Think twice this season before over-indulging on these foods you thought were healthy…but really aren’t when consumed too much. So try and consume these foods in normal portions!
Smoothies
Smoothies are often times made with added syrups and whole milk to give them their thickness. Despite being made with (not always) real fruit, these smoothies can be loaded with unnecessary sugar and fat. According to LiveStrong.com, a Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Lemonade 20oz smoothie has
310 calories
5 grams of fat
80 carbohydrates (68g of sugar)
Stir fry
Stir fry is a great and easy meal to make at the end of the night. Although many are very generous with olive oil- an oil with monounsaturated fats that can do wonders to your health when in moderation. Glamour.com mentions that, “A 2-cup serving of chicken with eggplant and mushrooms can have 800 calories and 60 grams fat. ‘Many women use at least 4 tbsp. olive oil; that’s 477 calories and 54 grams fat from the oil alone,’ says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D. And porous veggies like eggplant really soak up the grease.”
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt obviously seems like the better choice over ice cream, considering most claim to be low calorie and have live active cultures of bacteria, such as Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum. However, not all frozen yogurts are made in the same proportion as others. Some may not have a sufficient amount of thses active cultures and can even yield the same amount of fat as ice cream.
Soy
“Many of soy’s health benefits have been linked to isoflavones—plant compounds that mimic estrogen. But animal studies suggest that eating large amounts of those estrogenic compounds might reduce fertility in women, trigger premature puberty and disrupt development of fetuses and children,” states Scientific American.
Yogurt with Fruit on the Bottom
The label says “Made with real fruit on the bottom,” but last time I checked my strawberries didn’t come in goo-form. What makes that fruit so gooey and the yogurt so sweet is the one ingredient we all hate to hear: High Fructose Corn Syrup. This also jacks up the sugars above appropriate limit of sugar in yogurt, which is about 28g of sugar.
Veggie Chips
Glamour.com states, “A serving has approximately 150 calories and 9 grams fat. ‘Don’t let the term veggie fool you; made from vegetables or not, most are still fried like a potato chip,’ says [Nutritionist, Carrie Latt] Wiatt.”
Pretzels
Pretzels serves as a delicious snack during the day, however that tiny crunch won’t satisfy your hunger. Pretzels are considered empty calories, and if salt is added, they will leave your taste buds craving more and more carbohydrates you didn’t want in the first place.
Granola Bars
Granola bars are easy on-the-go snacks that have several ingredients, like nuts, fruits, and chocolate, that compliment each other so well. Though, the dried fruit, chocolate, and granola itself has a very high amount of carbohydrates, especially sugar.
Sushi
Japanese food is very rich in nutrients, with most ingredient being vegetables and healthy meats like fish. However, when fish is wrapped with white rice, which has a significant amount of carbohydrates and paired with cream cheese or avocado…the meal’s health factor goes down. According to FoxNews.com, “Tuna sashimi, for example, has about 35 calories and 1 gram of fat per ounce. But a spicy tuna roll has 290 calories and 11 grams of fat, and a tempura roll has 320 calories and 17 grams of fat.”