Are diet foods genuinely all that healthy? We have been made to believe that diet foods are among the healthiest foods we can eat, but that might not be the case. This article will look at a few diet foods that might be hampering your efforts to lose weight.
The weight loss field is filled with all kinds of information, and in most cases, people tend to believe everything is right. However, some of those diet foods you’ve been eating could have been jeopardizing your efforts to lose weight.
Here is a look at 8 diet foods for healthy weight loss that are jeopardizing your wellness efforts:
1. Organic Processed Foods
Organic foods are known to be a good source of nutrients and vitamins, but the same cannot be said of processed organic foods. Just take a look at the ingredient list on many of these processed organic foods, and you will realize the difference.
Organic processed foods might contain organic sugars instead of regular sugars, but in the end, there is no nutritional difference between the two. Your body’s organs will not differentiate any of these, but instead will process it as just regular sugar.
It is healthy to eat organic foods, but that is not the case when the foods have been processed. The best choice is to always go for a single ingredient if the budget allows and avoid a combination of these organic processed foods. Most of them are processed with unhealthy ingredients that end up adding more weight instead of helping you lose weight.
2. Whole Wheat Bread
Is it true that whole wheat bread is much healthier than refined bread? Well, that is what most people have been made to believe, and they’ve substituted their refined bread with whole wheat bread. However, this is far from the truth as most whole grain diet foods are not made from actual whole grains, regardless of what the marketers have made you believe.
In fact, most of the whole grains are just crushed into a fine flour that is easy to digest just making the whole wheat bread similar to refined bread. The glycemic index that has been used to measure how quickly certain foods increase blood sugar levels has found the same results for whole wheat bread when compared to refined bread.
The same nutrients in the wheat can also be obtained from other sources. The wheat we call healthy can cause a variety of problems for persons that are sensitive to gluten.
Contrary to what we know, whole wheat bread does cause blood sugar to rise just as much as refined bread.
3. Granola
Granola is quite healthy, but only if made using real ingredients. However, this is not always the case as granolas have also been affected by the processing ingredients found in most so-called healthy diet foods. Since the first granolas were made, several changes have been made by the manufacturers that have greatly changed what is included.
Most of the granola in the market is usually highly processed and often contains oils and sugars that have high calories.
4. Low Fat Yogurt
Yogurt is considered to be one of the best healthy foods for weight loss. It is easy to agree with that, but the market has been flooded with processed varieties that are not healthy. The low-fat yogurt in the supermarkets is not as healthy as we are made to believe. Most diet foods usually taste bad as the fats have been removed.
This also applies to yogurt, but manufacturers have found a way to get past the bad taste. These yogurts are usually filled with tons of other junk ingredients to make them taste better for the customer. Some of the ingredients they add include sugar, sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup.
Some people on a diet have been forced to use fat blockers to reduce the number of fats absorbed. Most studies have come out to show that saturated fats in these foods are not as bad as most people think. In fact, these fats have often been replaced by something even worse.
New studies have shown that people who eat low-fat dairy products are more likely to suffer from obesity that those who eat high-fat dairy. The dairy fats have been replaced by elements that are worse than the fat itself.
5. Fruit Juices
Fruit juices are perceived as healthy because they come from fruits, and on the surface this assumption makes sense. However, the unfortunate truth is that these juices don’t usually come from real fruit as you’re made to believe. Most of what we call fruit juices are just fruit flavored sugars.
Even if you manage to find a real fruit juice, try and avoid it or drink it only occasionally. Most of the real fruit juices usually have the good stuff already removed. Real fruit juice contains sugars in the fibrous cells of the fruit, which usually slows the release of the sugars into the blood stream. This is not the case with most fruit juices that have had the fiber removed. There is no resistance left that prevents a faster release of the sugars into the blood.
The content of most fruit juices is not any different from what you find in most beverages like soda. A glass of orange fruit juice contains twice as much sugar as two oranges contain. If trying to lose some weight, consider eating whole fruit and not just the fruit juice without any fiber or chewing resistance.
6. Diet Foods And Diet Soft Drinks
It sounds normal and good to replace a sugary beverage with a diet soda. This usually works well in reducing the number of sugars you intake. You can reduce the total amount of sugars intaken with that replacement, but this does not usually translate to losing weight.
What happens is that the artificial sweeteners in the diet sodas usually end up triggering your appetite and making you eat other foods. What makes you add weight here is not the diet soda but the changes the diet sodas bring to your body. It is very unlikely to switch to diet soda and not make other changes to your eating habits.
Most people experienced an increased appetite once they have changed to diet sodas, making them eat more and gain weight.
7. Breakfast Cereals
Many people call diet cereals the best weight loss solution to start your day, but that is not the truth. These breakfast cereals contain refined carbs and sugars which are known as the most fattening ingredients in the world. In fact, breakfast cereals should be totally avoided if you’re looking to lose weight. You should never start your day with high sugars that will increase your insulin levels.
This will mean that in a few hours your energy levels will dip and you will require another boost of refined carbs to get you going. You should always read the label as a majority of these breakfast cereals contain higher amounts of sugars than we are led to expect.
When choosing your breakfast, it is advised that you choose something unprocessed like vegetables and eggs. If you must go with cereal, pick one that does not contain any added sugars.
8. Salad Dressings
Now, salads are a great option for weight loss as they are healthy and do not contain sugars. Most salads are filled with antioxidants, soluble fiber, and other great nutrients. They are a great diet food for weight loss, but most people don’t like consuming them as they are.
Rarely do you find people consuming salads without adding some flavor to improve their taste. Salad dressings are usually added, but most dieters forget to account for what is actually contained in the dressings themselves.
Most salad dressings have unhealthy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. These usually increase your calorie intake, and you end up adding more weight.
The best solution is to make your own salad dressing. You can use olive oil, vinegar, and some spices to create a healthy alternative to processed salad dressings that contain a high level of sugars. This is especially important when you consider that most people tend to add excess without even realizing it.
8 Diet Foods For Weight Loss That Might Be Jeopardizing Your Efforts Review Summary
There are some fantastic weight loss choices out there, but not everything that you think is healthy is actually good for you. Take your time and carefully read the labels of all processed foods to see exactly what they contain before you include them in your diet.
Diet and weight loss foods should have only nutritious calories and not a lot of sugars and artificial sweeteners, but most processed versions have additives that greatly reduce or even negate their effectiveness. Whole grains that are unprocessed are a great choice.
When it comes to your diet, take time and know every ingredient included in your food before you do more harm than good to your progress.
