When you are trying to lose weight, the thing that makes the most sense is usually to switch out lots of potentially unhealthy foods that you eat for the ‘diet’ versions. The packaging promises things like low fat, low sugar, low everything, but are diet versions of foods always as helpful as they claim to be? Sometimes, there are hidden aspects of some of these products that can actually hinder more than help you in your lifestyle change. Here is a list of diet foods that are preventing you from getting the weight loss results that you want.
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1. Protein Bars
Don’t be fooled into thinking that protein bars are a diet food for normal people just trying to lose weight, because they’re not. Protein bars work well for people doing heavy work at the gym and look to build muscle, but if you’re just trying to drop some pounds than the sugar and high-calorie content isn’t going to do you any favours at all because your exercise levels don’t require that much fuel!
2. Fruit Yoghurt
You see a yoghurt with fruit flavour and assume that it is going to be good for you, but there is probably just as much sugar and additives in it than some candy bars and sweets. Fruit on its own is good and Greek yoghurt on its own is good, but there is so much sugar in generic ‘fruit yoghurt’ that it really is worth avoiding. Add pieces of fruit to Greek yoghurt instead.
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3. Fruit Juice
Again, the fruit word isn’t an automatic seal of health quality on this front. When fruits are juiced, all of the fibre is removed and pretty much all that is left is the flavour and natural sugar. Some juices basically remove the parts of the fruit that can provide you with nutrients, and leave behind lots of sugar and the strong flavour that might fool you into assuming the juice is good for you.
4. Rice Cakes
You wouldn’t imagine that rice cakes could be so bad, but let’s put it into perspective. Rice cakes have an average glycemic index rating of 85 to 92, and pure glucose has a rating of 100, so they really aren’t that far apart! Also, rice cakes basically give your body a whole lot of nothing, no good fats, no fibre, and probably only one or two grams of protein. They’re just not worth it.
5. Energy Drinks
For some reason energy drinks seem to get lumped in with health shakes and smoothies as some sort of good diet choice, but just because they give you a boost it doesn’t mean they are good for your body. They might promise to boost metabolism which can lead to weight loss, but it’s not worth it for the possible side effects of jitters, high blood pressure, insomnia and even allergic reactions in some severe cases.
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