(HealthyAccess)- Diet is a key component in successful, sustained weight loss. When the goal is to lose weight, we tend to adjust our diets to make healthier choices. It may come as a surprise to many of us that some “healthy” foods might actually be preventing us from reaching our weight loss goals.
Here are 10 “healthy” foods we need to stop eating if our goal is to lose weight.
#1 Flavored yogurt
While yogurt may seem like a healthy choice, flavored yogurt can come loaded with sugar. Be sure to read the labels, and choose yogurt with lower sugar content. The healthiest yogurt choice is plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt, which contains lean protein and a higher protein content than sugary, flavored yogurts.
#2 Smoothies
Smoothies often contain added sugars and excess fruit. To make a smoothie a healthier choice, make it at home in order to control the sugar content. Frozen, sliced fruit, fresh greens, unsweetened coconut milk, and protein powder are excellent and simple ingredients for a healthy DIY smoothie.
#3 Granola
While reaching for granola seems like a healthy choice, it can be loaded with added fat and sugar. Making homemade granola or looking for low-sugar, low-calorie options can make this a healthier choice.
#4 Reduced-fat peanut butter
When we read “reduced-fat” on a food label, we need to read that as “added sugar”. Choose the regular variety of peanut butter with a minimal amount of ingredients. Some peanut butter brands offer natural or organic varieties with low sugar or no sugar added.
#5 Protein bars
Protein bar or candy bar? Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference. While a protein bar seems like a healthy choice, reading the label can inform us if we’re ingesting high calories and sugar along with the protein.
#6 Potatoes
Potatoes may be a vegetable, but they are actually high on the glycemic index. This may not be the best choice when we’re looking to lose weight. They’re high in carbohydrates, which turn to sugar during the digestion process.
#7 Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are another vegetable high on the glycemic index. They may not be as high as regular potatoes, but they might still make weight loss challenging. Topping them with brown sugar, honey, or other sweeteners can take this vegetable and move it to the “unhealthy” column of food choices.
#8 Gluten-free processed foods
The “gluten-free” label doesn’t equate to healthy. In fact, many processed gluten-free foods contain higher sugar content than their gluten-containing counterparts. More sugar is required to add extra flavor to naturally gluten-free grains such as rice. Reading the ingredients is an important part of determining if the gluten-free item we’re eyeing will help or hurt our weight loss journey.
#9 Nuts
Nuts can be a wonderful addition to a diet when it comes to healthy fats and fiber, but a little can go a long way. Most nuts are high in calories. Eating a few could be a healthy choice, but eating too many could wreck our diets.
#10 Light salad dressing
Reaching for the light salad dressing may seem like the healthier option, but it’s not. Light dressing often contains added sugars and other additives. The full-fat version is likely to have healthy fats from the oils and will help us feel fuller longer.
Being intentional about how we fuel our bodies requires reading ingredients and nutrition labels instead of reaching for the ones that are often deemed “healthy”. By making better choices, we may find it easier to reach our weight loss goals and give our bodies what they need to feel our best.
~Here’s to a Happier, Healthier Life!
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