For those who believe in the light, non-fat products or whole grains, we have some bad news. Even if the label says that those products are suitable for diet, don’t just jump eating them in large quantities.
The great news is that you can substitute them with really healthy alternatives.
1. Breakfast Cereals
We’re talking about those whole grain cereals mixed with nuts and candied fruits that you find in stores.
In small quantities, they do have some health benefits, but if you go too far, you could wake-up that beside fiber and unsaturated fats, you have eaten a lot of sugar too, as these commercial products have them in abundance.
Make sure you buy only regular grain oatmeal, wheat, and corn, or you prepare them at home with raisins and nuts. This way, you can get rid of the sugar and thus, of those extra calories.
2. Smoothies and Fruit Yogurts
These are other sweet bombs for our body. Whether you choose organic or conventional products, commercialized smoothies and fruit yogurts have added sugar.
More specifically, they have at least 40 grams of sugar and remember, the daily requirement for an adult is 48 grams! In this case, the solution is to prepare them at home with frozen fruits and a little bit of honey to sweeten them.
3. Bakery Bran Products
True, they are rich in fiber. But if prepacked, it will inevitably contain fat, sugar, and preservatives.
So better cook them at home. Maybe you’re not ready to make bread, but a muffin or a pie indeed is not difficult to prepare.
4. ‘’ Fat Free’’ Products
Have you ever been on a diet?
Then you know how hard it is to reduce fat and calorie levels. But ‘’light’’ and ‘’0% fat’’ products are not a guarantee that you will succeed. In the case of cheese products, for example, the low-fat cheese is less tasty and nourishing compared to fat-cheese, so you will eat more to satisfy your cravings and hunger, resulting in more calories than you’d like.
You better eat ordinary cheese in smaller quantities. Regarding light products such as dressings, read the label carefully. To compensate for taste, they have more preservatives in them or fructose.
5. Puffed Rice Crackers
There is this common belief that these giant puffed rice crackers are great for a diet.
Because they are so lightweight, we commonly believe that they have very few calories. Unfortunately, it is not so!
If you read the label carefully, you’ll see that you are better off eating a chocolate bar rather than eating a whole bag of those rice crackers!
For those who are on a diet and always feel the need to chew something, we recommend carrots or a handful of walnuts or almonds.
6. Veggie Burgers
Do you think if those burgers have no meat, are automatically healthier?
If you still fry them in oil, then there’s no difference. If you buy frozen burgers, make sure they have moderate preservatives and salt.
7. Diet Drinks
Perhaps the label says zero calories, but this is not necessarily a good thing, especially considering that ‘’ diet’’ juices are full of artificial sweeteners that maintain the taste.
These drinks will do nothing but increase your craving for sugar and carbohydrates, and if consumed in high quantities may even leave you with few extra kilos. Instead, it’s better to drink a homemade fruit juice. It has more fruit sugars in it, but it is much healthier.
Also, you can try unsweetened tea or lemonade with honey.
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