Winter is fast approaching. Many people end up looking for foods that can help lose weight during the winter months. Sometimes it’s hard getting motivated to go out and exercise during the cold months so we tend to stick with healthy foods hoping it might make it easier to lose weight. There are many foods out there we’ve been taught might be good for you. However, they might not be healthy for you at all. Do some research before going on a diet or before you decide to make a healthy snack. You want to make sure that it’s really healthy for you and won’t cause you to gain weight later on. If you’re on special medication or have doubts you might want to talk with your doctor or health coach.
Check out these 10 Foods That Sound Healthy But Surprisingly Bad For You
10. Sports Drinks
Don’t get me wrong. Some sports drinks can really help out people who might need them for endurance training or intense workouts or even ones who might actually be involved in sports. However, some people tend to take sports drinks with them just for going on a light stroll or when doing housework. A lot of sports drinks have electrolytes, sodium and potassium needed for those extreme workouts but not light workouts. The most important thing to keep in mind is how many calories they have per bottle. Most sports drinks have around 125 calories or more in a 20 oz bottle. Calories add up fast if you’re trying to count them on your diet. If you want to just keep hydrated on your walk, have water or either a beverage that might be calorie free.
9. Sandwich Wraps
During the winter we might want to take a break from a hot meal and just grab a sandwich wrap. You might think a sandwich wrap is the perfect lean protein choice because of the vegetables, meat and protein that might be in it. Don’t let the thin sandwich fool you. Most bread wrapped around those sandwiches have hydrogenated oils, refined flowers and lots of sodium and saturated fat. If you want to have a sandwich wrap try wrapping it up in lettuce instead of a wrap.
8. Snacks Covered In Dried Yogurt
I don’t know about you but I love yogurt. I also love dried snacks covered in yogurt. They taste good but sadly, they aren’t healthy for you. It can be easy to think that a snack covered in yogurt is good for you. What you might not know is that the yogurt powder tends to cover up mainly pretzels, raisins, chocolate and even almonds. They can contain some hydrogenated oil in them along with milk powder and yogurt powder. Some of them even have sugar in it. Try having Greek yogurt with fresh fruit in it for a healthier option.
7. Bottled Salad Dressings
Be very careful with salad dressings. In fact, you also need to be careful with salads in general that might be prepackaged. Some bottled salad dressings can be bad for you. I am not saying all of them might be but a few have ingredients in there that will make your salad high in calories. You have to check the ingredients on the salad dressing. Make sure that the calories and ingredients makes it a healthy salad dressing to have.
6. Dried cranberries
Yes, there are other dried fruits that tend to be not as good for you but dried cranberries can be the worst. It’s not actually caused from the cranberry but rather from the dried fruit because they add sugar in it to help with making them sweet. One thing to take into consideration is that you don’t get that satisfaction of being full faster like you do with real fruit. You can easily eat several handfuls before you’re satisfied. Your calorie count goes up faster and you just had a lot of sugar put in your system. Try having real cranberries instead of dried ones for another option.
5. Packaged turkey, ham, chicken and some other packaged meat
Turkey, ham, chicken and the other meat might be fine for you if it’s not packaged. Not all packaged meat is bad but again, red the ingredients. Turkey and ham slices tend to have a lot more sodium then some of the other packaged meat. If you have heart problems or might be on a diet to watch your sodium it’s important that you read the labels and don’t assume that packaged meat is safe for you even if it’s lean meat. Ask your doctor how much sodium is healthy for you to have per day.
4. Loaded baked potatoes at restaurants
I love baked potatoes and especially the loaded baked potatoes at restaurants. The bad news is that while having just a plain baked potato might be alright, having a loaded baked potato can be unhealthy for you. The reason why is a loaded baked potato can come with sour cream, butter, cheese and other toppings that you might not even know about which will make that loaded baked potato high in calories. If you really want to have a baked potato, just stay with the plain baked potato with butter on the side.
3. Wheat breads and multi grains
The 7-grain wheat bread might sound healthy but it could come loaded with many ingredients inside which might be bad for you. I am not saying all wheat breads and multi grains are bad. Most of them tend to be made with grains which are refined. This means you’re not getting the full nutrition from them. In order to avoid this, be sure that you read the labels of them. Ask your doctor if you have any questions in regards to wheat food items.
2. Pretzels
A lot of people thought for a long time that pretzels might be the perfect healthy snack for them to have. However, research shows that pretzels tend to not be as good for them as most people think. The main reason why people think pretzels might be good for them is because they are low in calories. However, they are made with refined flour. They also don’t have much protein in them. You might tend to still be hungry more after you have them and thirsty due to the sodium that pretzels have. If you want a snack that’s salty try some nuts or almonds instead.
1. Reduced fat peanut butter
I know some people might be on the reduced fat diet but be sure to read the labels before you decide what peanut butter might be best for you. You might find that some of the reduced fat peanut butter has more sugar then the regular peanut butter. Peanut butter is a great way to have natural sources of good monounsaturated fats. The reduced peanut butter tends to remove those good fats. Find a peanut butter that doesn’t have no added oils in it or one that you might can grind yourself.
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Conclusion
Always ask your doctor whenever you’re in doubt of your diet or if you have any questions on certain food items.