Contributed by Info Guru Paul Seaburn
It seems like everyone I know is on a diet, but not many of them are actually losing any weight.
It could be that many of the foods they’re eating that are labeled “diet” or “healthy” are neither. It turns out that many of the edibles we thought were incredibles when it came to dieting are actually poor choices, and some can even cause weight gain. Check out the worst diet food for anyone one a diet.
10. It’s A Real Turkey
Burgers made from ground turkey can be lean, but many of the packaged ground turkey products contain turkey fat and high-fat skin. Look for ground turkey and turkey products labeled at 92 percent fat-free or better yet, extra-lean, which contains only 1 gram of fat per 32 ounce serving.
9. Lettuce Check The Dressing
Fat-free salad dressing sounds healthy and tastes pretty good, but that taste usually comes from extra sugar, which means extra calories – not a good diet choice. Drizzle your lettuce and greens with a tablespoon of reduced-fat low-calorie dressing or make your own heart-healthy version with olive oil, vinegar and a little minced garlic.
8. No Calories But Big Cravings
Diet soda has zero calories so it’s as healthy for you as fresh water, right? Not so fast – that sugary flavor from artificial sweeteners has been proven to increase craving for real sugar and that means real calories. The best diet drink is still good old-fashioned water.
7. Not So Smoothie
They’re often sold as health drinks, but fruit smoothies lose their diet benefits fast once you get past the fruit. Many of them have added sugar, ice cream, frozen yogurt, fruit syrups and other high calorie stuff that can push their calorie and fat totals into the unhealthy milkshake range. Stick with fresh fruit or a fruit-and-ice blend.
6. Oh No – Not Granola!
It sounds healthy and there’s occasionally some whole-grain cereal hidden in it somewhere, but many granolas are loaded with sugar, corn or maple syrup (more sugar), honey (even more sugar), nuts (high fat) and sugar-coated dried fruits. Oatmeal, raisins and a few walnuts is a better diet breakfast, especially with skim milk.
5. Freeze-Framed
Frozen diet dinners have good intentions but often poor results. For one thing, the portions are pretty small and they sometimes fill up the space with starchy pasta or white rice. They’re usually low on health vegetables and fruit. Finally, they’re loaded with sodium, which doesn’t harm your diet but doesn’t help your blood pressure. Cook extra portions of your own healthy meals and use a vacuum-pack freezer bag to save them for quick dinners.
4. They’re Still Cookies
It’s hard to make diet sweets that are health but still taste good. Sugar-free cookies are usually loaded with fat and it’s hard to eat one three-cookie serving when there’s almost a whole bag left. Try the 100-calorie bags to keep from eating too many, or switch to graham crackers which have less calories and fat than regular cookies and a little bit of fiber.
3. Not-So-Happy Trail Mix
The vacation cousin of granola isn’t much better for your diet no matter where it’s eaten. Trail mix can contain things like banana chips (deep-fried), pretzels (fat and sodium) and yogurt-covered raisins (high calorie and made with saturated and trans fats) as well as chocolate chips and sugar-coated nuts and cereal. Make your own with raisins, salt-free nuts and whole grain cereal and divide it into single-serving bags.
2. The Great Plain
Yogurt is a great high-protein low-calorie snack that’s good for your gut – as long as you eat it plain. Flavored yogurt –even the vanilla kind – is loaded with sugar. Sweeten plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, dried fruit or whole-grain cereal.
1. Juiced On Juice
Those 4-to-5 servings of fruit we need to eat every day are easier to consume in juice for, but a lot of what looks like juice is actually colored sugar water and flavorings. Check the label and only buy “100% fruit juice.” Better yet, eat fresh fruit – you’ll get nutrition and fiber. For a drink, try berries and ice in a blender.