easy to let yourself be fooled into thinking the things you eat
are healthy. Foods dressed in crafty packaging lead you to believe they
will help you lose weight.
But do they?
The truth is that most of the time the only thing special about the
so-called healthy food product is the clever marketing. Have you been
fooled by the following foods?
So-Called Healthy Food #1: SALAD
Who doesn't get a self-righteous feeling when ordering a salad, right?
Salads are healthy, and salads equal weight loss. Unfortunately, not
anymore.
Salad in and of itself is a wonderful, healthy food. It is filled with
nutrients and untouched by artificial additives. If only we left it at
that.
Most salads on the menu today are loaded with fat laden extras.
Croutons, tortilla strips, nuts, and even fried chicken (not the best
source of protein). And let's not forget the salad dressing.
While you know that salad dressing isn't very healthy, you may not be
aware of the staggering number of fat calorie packed in these
dressings. Most people add between a quarter to a half a cup of
dressing to their salad, and with the average creamy salad dressing
weighing in at 8-12 grams of fat per tablespoon, you can see how an
innocent collection of greens can quickly turn into a spare tire.
So-Called Healthy Food #2: 100 CALORIE PACKS
In the snack section of your local grocery store you've probably seen
the attractively packaged "100 Calorie Packs." These light and airy
snack packs send a subtle message that they are healthy and in line
with your desire to drop the fat. I mean, how harmful can they be?
Let's take a look at the snacks within the package. Here are the most
popular:
- Oreo cookies
- Ritz snack mix
- Planter's peanut butter cookies
- Cheese Nips crackers
- Chips Ahoy cookies
- Shortbread cookie
Hmmm, that list sounds like junk food-doesn't it? These items are high
in sugar, salt and fat, and they don't contain a grain of nutritional
value. And let's be honest, most people don't eat just one pack...
So-Called Healthy Food #3: CEREAL
Can a box of cereal help you lose weight? That's the message being sent
out by a handful of cereal brands, namely Special K. This cereal
manufacturer has gone so far as to create the Special K Challenge, a
program which claims to help drop 6 pounds in 2 weeks. The message that
most consumers take away from the cereal commercials is "If I eat this
brand of cereal then I will lose weight."
Wait, don't grab a bowl of your favorite cereal along with your skinny
jeans just yet.
It's dangerous to think that any food item will promote weight loss,
especially a food item that is high in simple carbohydrates. In the
fine print you will see that the cereal claims to help lose weight when
incorporated with a very low calorie diet, and that the cereal itself
has no weight loss inducing power.
Making the Healthy Choice
As a rule of thumb ignore the bold claims on food packaging-the
information you really need is listed on the nutrition label. Finding
healthy food is simple when you use the following guidelines.
- Eat Fresh: The healthiest food in the
world is fresh, unprocessed whole foods. This includes fresh vegetables
and fruit, whole grains and legumes, and raw seeds and nuts. These
fresh foods supply your body with vitamins, minerals and enzymes that
are priceless to your health. When it comes to meat, poultry and dairy
choose products that are grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free.
- Set Limits: Let's be honest. Just
because something is edible doesn't mean you should eat it. A key to
healthy eating is to identify which items to limit or even eliminate
from your diet.
- Cholesterol. The American Heart
Association recommends that you limit your intake of cholesterol from
food to less than 300 milligrams per day.
- Saturated Fat. Your intake of
saturated fat should be less than 7% of your total daily calories.
- Trans Fat. It is recommended that
you either eliminate trans fat from your diet or keep it under 1% of
your total daily calories.
- Sugar. Most of us consume way more
sugar than we should. Make a habit of checking the ingredient list of
the foods you eat. If sugar is the first listed ingredient then you
know that item is packed with sugar.
- Look at the whole picture: A healthy
diet consists of taking in a combination of fats, carbohydrates, fiber,
protein, vitamins and minerals each day. Remember that eating too much
of even healthy foods can lead to weight gain. All of the foods that
you eat should fit together to form a well-balanced, calorie controlled
diet.
The bottom line is that you should eat to live not live to eat. Your
body will thank you for it.
Want more ideas on how to get the body of your dreams without starving
yourself or doing boring exercise routines? Contact me today to get
started on a fitness program that will change your body and improve
your health.
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