The Top Diet-Damaging Foods to Eliminate Now
Think you’re doing everything you can to invest in your health and well-being? Unfortunately, sometimes, we may believe we are, but there are some sneaky diet habits holding us back. Here are nine nasty nibblers that are sabotaging your plans:
Pop. Regular pop is high in sugar, and all varieties, diet or not, pack on the pounds with zero nutritional value to the body. Stick with flavored, carbonated water instead.
Juice. Most juices are high in sugar and low in nutritional benefits, basically doing more harm than good. The sugar will add unwanted pounds and rot your teeth. If you’re looking for some vitamin C, eat an orange or opt for a supplement instead.
Alcohol. Also high in sugar, alcoholic beverages blast away all diet efforts, especially since they are mostly consumed at night before bed when your body doesn’t have a chance to process the sugar. Don’t let your social habits destroy your health.
Fried Food. Fried choices will leave you with little energy and a sour stomach long after your craving subsides. Our bodies weren’t designed to eat excessive amounts of fried anything, the dishes at restaurants can be especially damaging.
Cheese. Cheese is high in saturated fat – in other words, the bad kind. It can also be hard to digest for many people. Okay in moderation, excess amounts should be avoided.
Buttered Popcorn. Buttered popcorn, especially the buckets available at the theater or “movie-theater” popcorn packets now available on grocery store shelves are calorie-dense and difficult to digest. Try stocking up on SmartPop or SkinnyPop, which is also widely available, and spritzing lightly with imitation butter spray for added taste.
Soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is extremely high in salt, which absorbs good-for-you nutrients in the body, robbing you of their benefits. Salt will also quickly add on weight, and soy sauce contains gluten. Since both gluten and soy are common allergens, many are negatively affected by these ingredients. Replace with coconut aminos if you crave the taste.
Jelly. Regular jelly is all sugar, won’t fill you up, and offers little nutritional value. The next time you decide on a P& J for lunch, think about whether a peanut butter only sandwich sounds just as tasty. Otherwise, crush fresh strawberries or raspberries onto your toast for more good-for-you content before adding peanut butter, or opt for sugar-free instead.
Sugar Cereal. There are so many sugary options on the shelves these days. “Sugary breakfast cereal made with mostly refined grains can contain lots of added sugar and very little fiber,” says Elisa Zied, RD, and founder of Zied Health Communications. This means getting your morning off to the wrong start. When did it become socially acceptable to feed your kid bite-sized chocolate chip cookies in milk for breakfast, anyway? Stick with multi-grain options or make a protein shake instead.
Simply nixing these nine diet no-nos will help you to achieve your goals and get healthier than ever in no time at all. With summer just around the corner, quick-and-easy changes are certainly welcomed!
