Friday, October 15, 2010

Seven Secret Diet-Bustering Foods

The packaging might scream “diet” or “low fat” or some other marketing phrase designed to attract the health conscious. But these seven sins of snacking, eating and overeating can bust a diet, no matter the pretty phrasing:

1) “100 Calorie” Packs: A study showed that people who ate from pre-portioned packages of snack food ended up eating more than those presented with the bigger container. It’s only 100 calories if you eat just one.

2) “Diet” Treats: Diet doesn’t mean healthy. All it means is that it has less calories than the regular version, even if that “less” barely makes the scale move. A better bet? Go with the full flavor treat, but limit yourself.

3) Liquid Calories: Juices without any actual juice, sodas and even cappuccinos with sugar can add up on the gut.

4) Super Snacking: Two snacks at around 150-200 calories each is good. Constantly snacking at your desk while at work is bad.

5) Rich Proteins: Sirloin delivers a lot of protein, which is wonderful – but it also delivers an almost-equal amount of fat. Lean turkey, however, or fish, deliver a better good-to-bad ratio.

6) Fat-Free Salad Dressings: Most of these are loaded down with sugar, meaning you’re still taking in bad calories. Stick with a full-fat dressing, make it oil-based (rather than creamy) and use a little less.

7) Baked Potato Chips: Better than the others? Maybe. But there’s still no nutrients and a good deal of wasted calories. Go with popcorn instead – higher in fiber and much lower in calorie count.

Any of these look familiar? And how do you secretly sabotage your diet?

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