Many brands available on the market sell their products as ‘diet friendly’, ‘low-fat’ or ‘one of your five a day!’. Unfortunately, foods labeled as the healthy alternative or as aids to dieters are sometimes not always as beneficial as they sound. Below you will find the top foods disguised as the right choice but with sugary consequences, along with genuine nourishing alternatives. This will help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle.
Diet Fizzy Drinks may appear to be a calorie-free diet aid. However interestingly, a recent survey showed that drinkers of diet-soft drinks have a great risk of obesity than those who drink regular soft drinks. But how can a calorie-free drink create a greater risk of obesity? Some researchers have concluded that people who drink diet soda feel that they are then ‘allowed’ to splurge on high calorie substitutes, which often contain far greater amounts of calories and sugar than a regular can of pop. Others believe that diet soda stimulates the appetite with its sweet, sugary taste and inhibits the hormone leptin which regulates your metabolism and hunger. Whichever the correct case, any kind of soda, diet or otherwise, is not classed as a healthy diet. Have you taken a look at the ingredients on the back of the case you have just purchased recently? It is just water and additives. So pick up a bottle of water or an iced tea next time!
Cereal Bars claim to offer a great source of nuts, fibre and, advertised as only ’95 calories’ to a bar, are sold as diet snacks. However, they are often packed full of artificial additives, saturated fat and loaded with sugar. Only being small in size, the diet label advertisers give cereal bars can lead hungry eaters to indulge in more than one at a time, ending up consuming the same amount of calories as a chocolate bar! The sugary hit the body takes after eating a cereal bar leads to an instant burst of energy followed by a sugar slump, leaving you lethargic and hungry. If it’s the nutty flavour you crave, a small handful of nuts would be a better option, satisfying your craving and filling up hunger pains with the protein they contain. However if you cannot give up your morning bar make sure you read the labels to find one with the lowest sugar!
Fruit Juices and smoothies promote an alleged healthy image by asserting that they can help you on your way to consuming the recommended five fruit and vegetables a day. They may contain fruit, but are not legally required to use any more than 5 per cent of the stuff in their juices! Instead, many are full of sugar and preservatives; not a very healthy way to start your day. Smoothies may contain more fruit, but often 100 percent fruit smoothies hold so much fruit that their calorie value hits the roof. Blended fruit is also proven not to be as filling as whole fruit, so even though you might be drinking the equivalent of four or five pieces of fruit in one smoothie, you still feel hungry. Instead, eat whole fruit. It’s natural, un-tampered with, will fill you full of vitamins and fibre and holds hunger at bay. A cheaper and healthier way to get your five a day.
Salad itself is far from bad for you. It’s very low in calories and is mostly made of water. To be fair to it, salad is not really made of much at all which is a reason why most of us drench it in high calorie, fatty dressings. Ordering a salad may appear to show your conscientious dieting ways, but just ‘cause it’s green, doesn’t mean it’s healthy! Once dressing, bacon bits, croutons and other fatty components are added, your healthy green salad is actually a calorific meal, which might not even fill you up for long. Instead, choose a salad that contains protein like chicken, tuna or prawns. This will fill you up and a good way to maintain your healthy diet if you ask that the dressing be provided separately too. That way, you can add sparingly or avoid completely, opting instead for a light sprinkling of olive oil, perhaps.
Low-Fat Muffins and Cakes appear to take the guilt out of your afternoon coffee and muffin with your friends. Then again, low fat muffins and cakes are still packed with fat and white carbohydrates; just a tad less fat and white carbohydrates. Low-fat substitutes are often full of even more sugar that regular ones too, with manufacturers replacing the fat with sugar. So next time you fancy something sweet at your local café, grab a small biscotti biscuit or add cinnamon to your coffee. And if you must indulge in that muffin, take a friend and share it; you only eat half the calories and create the chance for a good gossip!
Although there are many foods out there that are not good for our bodies, the key to a healthy diet is balance. All foods can be part of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation and regulated. We need every food group in our diet in order for our body to work at an optimum level, which includes fat, protein and carbohydrates as well as the fruit and vegetables we are told to eat more of. The key is to learn the good fats from the bad. Remember to always read food labels to see what your foods actually contain so that you are able to make the real healthier choice for you.
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