Sure the labels say ‘diet’, but by consuming these food groups, you could be sabotaging your weight loss and putting on more kilos instead. There are certain diet foods on the shelves that claim to be healthy snacks by screaming ‘low fat’, ‘no sugar’ and ‘low carbs’, but in reality, they are the demon foods that turn out to be a worse choice than the full-fat variety.
Here are five ‘diet’ foods you must eliminate from your diet to avoid falling in a fat trap:
1. Cereal Bars
They are marketed as ‘breakfast on-the-go’ or the perfect ‘afternoon snack’, but these little bite-size bars are packed with high amounts of sugar, very limited fibre and almost zero protein. A lot of these bars have as many calories as a chocolate bar (sometimes even more!), making your intention to snack mindfully a distant memory. For a healthy version, make your own no-bake breakfast bars.
2. Veggie Chips
Seen those intriguing colourful packets of ‘vegetable’ chips in the health food aisle, yes, stay away from them. These are just a happier version of regular potato chips; deep-fried and coated with corn-flour and artificial colouring to look like they are healthy. A small bag can have about the same calories as a packet of regular potato chips – 150 calories, 9g of fat and 2g of fibre (too little for a snack).
3. Trail Mix & Dried Fruit
While portion-controlled nuts are considered the most ideal snacking option, it’s the store-bought trail mixes and fruity snacks that give it the wrong name. A lot of fruit snacks and bars claim to be made of real fruit juice, but instead they are packed with added sugars and artificial ingredients, rendering the little nutritional benefits they might have. Also, stay away from those yoghurt-covered raisins and almonds; they are partially coated in hydrogenated palm kernel oil which contains high levels of trans fat.
4. Granola
The demon of the cereal aisle, granolas are very high in sugar, oil and butter, making them a very high calorie and fat breakfast option. Sure they are very high in fibre (and taste delicious), but if weight loss is the goal, opt for ‘no sugar added’ granolas and always check the ingredient label.
5. Sugar Free Cookies & Lollies
When manufacturers print the ‘no sugar’ label on a ‘naughty’ product, they usually compensate the sweet stuff with added fat and sodium. While your mind thinks it’s saving calories by munching on sugar-free lollies, you are actually feeding your body with artificial sweetener called sorbitol, which can cause bloating and diarrhoea.
Watch the video above from my segment at Mornings9, where I discuss these ‘diet foods’ in more detail.
Can you share any more ‘diet foods’ trap that you have fallen into?
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