Tiffany Raiford
Weight loss is something so many people struggle with. It’s a balance of healthy eating and proper exercise that combine to create a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, we live in a time that dictates too much fast food, unhealthy snacking and no time for physical activity. We are busy; and we make poor decisions with our health because of our schedules. Some of us are lazy. Some of us think that we’re eating healthy, but we’re actually snacking on things that aren’t healthy. Here are 15 snacks to avoid if you’re trying to lose weight.
Pita Chips
They seem like a healthy snack when paired with something like hummus, but it’s actually a very unhealthy option for snackers. The reason is that these chips, while not as greasy or friend as other chips, are just as calorie-packed. If you think that pairing them with hummus is going to give you the waist line you want but you’re not seeing any results, the calories you’re consuming have a lot to do with it. These chips are simply not healthy and those who consume them on a regular basis will find out the hard way that they’re not.
Deli Meat
We think that eating a healthy sandwich made with fresh meat from the deli is a better option than eating a sandwich made with prepackaged meat. That’s just not correct. It might not contain the same preservatives and other unhealthy items as the prepackaged stuff, but deli meat is not as healthy as many people assume. It’s often loaded with sodium and other unhealthy additives that make it fatty and unhealthy. Consuming too much of it can actually cause you to gain weight rather than lose it. Skip the meat from the deli and make fresh meat at home.
Energy Drinks
Why people think that energy drinks are healthy is beyond most people. They’re not healthy. They might make you feel energized and give you the energy you need for that 5 am workout, but energy drinks are one of the least healthy snacks you can consume. They’re filled with artificial flavors and ingredients, and they’re absolutely laden with sugar. They’re going to give you a momentary boost, yes, but they’re also going to make you crash, lower your metabolism and increase your sugar intake to a level that’s beyond unhealthy. Skip the energy drinks.
Refined Sugar
Refined sugar is found in so many different items. You’ll find it in everything from so-called healthy snacks to things you know are unhealthy and try to avoid. The reason so many people don’t know they’re snacking on unhealthy food when it comes to refined sugar is simply because they don’t understand that refined sugar goes by many-a-name. Your best bet for solid weight loss is to forgo anything with refined sugar (think fruit cups that have been premade at the grocery store) and move onto something a bit healthier, such as fresh fruit and veggies from the produce section.
Sauces
When you opt for mayonnaise or hollandaise or a variety of other sauces on foods you normally eat, you’re eating more than you should. You’re taking in empty, unhealthy calories and doing your waistline no favors. Sauces are a hidden fat maker because most people don’t consider them actual food. However, they have to be considered because they are entering your mouth, which makes them real food. Go ahead and skip the mayo on your next sandwich and you’ll save hundreds of empty calories and a myriad of time spent on the scale wondering why that number just won’t change.
Flavored Yogurt
The misconception is that yogurt is healthy. And that’s not untrue. However, not all yogurt is created equal. This means some yogurt is healthy and others are not so healthy. Most of us want to eat the one that tastes the best, so we opt for the flavored yogurts. It’s a mistake. The best bet you have when it comes to yogurt is to go Greek and go plain. You can spice it up with fruit or other toppings, but it’s imperative you go plain Greek. Other yogurts have too many artificial sugars and additives to be considered healthy.
Diet Soda
It says diet so it must be good for weight loss, right? Wrong! The word “diet” is thrown around much too easily when it comes to food, and it’s dangerous. Do not let the fact that diet soda has no calories fool you into thinking it’s good for you, because it is not good for you. Diet soda is not good for you. In fact, it’s one of the worst things you can consume. It’s bad for several reasons, but we’ll focus on weight loss. It’s filled with sugar. It’s got more sugar than most snack foods, and it’s not doing your waistline any favors.
Fat-Free Foods
Fat-free foods are about the same as diet foods. The phrase on the front of the box makes it seem like a good choice, but let’s face it; fat-free ice cream is still ice-cream. It’s not good for you. Foods that boast fat-free labels might not have as much fat as other options, but they’re loaded with other unhealthy ingredients so that they still taste good. Think sugar, sodium and others. If it says fat-free, be wary. You can just read fat-free as “It has no fat but it’s loaded with sugar and calories and it’s going to make you feel good about yourselves and gain weight at the same time,” from now on.
100 Calorie Foods
Again, the label is deceiving. People think that because something is only 100 calories that it’s okay to snack on. After all, who doesn’t want to eat a bag of oreos knowing that it’s only 100 calories? The issue is that these are foods much like fat-free and diet; they’re doing what they say while adding a plethora of other unhealthy options to the item. It might not have more than 100 calories, but it has too much sugar, too much fat and too much of everything else.
“Healthy” Fast Food Options
A salad a McDonalds or a salad at Starbucks; they’re healthy, right? Wrong. These are foods that are designed to make you think you’re eating a healthy meal, but they can often have just as many – if not more – calories than just ordering a Big Mac or a happy meal. A lot of the fault is in the dressing. Salad dressing is fattening and not at all good for you. Additionally, many of the ingredients on top of these salads are also unhealthy (Fried chicken, anyone?). It’s better to eat a salad you make at home.
Premade Smoothies
A homemade smoothie is a much better option than one that’s premade. It’s going to be far healthier and less filled with undesirable additives. The premade smoothies are loaded with ingredients that make them taste good and last a long time on a grocery store shelf. These are not good for your body. In fact, these ingredients make these smoothies less healthy than just eating a few cookies for breakfast. Since you won’t do that on a diet, you don’t want to head out and purchase a bunch of premade smoothies you can pop open in the morning for breakfast.
Coffee Drinks
By itself, coffee is not something that’s bad for you in moderation. However, too many people forget that snacking on a coffee drink is not a good way to lose weight. Even ordering that pumpkin spice latte skinny-style isn’t all that good for you. Flavored coffee beverages, cream and sugar make coffee a bad idea for snacking and dieting. If you think that a coffee drink is going to healthy satisfy your desire to have something, you are incorrect. It’s not. It’s just going to add some un-needed calories to your day and make you feel poorly about yourself.
Granola
Most people assume that granola is a healthy snack, but it’s not always a healthy snack. It’s loaded with sugar, which makes it a bit unhealthy. This means that your yogurt covered with granola isn’t anywhere near as healthy as you think that it is. You can end up consuming far more unhealthy items than you thought possible when you add granola to the top of your foods. Instead, opt for toppings that consist of fresh fruit or even a handful of nuts. It’s a good idea to add toppings to yogurt and other items so that you can fulfill your hunger, but only if you’re careful.
Trail Mix
It’s not unhealthy as a general rule, but the recommended serving size is only a half cup. What does this mean for dieters? It means that you’re skipping the recommended serving size and opting instead to over eat this little snack. By the time you’re done with a bowl of trail mix, you’ve had two or three or more servings. This is a lot of calories. You’d be better off eating a trail mix-like fruit bar because you’ll stop at one and not consume as many calories – even though it technically has more calories than actual trail mix.
Pretzels
They’re not greasy like chips, so they’re healthy, right? Wrong. Pretzels are filled with sodium (like that salt all over the exterior of each little bite). When you consume a simple handful of pretzels, you’re taking in 450 mg of sodium. That’s approximately 20 percent of your daily recommended sodium intake. And let’s face it; who can stop eating pretzels after just one handful. That’s only an ounce of pretzels, and most people consume far more than that. But the time you’re done snacking, you’ve consumed more than a day’s worth of sodium as recommended by health professionals.
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